Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 115-102 win over New York Knicks
The end is near
The Milwaukee Bucks have a mere two regular season games remaining in their 2017-2018 campaign. They’ve clinched a playoff berth, but have not yet locked in their seed or their first round opponent for the coming postseason.
Following their victory over New York, Milwaukee is on track for the seventh seed, and slotted to take on the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. They are tied with Miami, who hold the sixth seed over Milwaukee by virtue of their season sweep of the Bucks.
Miami has a more difficult remaining schedule, so it is not unlikely that the Bucks could overtake the Heat for the sixth seed. What is interesting is that the seventh seed is actually coveted for its matchup against the injury-riddled Celtics, who appear ripe for an upset.
The first round draft pick owed to Phoenix in the Eric Bledsoe trade will be conferred this year if the Bucks’ first round pick falls at 16 or better. They can keep their draft pick by climbing to the sixth seed. They’ll also have a chance to retain their draft pick if they end up with the same record as the sixth-seeded team.
The major intrigue lies in how Miami and Milwaukee play out the stretch. Will either team tank games to stay in the seventh seed and improve their perceived chance of advancing out of the first round? If Milwaukee has the opportunity, will they choose to go for the sixth seed and control their first round draft pick this year, even if it means a playoff matchup against the surging 76ers or LeBron James and the Cavaliers?
I guess I should also mention that they might just fall back to eighth place, losing their pick and getting matched up against the top-seeded Raptors. It’s coming to an end soon, so stick with us at Behind the Buck Pass to keep up with every twist and turn.
Next: Win In 6 Podcast #198: Does playoff seeding really matter?
The Bucks will next be in action on Monday evening when they host the Orlando Magic in the final regular season game at the Bradley Center.