Previewing a matchup with the Wizards and looking ahead to another back to back

Previewing a matchup with the Wizards and looking ahead to another back to back

On today’s lockdown box we take a look at this Eastern Conference matchup with the Washington Wizards an interesting note on the injury report also what does it mean for tomorrow one of two remaining back-to-backs the Bucks have on this schedule is just eight games remain and I think we got a pretty clear

Idea of where the Bucks are going to finish we’ll get to all of that and hear from you as well on today’s edition of locked on bucks You are locked on bucks your daily Milwaukee Bucks podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day welcome in to lock on bucks I am Justin Garcia here with you you can also find my work on the Bucks radio network as you can this evening with the Bucks

In DC to take on the Wizards we always thank you for making locked on bucks your first listen each and every day we are free and available wherever you get your podcasts viewable on YouTube as well it’s all part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and

Today’s locked on bucks is brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase so the buck find themselves in DC tonight to take on the Washington Wizards and they will do so without

Damen Lillard who we talked about yesterday was already ruled out on the injury reports for this game Chris Middleton and yanis the two big names that are out there for the bucks are both listed as probable so is Pat Beverly who is still listed as a right

Wrist sprain even though Pat may have let the cat out of the bag on the pat Beverly podcast but everybody else is either available or listed as probable save for for Jaylen Galloway who is also out and I I’ve seen some people ask does this mean anything should we be

Concerned that Damen Lillard is out for a a second consecutive game and not only out but today it it is not out for personal reasons it is a groin strain that Damen Lillard has been listed on the injury report with a right groin strain and look to me the simple answer

Is no there is nothing to be concerned about I for one am somebody that always has the mindset of I am not concerned until it is time to be concerned which you could argue look by then it’s too late um but no I I think the big thing

Is is is we’ve spent so much time already this season talking about you need Damen Lillard ready and healthy for the postseason do you need Damen Lillard to beat the Washington Wizards well you would you would certainly hope not no you should not need Damen Lillard in

That case so it’s just a matter of maintaining that Health this is a big stretch for the bucks and and we may laugh at that not to to continue to beat a dead horse here I’ve said this a number of times this stretch the Bucks have right now may prove to be the

Biggest stretch on the schedule this season because this is really where you can put it away right now with eight games remaining as we look at the Eastern Conference standings again you still have to take care of business your own the Bucks are in a very very good spot

I’m not going to go back to the conversations that were taking place around this team moving into the allstar break but it has gone in a much much different direction so Bucks have a magic number of six bucks wins and losses by those teams chasing them a

Combination of the two to clinch that two seed in the Eastern Conference it was eight just the other day so they’ve they’ve gotten that help that they’ve needed and they’ve started to win these winnable games I’m going to stop short of calling this game in against the

Wizards a must-win game I think it’s a we hope we win this game must-win to me is it’s it’s tough to use that for anything short of an elimination game in the playoffs um but look th this stretch to get back to the original point the

Stretch is Big because of this if you go three and five in these eight remaining games that the Bucs have on the season if you go three and five and I don’t think that’s asking much to be clear but if you go three and five that that puts

You at 50 and 32 to finish the season I think it’s more realistic to say the Bucks are going to win 52 maybe 51 games but let’s just say worst case scenario of those remaining games you go three and five 50 and 32 is your record so what that means is the Cleveland

Cavaliers would have to go five- two in their seven remaining games a five- two record to pull even with the Bucks and by way of owning the tiebreaker the Cleveland Cavaliers would win the division and they would finish as the two seed in front of the Bucks the New

York Nicks who have had a tough weekend uh losing in a close one to both the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night and then Sunday night to the Oklahoma City Thunder the New York Knicks do not hold the tiebreaker against the buck so if you get 250 wins the Knicks would need

To get to 51 wins so you go three and five Nicks would have to go seven and one to move past the buck so that’s why we’ve continued to say you’re in a very good spot here three and five is not a heavy lift it is not asking much for this team

So to me that’s the bar to clear if you go three and five I think the Bucks are going to be the two seed if you go four and four if you go five and three it’s essentially curtains because that is a Monumental task for the New York Knicks

The fact that they would have to go seven and one if you go three and five well if you go four and0 or four and four excuse me the Knicks would have to go eight and0 to pass the Bucks in the standings Cavaliers then again would

