The Bratwurst – Milwaukee Bucks Blog

The Knicks have lost 8 straight. They are coming into the Bradley Center on the second game of a back-to-back. They are 4-19 on the road. They are awful.

So why am I worried?

Is it because the Knicks always seem to play the Bucks fairly tough? Is it because the Bucks loss at New York in November was the game that led us all to say, “Umm, Maybe these Bucks aren’t that great after all?”

No, I think that the thing that has me worried is the fact that this is a must win game for the Bucks, and the Knicks can cause a bunch of tough matchups with their athleticism.

Also, the Knicks haven’t been playing all that badly in this losing streak. It coincided with a 5 game west coast trip, and in addition to an OT loss to San Antonio the streak includes losses by 1, 2 and 3 points.

Meanwhile, the Bucks concluded a pretty successful 1-1 road trip with a competetive loss in Dallas. Hey, after how often this team has gotten blown out, just making a game of it with so many players out was impressive.

You know what I really liked to see in the Dallas game? Apparently Larry Krystkowiak has been reading The Bratwurst and is taking my advice (well, okay, so I know that isn’t true) by using Dan Gadzuric at power forward and playing him alongside Andrew Bogut. The results were solid — 4 points, 4 rebounds and no turnovers in 16 minutes. It’s a great idea — get Danny G on the floor where his rebounding can make a difference, but have Bogut out there too so that Gadzuric gets no touches and his offensive ineptness isn’t a problem.

Another positive note is that Michael Redd is returning against New York, and I believe that the combination of a couple of weeks of rest and a chance to face Jamal Crawford’s interpretation of “defense” will lead to a big night for number 22.

I just hope it results in a win. Why am I so worried?