Bucks/Knicks: New York unveils Melo, overhauled roster against Milwaukee

2010/2011 NBA Season
	vs.
22-34 (8-21 road)		28-26 (15-12 home)
February 23, 2011
Madison Square Garden
6:30 PM CST
Radio: 620 WTMJ TV: FSN Wisconsin
Probable starters:
Brandon Jennings	PG	Chauncey Billups
John Salmons	SG	Landry Fields
Carlos Delfino	SF	Carmelo Anthony
Luc Mbah a Moute	PF	Amar'e Stoudemire
Andrew Bogut	C	Ronny Turiaf
(30th) 101.0 - OFFENSE -  109.8 (8th)
(5th) 102.6 - DEFENSE - 109.4 (20th)
(26th) 89.9  - PACE -  96.2 (2nd)

On the Knicks:

Posting and Toasting / Knickerblogger

Funny story: I copied the infobox from the Denver game on February 16th, and I only had to change three of the Knicks' probable starters!

Maybe funny isn't the right word.

So I guess we're just following Carmelo Anthony now. In Carmelo Anthony's last regular-season game, he dropped 38 points on the Bucks as a member of the Denver Nuggets. In his first game post-All-Star break, he will be looking to impress his new home crowd on the biggest stage in the NBA. I don't know what evils this Bucks roster has committed to earn such vengeance at the hands of the Universe, but can they please stop it? Cross your fingers that Donnie Walsh doesn't flip Melo to the Bulls after the game and make it three-in-a-row for Milwaukee.

Something's gonna give. The Bucks haven't lost in New York since November of 2007. Milwaukee rolled the Knicks at home in the first game of the season series. Frankly, Milwaukee has seemingly had New York's number for some time. But this Knicks team is a little different than the one Milwaukee torched in the Bradley Center. The motivation should obviously be there for both teams, as should the pressure, but this is undoubtedly a steep task for the Bucks. Should they pull off the upset, though, the good vibrations going forward will be fun to watch.

JSOnline: Bucks keep minds on big picture. At this time last year, the Bucks were precisely a .500 team; a team in the middle of a 15-3 run to start the second half of the season; a team brimming with confidence, basking in the knowledge that every playoff team in the East had a little Fear of the Deer in them. This year? They're 12 games under .500, looking down the barrel of the NBA's no-man's land: too good to earn a great draft pick, too bad to pose any threat in the playoffs. But the team is doing its best to stay focused. They need to put a streak together in the second half, and they got that streak going last night. This team still has every intention of making the playoffs, but the pressure is high.

Something to build on. Brandon Jennings played a very nice game last night, contributing across the board while shooting a passable 7-of-17. His struggles from deep have still been disconcerting, and it's difficult to accept that his foot injury remains the primary culprit. Yet after a little time off to relax and recover from whatever might be ailing him, perhaps now is as good a time as any to put together a string of good performances. The same is needed from Bogut and the rest of the roster if this team intends to replicate the run it put together last year. The clock is ticking.