Have to get to 51 wins so they would need to go six and one in those final games that they have and I’ve mentioned this quite a bit but that Cavalier schedule tonight in Utah against the Jazz any bucks fan can tell you look you

You think it’s easy to play in Utah not so fast then they’re in Phoenix tomorrow nights Wednesday night for a back-to-back against the Suns who are now thrust into again I don’t want to use must-win but we really need to win these games from here on out mode to

Preserve their spot outside of the playing tournament or get out of that I should say and then they wrap things up with two games in Los Angeles Saturday and Sunday another back-to-back there for the Cavaliers Lakers on Saturday Clippers on Sunday they close out the regular season with home games Grizzlies

Pacers Hornets they have a day off in between each of those games that Pacers game could very well be very very meaningful uh maybe for the Cavaliers if they have not caught the Bucks by that point to say look we can still stay off

Of that four seed and in doing so try to avoid the Boston Celtics in the second round and the Indiana Pacers you know right now they’re tied in the Lost column with the Miami Heat for the six seed so the Pacers could be in a spot

Too where it’s coming down to the wire in that final day of the regular season to see who’s missing the playin tournament and who’s going to be thrown in there um so that’s what the Cavs have again the Knicks ask is a ton the Knicks

Are going to have to win that game in Milwaukee on April 7th this upcoming Sunday and they’re going to have to do a whole lot more after that because of the fact that the Bucks have the tiebreaker three games already separating them in the Lost column it’s essentially four

For all intents and purposes with that tiebreaker so again the math is on the buck side and it’s starting to become very overwhelming with just another win or two uh that’s the spot that the Bucks will be in I’ve referenced playoff status quite a bit on this show and on

Other shows as well and as as we look at the numbers here as of this afternoon on Tuesday the Bucks have a 90% chance to get the two seed I think for all those reasons we just went through in terms of look even if you just do this if if you

Finish below 500 in these final eight games here’s what the other teams would have to do if you go 500 it’s almost impossible for the Knicks to do it if you go five and three it is impossible for the Knicks to move past you and then it’s just becoming a

Two- horse race where you’ve already built up that Gap so while the Cavaliers did start to get healthy this stretch of scheduling and and look that’s the other part schedule how much we have not mention that for the bucks it was such a heavy talking point by myself by

Everybody else when Doc Rivers started really starting at the end of January how much that schedule shifted and how difficult it became from the end of January all the way until what about two weeks ago where it started to calm down somewhat for the bucks that schedule has

Not come up at all recently and they’ve shifted more towards the middle of the pack in terms of their remaining schedule so the math again is on the buck side that’s one component to the equation the other one is I’ve seen some people ask me about what about this what about that

Is what is that mean in terms of their first round opponents still TBD because again it could be anyone of a number of teams Frank lay and you cannot rule out any of those teams chasing the Bucks it could realistically be any of those teams that currently sit third through e

The Cavaliers the Knicks the magic the Pacers the Miami Heats the Philadelphia 76ers who have a big update that we can share and see what it means for the Eastern Conference and what it means for a potential first round opponent for the Milwaukee Bucks we’ll get into that

Conversation and take some of the comments that are starting to trickle in on the live show as well we will get to that as we continue to preview Tuesday night’s matchup with the Washington Wizards coming up after the break unlocked on bucks well this next segment of lock on bucks

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I mentioned some news in the standings and that is the report that came out yesterday from ESPN’s Adrien wowski that look I’ve been banging this drum as well think that’s the second time I’ve used that phrase on this show but I’ve been mentioning Joel embiid’s coming back guys Joel and beid is going

To be back I know we can all look at the Sixers and laugh and say LOL Sixers I know we’ve all said we want that smoke we want to see the Sixers in the playoffs we want a Giannis versus Joel embiid matchup up and I want that too I

Don’t want that in the first round and I don’t want that this season with the way the Joel embiid has uh looked and and look it is fair to say that’s a pretty big ask I I don’t think we can assume that Joel embiid is going to be the guy

That he was in December in the first two three weeks of January where he was frankly a video game and borderline Unstoppable Tyrese Maxi has blossomed into an Allstar caliber player Nick nurse is the guy he and Eric spola the two guys that have historically diagrammed the defenses that have slowed

Down Giannis and seemingly given Giannis the most FS all throughout his postseason run and regular season for that matter too so there are a number of reasons to point to to say look I know it’s going to be a tough matchup either way you know there

