On the surface, the Milwaukee Bucks’ 111-107 win last night at Cleveland looks like one mediocre Eastern Conference team beating another mediocre Eastern Conference team. But the Bucks were a lowly 1-15 against the Central Division last season, and with last night’s surprising win over the Cavs on the road, Milwaukee has moved to 2-0 this season within the division.
The Bucks feel like a team in transition. They’re still adjusting to new coach Larry Krystowiak’s style and have had to make room for Yi Jianlian, a promising rookie, and Bobby Simmons, a former Sixth Man of the Year who missed the entire 2006-07 season with a heel injury. Consecutive losses to Orlando and Charlotte to start the season were cause for concern, but since then the Bucks are 5-2 with the only losses coming to the Rockets and Spurs on the road. It appears that the rotation is settling in and the team seems to be gelling. The Bucks face the Lakers and Mavs at home over the next four days before series of nine winnable games that include a West Coast swing against the Clippers, Warriors, Sonics, Blazers and Kings.
With a starting lineup that includes Mo Williams, Michael Redd, Desmond Mason, Yi Jianlian and Andrew Bogut, along with a bench that features Charlie Villanueva, Charlie Bell and Bobby Simmons, the Bucks do have a lot of young talent. If they mature quickly and develop good chemistry, they could make some noise in the East this year.
