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It's the last game of the Milwaukee Bucks' 2014-2015 regular season, and what a remarkable one it's been. Few among us expected to be gearing up for the playoffs when the season tipped off, and none of us was even entertaining the idea that Jabari Parker would miss most of the season with a nasty injury. We saw the Bucks trade their starting point guard and leading scorer, we saw a former trade "throw in" grow into arguably the team's best player, and we saw a key member of the roster simply walk away from professional basketball.
After all that, the Bucks find themselves matched up against the team just behind them in the standings, and while playoff seeding isn't subject to the outcome of this one, there's a certain amount of symbolic value to earning a win tonight. Victory means the Bucks finish two games over .500, a winning team in the purest sense of the term. Defeat, and it's yet another season stuck in neutral. Objectively, that's a silly distinction, and it won't mean much a week from now. But then, this whole season has been about changing the way the Milwaukee Bucks do things, and we've been looking for the symbolic value all along. Why deride progress with the same old tired complaints. Playoffs, baby! Get the W! Loud noises!
And now one last plug for SB Nation's fantasy basketball partner FanDuel.com!
FanDuel.com offers players the chance to compete with thousands of other managers in salary-cap fantasy basketball tournaments every night of the NBA season. Members can play in both free and paid entry tournaments, with paid contests offering immediate cash prizes for thousands of winners every night.
Tonight, FanDuel's featured tournament is a $2 entry NBA contest giving away $150,000 in cash prizes. Click here to pick your team and take a shot at the $10,000 top prize.
Bucks vs. Celtics Fantasy Tip
Ready to trust Michael Carter-Williams? In his last four games MCW is averaging 23 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals while shooting over 60% from the field. Those are ridiculous numbers, the sort that only appear for flashes before regression drags them back into the haze of season-long averages. But now seems like a good time to capitalize on MCW's obvious comfort level--he's looked like a different player lately, more comfortable and in-sync with his teammates and coach, and that's been reflected in his numbers.
Note: Any opinions expressed in this post are solely my own. See FanDuel.com for details and official rules. FanDuel gave me some cash to play their daily fantasy games.