Part IV: Milwaukee Bucks games to highlight in 2012-’13
Part IV is in! The first three-parts are in the books, and here is Part IV of your guide to Milwaukee Bucks basketball games to get your adrenaline pumping in 2012-’13.
13. Friday, March 22 @ Indiana
Right around the time the ‘Big Dance’ gets underway, the Bucks have their own ‘March Madness’ to withstand. This game kicks off a stretch of three crucial games between now and the end of March. Though, one could argue at this point in the season, every game is crucial.
However, this game could be have a bit more significance than some, as Indiana and Milwaukee should be in the same vicinity in the standings at this juncture in the season and jockeying for playoff positioning with about a month of the regular season left.
If Milwaukee can steal one on the road from the Pacers here, it could boost Milwaukee’s confidence and catapult the Bucks for the stretch run.
14. Thursday, March 28 v. L.A. Lakers
Kobe Bryant still has some gas left in his tank, but how much is certainly a matter of debate. By no means do I expect Kobe to retire in the very near future, but this could be one of your last opportunities to see Bryant at or near full bloom in person.
Kobe will go down as one of the greatest of all-time and mentioned in the same breath as MJ when the dust settles. With that being said, Bryant is almost always worth the price of admission alone.
15. Saturday, March 30 v. Oklahoma City Thunder
Is there a better way to spend yet another Saturday night then at the BMO Harris Bradley Center? If you ask me, the answer would be a resounding, NO!
The defending Western Conference champs rolling into town is always noteworthy. The fact that the Thunder will not be a ‘fluke’ and will be a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future makes OKC’s once-a-year trip to Milwaukee a lucrative event.
It doesn’t hurt that the Thunder boasts ‘The Beard’ James Harden, multi-talented Olympian PG Russell Westbrook, and twenty-four year old, three-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant. Grab your popcorn!
16. April 9th-April 13th @ Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Charlotte
I think the Bucks notch a mid-40 win total this year and are in the mix for the 5/6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Others think the Bucks will be a fringe playoff team. Either way you slice the cake, this late season road trip should prove to be critical for the Deer.
Beating the defending champion Miami Heat at their place, unless the Heat are in a position at this point to rest players, probably isn’t realistic.
Who knows what the Orlando Magic is going to look like and where they will be in the standings for this contest? One would presume that the ‘Dwightmare’ will be over with by April 10th, 2013! However, the effects of this franchise altering, hostage-like situation the selfish superstar has put the Magic in will still be lingering.
Atlanta appears to be a team in transition after dealing Joe Johnson and reportedly shopping Josh Smith. Despite that, the Hawks, anchored by one of the top big men in the NBA in Al Horford, still figure to be reasonably competitive in ’12-’13.
Charlotte should be a gimme.
Historically, the Bucks struggle on road-trips and a poor showing on this swing at the end of the 2012-’13 regular season would be disastrous and could be fatal.
That concludes my four-part article on the 16 regular season Milwaukee Bucks basketball games that you should be excited for in 2012-’13. Highlight them, circle them, do what you gotta do to ensure your availability for these games! I hope you enjoyed reading ‘em as much as I enjoyed writing ‘em!
(If you’ve haven’t already yet, catch up on Part I, Part II & Part III by clicking the desired Part!)
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