Jim Paschke has been the television Voice of the Bucks since 1986, pairing with Jon McGlocklin during each of those seasons. This year, he adds a new title to his business card -- master of online blogging and video webisodes. JP promises to bring you the stories you want to hear and the content you want to see. He'll be at the games, at the practices, at the shootarounds, on the plane, in the hotels, in the community and everywhere else the Bucks go. Bookmark this page now and experience the 2007-08 Bucks season in a whole new light. This is Paschketball!
The Mo show
Posted on January 29, 2008 at 2:42 p.m.
As soon as our bus arrived at our New York hotel last night, Mo Williams jumped in a car and headed to the NBA TV studios in New Jersey. The reason? He was taping a segment for the station's evening program: GameNight. Check it out:
I remember those shots against Indiana and Washington very well. Let's hope the Bucks can get another big win tonight in Jersey against a team that is coming in having lost nine straight.
Amazing
Posted on January 28, 2008 at 10:12 p.m.
Amazing happened at the Bradley Center at least three times on Sunday. One: the Bucks led the team with the fourth best record in the East by 11 points with 100 seconds to play. Two: The Wizards tied the game with 20 second remaining. Amazing. Three: The Bucks, without Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva, figured out a way to win in overtime.
It was a roller coaster ride that encompassed the season in just three hours. It was looking like one of if not the most impressive victories of the season. Then it appeared to be on the verge of becoming perhaps the most devastating loss of this season. The game ended up being a head shaker, which is the closest approximation of the season so far.
Amazing. The Bucks are just a game out of a playoff spot after that crazy afternoon.
Now the focus shifts to the fact that the bucks play Indiana, New Jersey and Chicago eight times the rest of the way, all huge games in any attempt to reach the post season.
Buckle up.
I’d like to share a nice piece of work with you. Charlie Villanueva is the face and voice of this season’s Milwaukee NBA Cares promotional spot. CV did a great job on this spot. Judge for yourself.
Pacing yourself
Posted on January 24, 2008 at 2:44 p.m.
The Bucks host Indiana at the Bradley Center tonight. It’s the first of four games against the team currently holding down the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, so every game is really two in the race for the final spot.
Indiana scores more points than you might think. The Pacers average 103.6 points a game, which is first in the East. Indiana has averaged over 112 points in its last six games. They are playing even faster without Jermaine O’Neal.
The Pacers move and share the ball very well, and rank sixth in assists per game. Indiana is also a dangerous jump shooting team, especially behind the three-point line.
Indiana scores and gives up points. It should be another fast paced wild one tonight with turnovers being a huge key.
Three other notes on tonight’s game:
The Bucks are 9-3 when playing teams which are in the second of back-to-back games. That is second only to Utah’s 9-0 record.
We will see three players who have the highest point-per-game increase between December and January tonight. Charlie Bell has increased his scoring by 7.2 points this month. Danny Granger and Andrew Bogut are both up 7.1 over last month.
Bogut’s run of seven straight games with a double double is the longest by a Buck since Moses Malone rattled off nine straight in January and February of 1992.
Halfway home
Posted on January 22, 2008 at 1:24 p.m.
The Bucks are at the mathematical halfway point in the season with a 16-25 record.
So what will it take to make the playoffs in the East? I asked Larry Kystkowiak that this morning and, as you might expect, he had already addressed that subject with his team. Larry pointed out that if you double the current 8th place team’s victory total, Indiana could get the 8th spot with 38 victories.
He has challenged the Bucks with another angle on getting into the bracket this season.
Keep in mind: the Bucks have four games remaining with Indiana.
"Bucks Live" prior to tonight’s Phoenix game starts at 6:30 on FSN-Wisconsin.
Down under the basket
Posted on January 16, 2008 at 2:38 p.m.
It’s great to be home for a monster two-game homestand. Actually, the Bucks will play four of their next five games in the Bradley Center, the first significant stretch of home games since November. It seems like we’ve been on the road forever.
The silver lining on the Bucks 0-3 swing through the Pacific and Mountain time zones is obviously Andrew Bogut. “Thunder from Down Under” had a career-high 29 points Saturday in Phoenix and posted three double-doubles on the trip.