Is no such thing as an easy draw in the first round of the playoffs this year potentially even for the Boston Celtics who could get the 76ers they could get the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs So Gone are the days where you have the Detroit Pistons in your first

Round Series in your winning that by an average margin of 20 plus points per game or the Orlando Magic where you win in a gentleman sweep right those aren’t the days of the playoffs anymore I think the the playin tournament has changed that somewhat but you know for the longest

Time in the Eastern Conference you would really just point to the 4 five match up and say well if there’s going to be an upset quote unquote it would be here this is going to be the most competitive series maybe we see a little bit of that

In the 36 series as well but you’re certainly not seeing that in two versus 7 and one versus 8 that’s not going to be the case this year when you just look at the standings and we mentioned all of those teams that the Bucks could potentially get in the first round of

The postseason what we know is this there’s three teams the Bucks are not going to get in the first round the Boston Celtics the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks as right now the Bulls and Hawks are tied in the Lost column 36 and

40 are the Bulls 35 and 40 are the Hawks but that’s five games back of Philadelphia Who currently sits at eight five games with six to play is not happening so nine and 10 is going to be the Bulls and the Hawks with the seeding there to be determined and I point all

That out because if you’re the two seed you can’t get nine or 10 those two teams can only get eight so the winner of that game is alive the loser is eliminated and the winner of that game then has to beat the team that lost in the 7even

Eight matchup so you can cross those two teams off their list and that’s again one of the reasons why we said could be any one of those teams Cavs Nicks magic Pacers Heat Sixers it is very likely going to be either the Indiana Pacers the Miami Heat or the Philadelphia 76ers

And I do want to open this up to the audience and maybe we’ll make it a poll question as well once we have a clearer picture of the rest of the seeding who you would much rather avoid and who you would much rather have in those three

Scenarios for a first round match up for the Bucs but my thoughts are clear and I’ve said this for weeks now if I can choose one team to avoid it’s the 76ers if I could choose one team to play of those three it’s the Indiana Pacers but I do

Think there isn’t a bad thing for the bucks to adopt the mindset of saying look we’re playing to win right we want to win games going into the playoffs we want to continue to to turn the corner and piece things together as much as we love to throw those comparisons back to

2021 the same way the Bucs did in 2021 where they’re starting to play a lot better down the stretch and again as we came to find out after the fact uh put it to the vote behind closed doors who do you want to play well how do you want

To approach this should we rest should we play to win what if we get the Miami Heat does it matter to us and as a team collectively in the locker room they all said no let’s play to win we don’t care who we get and frankly we kind of want

The Miami Heat because of what happened uh in the bubble what some uh September I believe that was late August so 10 months earlier in the postseason nine months earlier with the way that that’s those two seasons kind of bled together and look I think it should be the same

Approach if you’re the Bucks not to keep going back to 2021 and and and trying to look for all the similarities that we can but I do think that would be a healthy mindset to say we don’t care who we get and frankly we want the Miami

Heat that being said 76ers to me are the team I would keep off the list now it does appear that Joel embiid as Adrien wowski reported his return is imminent he had said there’s a chance that embiid could return as early as tonight when the 76ers play the Oklahoma City Thunder

As of the latest up to the injury report Joel embiid is still listed as out so it does not seem as though embiid is going to be making his return tonight and again for Philadelphia there is still a chance that they could get up to six I think if you’re the Bucks that

Would be an ideal scenario if Philly finishes six this is assuming you finish second and the playin game is the Pacers in the Miami Heat right ideally the playin game in that seventh spot is the magic and the Indiana Pacers I just don’t see that happening given what

The magic have left in terms of their schedule and the fact that they’re already two games clear of the Miami Heat in the Lost colum they’re four games clear of the Philadelphia 76ers in the L C so everybody has said man I’d love to play the magic and I’m with you

Because of a young team not a whole lot of postseason experience yeah you got Joe Engles and Gary Harris Jr not a whole lot outside of that and especially for Jamal Mosley their head coach who has been in the postseason before but not as the guy wearing the whistle not

To mention it’s an offense that has shown some struggles scoring the basketball even with poo banero and the Vagner Brothers they’re a defensive team and it’s all about building on confidence continuing to increase the way that the Bucs are playing on that side of the floor I talked over the weekend about Malik

Beasley and some of the growth that we’ve seen from Malik and and one of the traits that could be most important for Malik be in this postseason is that mindset that he’s brought right I and look I I get it if you watch the Lakers in the postseason last year we talked

