Former National Basketball Association coach Chuck Daly, proud possessor of two championship rings from his days with the Detroit Pistons, offered a prediction during all-star weekend about how the scramble for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference would shape up during the second half of the season.

"The playoff berths this year, I think more than any other, are going to be determined by the tie-breakers," he said.

And which team does Daly peg as the one with the best chance of emerging from the anticipated free-for-all in the East?

"Jersey and maybe Milwaukee have the best opportunity," he said without hesitation. "I don't even know if Philly is going to make the playoffs. But if they do, they've got a shot."

Teams gathered Monday for their first practices since before the break and the Bucks will open the second half of their season tonight against the Chicago Bulls.

The Bucks, like just about everyone else, are talking as if just about anything is possible in the East during the second half of the season.