08/09 Series:
Nov. 2: Bucks 94 @Knicks 86
Nov. 21: @Bucks 104 Knicks 87
Dec. 19: Bucks 105 @Knicks 81
Injuries
Knicks: Eddy Curry (sore right knee) is out, and Jared Jeffries (bruised left knee) did not play on Sunday.
Bucks: Michael Redd (torn ACL and MCL) and Andrew Bogut (stress fracture in lower back) are out.
Three Points
- Going for four. The three-game cushion in the standings the Bucks hold over the Knicks is due directly to winning all three head-to-head contests against New York this season. Milwaukee's shellackings of the Knicks have grown more emphatic each time, winning by 8, 17, and 24 points in a progressively lopsided series. Don't consider them pushovers though: New York's tendency to sleepwalk through road trips (a paltry 7 wins in 29 attempts away from MSG) is reversing course a bit, as they have registered victories in San Antonio, Toronto, Indiana, and Atlanta -- all in the past three weeks. Nate Robinson was a slam dunk in February. The shifty, quick, 5'9" guard averaged 23.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on .483/.381/.797 last month.
- Knicker-not-blockers. The Knicks average 2.3 blocks per game. As a team. You know, like the same number of shots as Chris Andersen blocks in 19.3 minutes per game. Except the Knicks require 48 minutes multiplied by five players, so... 240 minutes to block a couple shots. Plus, New York averages the second most possessions per game in the NBA, so they have plenty of chances to block shots. This is all good news for the Bucks, whose 3.8 per game would rank last if it were not for the Knicks.
- Speed. The Bucks are coming off a high-scoring win over the Warriors, the fastest team in the Western Conference (and NBA), so they shouldn't need to adjust too much playing the Knicks, the Eastern Conference's fastest team.
Coverage
Bucks.com / Posting and Toasting / Knickerblogger / New York Times