About it earlier this season too Malik Beasley did not play for the Lakers in the playoffs last year so I’m sure that’s going to be hanging over the head of a lot of Bucs fans thinking well wait a minute is this G to change once we get

To the postseason and frankly it might not that Malik Beasley is going to be removed from the rotation because the Bucks don’t really have any other options but it is one thing to keep in the back of your mind but I I think we saw this over the weekend in that game

In Atlanta we’ve seen it a couple of times this season the Minnesota Timberwolves game that the Bucs won on the road what’s most impressive about Malik Beasley and and should get more recognition and I think Bucks fans have been quick to recognize and point this out is regardless of the struggles that

Malik may be having on any good night shooting the basketball he was having those in Atlanta against the Hawks He Still Remains active defensively and committed there are shortcomings none of us are disputing that but the big part of defense or one of the big parts of Defense I should say

Is buying right you got to know where you’re going to be you got to know where the help is coming from you have to be assignment short you have to know what move comes next with that you need the Reps and you need time and and you need reps with

Those teammates especially as you incorporate things like zone defense and switching um but you just have to bring it quote unquote defensively for lack of a better phrase right you have to be active you have to be engaged defensively and I do think Malik Beasley

If he has been one thing this season he has been engaged and committed defensively so to see him stick with that even on nights where he’s gone through shooting struggles and not only that on nights when he’s had those you know I referenced that Timberwolves game

He did the same thing against the Hawks he still come up with some of the biggest shots of the game or baskets of the game in in the case of Minnesota down the stretch so to me that is a very encouraging thing moving into the playoffs and if we’re being real the

Bucks are going to have to outscore teams in the playoffs uh this defense I I think it’ll it’ll be aided somewhat by the fact that things do slow down in the postseason there is more physical play I think that’ll help the Bucks as Doc Rivers has really preached and a lot of

This is has been offensively that he’s been speaking to but the Bucks do have to be the more physical team but I I do think that’s going to help out the Bucks somewhat in the postseason is that going to take the bucks from League average to

Elite certainly not but you got to take all the help you can get in the postseason the big thing though is you can’t be a liability right and we’ve heard a number of coaches speak to this Doc Rivers is kind of tiptoed around using that phrase Darvin ham

Specifically said it when the Lakers were in town a week ago that look you just can’t be the worst out there I don’t care if you’re the best you can’t be the worst you got to know where you’re going next you got to know what you’re doing just don’t be the worst guy

That’s out there as long as you can get that and you get those shifts in the way games are officiated you’re gonna have to outscore teams I know we’ve mentioned the Damen Lillard component with free throws and how that’s really changed the last couple of weeks that is something

To keep an eye on but I think there’s more confidence the Bucks can outscore those teams because of what their halfcourt offense has resem LED under Doc Rivers again against the best teams in the League this season the Bucks have been in the top five in halfcourt offensive efficiency and that’s the

Caliber of competition you’re going against in the postseason it’s what the Bucs fell short of year after year after year after year even though they did get a championship in 2021 it was not because of the offense and specifically the halfcourt offense we’ll take a look

At some of the big games because there are quite a bit this week and some of them are on the schedule tonight we’ll take a look at the rest of those games besides just the Bucks and the Washington Wizards game as we continue to get you set for don’t laugh but

Another big matchup for the Milwaukee Bucks this evening in DC we will get to that conversation coming up after this on lock on bucks well I’ve talked before about some of the frustrations that I’ve had on road trips I’ve taken I was in Detroit over the summer ran through one

Frustration after another when using a ticket buying service I’d never been in the city before I wanted to take in a Tigers game wanted to see what else I could do all before SummerSlam and I just ran into roadblock after roadblock I bought tickets from one site never

Even got them had to go to the box office buy a second pair of tickets had to wait two months to even get a refund well I’m here to tell you if I would have used game time I would not have run into any of those issues game time is

Now an authorized ticket Marketplace of Major League Baseball which makes getting tickets even faster and easier prices on the game time app actually go down the closer it gets to first pitch of the game with killer last minute deals all in prices you can even see views from your seat and their lowest

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I don’t want to draw any more criticism but covering and following your favorite baseball team with opening day just last week and the sports specific channels as well a lot to dig into opening week or weeks of Major League Baseball the NBA Playoffs around the corner the NHL

