MILWAUKEE — It's not an exaggeration to say this is the most important game of the season for the Milwaukee Bucks.
It's not the decisive game yet, a time that is approaching rapidly with nine games left in the regular season.
But it's a moment of truth, a chance to see whether the Bucks are serious about snaring an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Lose to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, and the task is a daunting one. Win, and it suddenly becomes much more realistic.
The Bucks face the Knicks in a nationally televised showdown at the Bradley Center as the two teams jockey with the Philadelphia 76ers [team stats] for the final two playoff berths.
New York's 98-86 loss at Chicago on Tuesday night meant the Bucks moved within one game of the Knicks for the eighth spot in the East. Milwaukee (28-29) can move into the eighth position with a victory Wednesday.
The Bucks need a strong finish to catch either New York (29-28) or Philadelphia (30-27). The 76ers moved into the seventh spot with a 107-88 victory at New Jersey on Tuesday and lead Milwaukee by two games.
And a victory by Milwaukee over the Knicks would give the Bucks the head-to-head playoff tiebreaker should the teams finish with the same overall record.
"We've just got to go out and play our game," said Bucks guard Monta Ellis. "Come out with a little intensity, a little urgency and approach it like it's a playoff game."
After the Bucks' 109-89 loss to Oklahoma City on Monday night, point guard Brandon Jennings vowed his teammates would be ready for the Knicks.
"Games like that are tough," Jennings said of the Bucks falling behind by 21 points in the first quarter and never recovering against the Thunder. "For sure Wednesday, that's not going to happen."
The Knicks have improved their defense dramatically, in part due to the addition of 7-foot-1 center Tyson Chandler. Rookie shooting guard Iman Shumpert has excelled as an on-ball defender and will get another turn at defending Ellis.
When Milwaukee last faced the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 26, the Bucks shot 36.5 percent (31 of 85) in an 89-80 defeat. Ellis was 2 of 14 and scored just four points, and Jennings was 6 of 22.
"Our overall focus and effort wasn't good that night," said Bucks coach Scott Skiles. "And we still had our chances.
"It's not that I'm not concerned about New York because New York is a very good team. We have a lot of respect for them.
"But we have to be concerned about our own approach. Win or lose, are we playing like we understand the magnitude of the moment and the type of energy we need to come out and compete?"
New York played without Amar'e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin when they beat the Bucks. And the Knicks are still pushing hard despite losing Stoudemire to a back injury and Lin to surgery for a meniscus tear in his left knee.
©2012 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Visit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at www.jsonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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