|
Dot - Dot - Dot Com
August, 2006
with Jim Paschke 
August 2, 2006 It’s time to plan your winter. The Bucks schedule is out today. It is always a “juice” day when we get our first look at this season’s 82 game line-up. The first thing I do is try to get a feel for how it plays out for the team, then I look at how the schedule breaks out for television. My first impression: The Bucks had better learn how to protect the home court. They will play just 13 road game after January and just 6 after March 5th. That stretch includes 7 straight home games between March 7 and the 25th. If you have the home court thing going well, it could be a wonderful stretch drive into the playoffs in ’07. The other side of the schedule-maker’s coin brings a lot of early roadwork. 29 of Milwaukee’s first 48 games are on the road. That includes ten road games in both December and January. Playing away from the Bradley Center hasn’t bothered the Bucks in recent seasons, so why not get most of the travel out of the way early. The Bucks open on the road for the 22nd consecutive season. They start with their playoff nemesis Detroit on November first. You have to go back to 1984 for a Bucks season opener at home. They beat the Bulls by 2 to begin that season. In game two this year, Charlie Villanueva and the Bucks go head-to-head with T.J. Ford in Toronto. It’s an early “trade” game. The home opener on November fourth is with Sacramento. The last time Milwaukee opened the home season with a team from the Western Conference was 1994 against the Lakers. Vin Baker led the Bucks with 22 points in a thrilling 97-96 victory. The schedule is also family friendly for the team this season. The Bucks will be home for Thanksgiving, New Year’s, and Easter. They will have to travel on Christmas Day in order to open a 3-game trip to San Antonio, Memphis and Cleveland which starts on December 26. Not bad at all. The Bucks have one game scheduled for ESPN this season on February 2nd at Detroit. They will appear on NBATV three times. Locally, MY24 will carry 35 Bucks games and FSNN is scheduled to carry 40 cablecasts. I can’t wait to get back to Detroit! |