Playoffs around the corner as well so locked on sports today your place to catch all of that all right so in terms of games that are on the schedule tonight it’s a lot of big games this week but especially tonight that Bucks game against the Wizards we obviously

Know the importance win and continue to shrink that magic number make it even more difficult as we lay it out at the top of the show for the Knicks and the Cavaliers to catch you speaking of the Knicks and the Cavaliers and here’s where the Bucks can take one giant step

Towards really locking up that two seed tonight you beat the Wizards a game you you frankly should win the New York Knicks are in Miami against the Heat and just as we said with the Pacers trying to win and and stay out of the playin tournament Miami Heat have to win to

Keep the pace literally in figurative the Pacers won last night he’d got a win tonight to not drop any further back of Indiana in the standings and get locked into that spot where look we’re in the playin tournament they host the New York next that is going to be a challenging

Game for both teams and as we mentioned the Cavaliers are in Utah against the Jazz in the west you’ve got some very very intriguing matchups as well the Dallas Mavericks one of the hottest teams in the league not just on this recent seven game win streak but really

Since the trade deadline what they’ve done with those new pieces Dallas has jumped all the way up to fifth in the Western Conference they could catch the Clippers and get home court in a four versus five matchup or it could become the Mavericks and the Pelicans in the

First round so Dallas has been on a tear lately they’ve got a big game tonight against the Golden State Warriors who also need to keep winning to keep some separation between themselves and the Houston Rockets for that final spot in the West conference playin tournament nuggets and Timberwolves and Oklahoma

City Thunder they all play tonight as well all three of those teams separated by just one game at the top of the Western Conference standing so long story short and and the Clippers and the Sacramento Kings too I should mention that as we we just mentioned the Dallas Mavericks can catch the Clippers

Sacramento has just been dealt injury after injury uh there just two games up on the Lakers in the Lost column in that eight versus n line and again we went through it a little bit when the E when we took a look at the Eastern Conference playing tournament but the importance of

That is if you’re on that n910 line you have to win twice to get into the playoffs one loss means you’re out of it you gotta win the 910 game and you got to win the next game if you’re on the seven8 line you got one free pass you

Can lose and win your next game and still get into the playoffs so we got a handful of big big matches on the NBA schedule tonight it is going to be this way probably from here on out just looking ahead at the rest of the schedule of course the Bucs play

Tomorrow at home against the Grizzlies starting a five game home stand Cavaliers also play tomorrow in Phoenix against the Suns the Pacers play tomorrow against the Brooklyn Nets again you have the Thunder and Timberwolves both playing tomorrow you have the magic playing to see if they slide or move up

In the Eastern Conference standings and they got a tough matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunders so we have tough game big game after big game on this upcoming schedule Thursday by the way 76ers are in Miami the kings are in New York against the Knicks so it is a game

A week I should say packed with very very big matchups to keep an eye on but uh the the long story short and the the final point on this show if you take your business against those teams this stretch that the Bucks are in I know it

Includes back to back you did it against the Atlanta Hawks if you can do it again tonight against the Washington Wizards if you can do it against the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow was Doc Rivers said we’ve been pretty good in Revenge games that fits a Revenge game the way the

Bucks lost that final game before the All-Star break and then the Toronto Raptors who have nothing to play for these are games you win those as we just mentioned if if you go three and five what that means the Cavs and Sixers would have to do those are three wins

Right there so you could go and five and you’re still in a very very favorable spot not counting anything that those teams do so that’s why it’s a big game as much as we may look at the standings and laugh that’s why that’s a big game for the bucks tonight tomorrow and

Friday against the Toronto Raptors uh speaking of tonight SL tomorrow Camille and Frank will be back with the postgame recap of the Bucs and the Washington Wizards same story tomorrow night as well Camille and Frank will recap the matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies Camille and I will be back on Thursday

To take a look ahead or excuse me Friday to take a look ahead to the weekend and preview that matchup with the Toronto Raptors thanks everybody for tuning in I promis I get you out in time to take in opening day for the Brewers talk to you

Once again tomorrow with more locked on bucks

Justin Garcia takes your thoughts and comments on tonight’s matchup with the Washington Wizards, what to expect n tomorrow’s game against the Grizzlies and another look at the Eastern Conference standings and the other big games on Tuesday’s schedule. Is this a must win game? We get into it on the latest Locked on Bucks