With 16 games remaining prior to Monday night's contest in Portland, the Bucks Eastern Conference playoff chances seem to be solidifying -- not that they've had anything to do with it.

While Terry Stotts' head-scratchingly inconsistent squad continues its win one, lose one ways, the rest of the competition in the East is falling by the wayside. The Sixers, playing without Allen Iverson for the last four games, have fallen into eighth place in the standings, two games behind Milwaukee. The young Bulls, once a threat to bypass the Bucks, have skidded to nine games below .500, a distant four and a half behind Milwaukee with a month left to play.

In fact, despite months of average basketball, Milwaukee finds itself just one and a half games behind Washington, which sits in fifth place, and one game back of Indiana in sixth. Thank goodness for mediocrity.

But while the Bucks should qualify for the playoffs in the East, it's hard to consider the season a success thus far. Last week's meltdown in Toronto, which saw Milwaukee blow a 16-point lead in the final six minutes of play, was typical of the frustrating play the Bucks have exhibited since mid-December. After an early-season string of memorable comebacks and narrow victories, the Bucks have been just another NBA team, good one night, lousy the next and impossible to figure out in between.

There's no reason the team shouldn't be better. While New Jersey (37-28) and Cleveland (38-29) have more star power, the Bucks should be battling them both for third place in the conference. But instead of challenging for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, Milwaukee finds itself in a battle with Washington, Indiana and Philly to climb out of the dreaded seventh and eighth slots, which equate to a first-round matchup with either Detroit or Miami in the first round.

Do I expect too much? Maybe so, but the Nets and the Cavs aren't exactly light years better than Milwaukee. The Nets feature stars Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd, but their next two top scorers are Nenad Krstic and Cliff Robinson. Beyond LeBron James, the Cavs rely on Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes and Flip Murray. Is that group vastly better than Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons, Mo Williams and Jamaal Magloire?

And what about the supporting cast? T.J. Ford, Joe Smith and Andrew Bogut provide the Bucks with as good of depth as any Eastern team save the Pistons and Heat. But Milwaukee still lags in the standings while fighting a daily battle with the .500 mark.

What are the Bucks lacking? Consistent defense for one thing, a tired but consistent refrain around these parts. Detroit and the rejuvenated Mavericks are proof positive of what can be accomplished when a team commits to defending the basket every night.

I know what you're thinking -- having a guy like Ben Wallace doesn't hurt, either. True enough. But what about Dallas? The Mavs don't have an eraser in the middle, but they do have Avery Johnson, a coach that demands the team commit to playing defense every game, not only when it's down 12 points with five minutes to play.

What about a missing killer instinct? That's another possibility. No player on the roster has a history of high-level success in the NBA, which might explain how it's possible to lose a home game to the Knicks while you're battling for a playoff spot.

Star power? It's true that Redd is not the type of player James is -- or even Carter or Iverson -- but he still manages to score nearly 25 a game. What the Bucks may lack is a good running mate for Redd. Carter has Jefferson and both have Kidd; Gilbert Arenas has Antawn Jamison in Washington; Jermaine O'Neal has Peja Stojakovic in Indiana; and Iverson has Chris Webber. Redd has ... who? Mo Williams has struggled to stay on the floor. Simmons has shown flashes but isn't quite there. And Ford should be setting someone up rather than acting as the team's second-best option.

Whatever it is that's missing, the Bucks won't go far without it. And unless Milwaukee can find some consistency before late April, the playoffs will once again be short-lived and inconsequential.