Its a two-horse stumble

With Charlotte's improved play of late, the vaunted "Battle for Third Worst" record in the Association appears to be a two horse stumble pitting Milwaukee's current NBA team -- the Bucks -- against Milwaukee's original NBA team -- the Hawks. (Each team's original Milwaukee mascot logos appear above).

The home stretch starts right now. The Bucks venture south tonight to face the Hawks in yet another pingpong showdown. Unlike Wednesday's game against the Celtics, however, tonight's game is a must lose for the Bucks. The Bucks hold only a slim 1/2 game lead over Atlanta, and neither team appears to have many wins left in them. So any win, especially a head-to-head win against the Hawks, could severely jeopardize Milwaukee's lottery standing. Here is a breakdown of each team's remaining schedule, with remaining opponents winning percentage in parenthesis :

(.415)

Hawks (A)

NY (H)

Orl (H)

Ind (H)

Bost (A)

Char (A)

Hawks (H)

Clev (A)

(.424)

Bucks (H)

Phi (A)

Bost (H)

Wash (H)

Clev (A)

Bucks (A)

Ind (H)