Strolling off the court during Wednesday morning's shootaround at the Bradley Center, Carlos Delfino grabbed a ball off the rack, turned, and floated a perfectly rotated shot over the backboard: Nothing but net, from about two rows behind the standard.

Delfino proffered a smirk as he walked away, leaving Tobias Harris, Jon Leuer and Larry Sanders to their light-hearted shooting game.

By appearances, the team couldn't have been looser heading into what Monta Ellis likened to a playoff contest.

As his players wound down behind him, Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles wouldn't bite on the question if the game against the New York Knicks was a "must win", but did concede it would offer a glimpse into the playoff readiness of a team whose oldest player is Mike Dunleavy at 31 years old.

It was an interesting thought from the veteran coach, as a playoff atmosphere wouldn't be new to most of the Bucks - only reserves Jon Leuer, Tobias Harris, Larry Sanders, Ekpe Udoh and Jon Brockman – haven't experienced the postseason.

No doubt what Skiles is referring to is the fact that this team hasn't played together in a playoff series, but the individuals who have postseason experience don't just forget what that's like, and it didn't look as if the Bucks played with any jitters in the 111-107 loss to the Knicks.

On the contrary, they looked as they have all season.

At times the defense was porous and uninspired, and then was cohesive and a kickstarter for the transition game. Once on offense, the Bucks shared the ball, shot well, and got multiple people involved. Other times, it bogged down in isolation and was stunted by turnovers.

Put all that together, and it wouldn't be surprising to see this team finish the year 6-2 and with an even .500 record: Sometimes brilliant, sometimes awful, most of the times just ok.

Having to make up two games in the last eight, along with getting some tiebreaker help, will prove difficult. Five games are winnable, however. Two against Indiana will be tough, and that season finale against Boston may be decided if Celtics coach Doc Rivers gives his Big Three a breather.

About ten hours earlier, Skiles wouldn't call the Knicks game must-win. His tune changed postgame, as did the teams.

"We've got to win both games this weekend," Skiles said of back-to-back games against Detroit and Indiana. "Obviously now we need a little help. We did struggle (in Detroit last time). It's been a building, for whatever reason, we've had a little trouble playing in. We need to shake this one off. For most of the night (Wednesday) we played with good energy, so we need to bring the same type of energy and hope it translates into a win."

Many of the players were slow to meet the media afterward, or refused to at all.

"This one hurts, just the fact that we played so hard," Jennings conceded. "It seemed like the basketball gods were against us today, as Drew Gooden would say."

Over the last eight games, we can expect to see some greatness, some play that frustrates you, and some stuff in between. Is that good enough for the Eastern Conference playoffs? In the end, I think it'll be enough. Barely.

"Take one game at a time, try to win the last eight, and see what happens," Jennings said of the mindset going forward. "It's never over. Crazy things happen in the NBA."