--New Bucks coach Scott Skiles wanted to establish a sense of accountability and did so right from the start of the season. If a player failed to play hard or made a mental mistake on the court, Skiles wouldn't hesitate in taking him out of the game. Skiles' approach eventually started to pay dividends as the Bucks became a more conscientious team, particularly on defense.
"He holds everyone accountable. Everyone," F Charlie Villanueva said. --After losing C Andrew Bogut and G Michael Redd to season-ending injuries, the prevailing feeling was the Bucks would tank the rest of the season and enhance their chances in the Draft Lottery. That didn't occur. The Bucks gave a consistently good effort down the stretch and seldom were blown out.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I see this organization going in the right direction. The players that were here, we were put in an unfortunate situation with Mike Redd and 'Bogues' (Andrew Bogut) being out. I think we played to the best of our capabilities, and I think the coaching staff did a great job. You could see us fighting every game, hanging in and competing. I think something last year that was always in question was whether we were competing or not. This year that wasn't the case at all." -- F Charlie Villanueva, on how the Bucks stuck together through considerable adversity.