In the new calendar year, Andrew has averaged 18 points with 9.9 rebounds and a 62.5 field goal percentage. In those eight games, Bogut has scored 23 or more three times and has had 10 or more rebounds five times.
Coach Larry Kystkowiak knows what Andrew has meant to the team lately:
Andrew’s success should continue tonight. He has averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals and has hit 63% of his shots in two games against the Hawks.
There is no local television tonight. Game time is at 7:00 at the Bradley Center. Hope to see you there!
Passing fancy
Posted on January 9, 2008 at 2:34 p.m.
Passing is back in style for the Bucks. In their recent up-tick, the Bucks have been playing the kind of team-game that Larry Kystkowiak has expected.
I asked about the recent return to sharing the ball after this morning’s shoot-around.
When Michael Redd returns, and he may see some action tonight off the bench, it will be fascinating to see how that Bucks and Michael keep the offense flowing. They’ll need the team approach and Redd’s scoring as they face teams with winning records in their next ten games starting Friday in Los Angeles.
Local warming
Posted on January 7, 2008 at 5:20 p.m.
Back to back road victories and T-shirt weather in Philadelphia on January 7th. Sometimes the road offers great surprises.
After a December of dreadful weather, the Bucks have hit Philadelphia for two days of 60-degree temperatures. It’s almost disconcerting to walk out of the hotel expecting winter and encounter spring.
It was a great day to take a walk past the theater district on Broad Street, then to circle back through Rittenhouse Square and Walnut Street. Some of the other members of our traveling crew headed for the Museum (Rocky Balboa) and Boathouse Row. This city of monuments was not a bad place to be on this day.
Thoughts after yesterday’s victory in Charlotte:
The three games against the Bobcats were decided by a total of five possessions. The Bucks lost by three, and won twice by four points.
I know it seemed weird to some for me to suggest that winning a season series against Charlotte in January could somehow become significant. We just cover all the bases, because you never know how a season will play out.
Andrew Bogut now has 27- and 25-point games against Charlotte. Both have come at Bobcats Arena and both with Michael Redd unavailable. He obviously gets the ball more with Michael absent and the Bobcats don’t match up well with Andrew.
Speaking of defense, Charlotte has given up two of the top three individual shooting performances in the league this season. Yao Ming went 13-for-15 (.867), Carlos Boozer hit 17-of-20 shots (.850) and Yi scored 29 on December 22 with 14-of-17 shooting (.824).
Charlie Bell broke through on Sunday with a season high 27 points. Bell had scored 27 total points in his previous 10 games, so it was great to see him smiling.
Mo Williams picked off 6 steals, topping the Bobcats total of 5.
Mo and starting point guard Royal Ivey combined for just 3 turnovers, as the Bucks reversed a recent give-it-away trend.
Let’s hope the Bucks are as “hot” as the city of Philadelphia and can make it three straight road victories tomorrow night.
Rook-Yi of the Month
Posted on January 2, 2008 at 12:57 p.m.
Everywhere we go, basketball people are impressed with Yi. They often make comments like, “It won’t be long before it’s his team” and “You can see that he will be the cornerstone of the Bucks in a year or two.”
Beyond his obvious skills, the thing that continues to impress me every night is the fact that Yi plays hard on every play, from the beginning of the game until the end. Let’s hope he keeps that work ethic. If he can, Yi can become an exceptional NBA player.
This morning’s shoot-around at AmericanAirlines Arena was efficient and tidy. It was quiet and business-like. It’s tool early to tell if the players are looking at their first game of the New Year as a new starting point, but we will find out soon enough.
Miami is a team in trouble. Injuries and lethargy have put the Heat in a lottery trajectory. Miami must go 33-18 the rest of the way to reach .500, which may be enough for the eighth playoff spot.
Tonight, Shaquille O’Neal, Dorrell Wright, and Jayson Williams, all starters, are questionable with injuries. Chris Quinn is also a question mark.
This will be a good test of any New Year’s resolutions the Bucks have put in place. Any victory on the road is a good victory, opponent injuries or not.
Some good news: Mo Williams will try to go tonight after missing the Detroit game with an Achilles injury. I talked with him briefly after the shoot-around.
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