MILWAUKEE – Ask any NBA “Lockout-ologist” to explain one of the key points of the league’s current labor negotiations, “basketball related income” (or B.R.I. if you really want to sound like you’re on the inside), and that person will explain B.R.I as revenue generated by ticket sales, TV contracts, concessions, parking and temporary stadium advertising.

But there is a whole different level of B.R.I. that gets much less media coverage than the figures impacting the hoopster millionaires and owner billionaires. Though there are fewer than 500 players in the NBA, there are tens of thousands of people across the country whose livelihoods depend on the games those fewer than 500 play.

In Milwaukee, the restaurants and bars surrounding the Bradley Center are now facing a stark reality with the prospect of the lockout wiping out a significant portion — or perhaps all — of the Bucks’ home schedule.

Wally Paget, who along with his brother and father has co-owned Buck Bradley’s on Old World Third Street since 1995, has had a tough time keeping up the morale of his staff.

“Especially now that it’s here,” Paget said of the lockout, which has already canceled the first two weeks of the season. “People didn’t think it would get here. You certainly do all you can for staff morale. They need an income to put food on their table.”

Then there are the hard numbers from the people who would know.

– Paget, who says the absence of the NBA in Milwaukee will reduce his gross revenues by 25 percent: “If the Bradley Center has about 140 dates a year, and you lose 43 Bucks dates, including preseason, you’re losing about a third of your premium nights for downtown business.”

– Peter Picciurro, manager of Miss Katie’s Diner on West Clybourn Street, which runs a shuttle to and from the Bradley Center: “An average day for us in food and drink is around $1,500. When the Bucks play, it’s around $2,200 to $3,000. That’s what would be lost.”

– Marty Petricca, an assistant manager at Major Goolsby’s, which sits a block away from the Bradley Center and is one of America’s original sports bars: “That’s 40 plus days of business out of commission for us. The Bucks are certainly a big part of what we do here.”

With the Bucks’ average attendance topping 15,000 per game last season, the team generated more than 600,000 fans arriving downtown from November until April — fans who are hungry and thirsty before and after the games are now fans who may leave their appetites and their collective millions of dollars at home this winter.

“We wouldn’t have to lay anybody off,” Picciurro said. “Everybody would be working, but not as often.”

Paget said the same thing: “It takes the same amount of crew to work the night of a Marquette game as it does the night of a Bucks game. But we’d only be able to utilize that crew two nights instead of four. It’s not so much that we would have to lay people off. We’re just coming out of the summer season, which is slow. It would be a case of us not making any new hires and the people we have working a lot less hours.”

Paget said the 1998-99 NBA lockout hit Buck Bradley’s hard because the restaurant was still in its formative years.

“We’re a lot more established now,” he said. “But there are only two other places on the block that were around in ’98. Some other owners have been asking me what it was like back then.”

Restaurants close to the Bradley Center have made some lockout contingency plans.

“We do sponsor a bunch of other teams,” Petricca said. “This helps us keep from losing more than other places.”

The Milwaukee Admirals, an American Hockey League team, still plays all its home games downtown.

“We have a great relationship with the Admirals,” Paget said. “Their fans really turn out for us. That’s different than it was in ’98.

“And the Bradley Center has tried to prepare for this as best they could. The recent five-day run of the Cirque de Soleil. That was seven shows. It wasn’t a Bucks game, but anything beats a dark building.”

As November approaches, many sports fans have already tuned out the non-news reported from the moribund NBA labor talks. But those who make a living serving burgers and beer in the areas surrounding pro hoops arenas are paying close attention to the talks in hopes of hearing some good news about their Basketball Related Income.

“You have to,” Paget said. “But it’s difficult because it’s something you can’t control.”

The Chicago Bulls avoided a third straight loss at the Bradley Center to the Milwaukee Bucks, Saturday. The Bucks kept up with Chicago for most of the game, but a surge n the third quarter pushed the Bulls ahead enough to keep a lead and win.

Luol Deng scored 19 points, Derrick Rose had 17 and the surging Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 83-75 on Saturday night.

Chicago has won six of seven to improve to 15-4 since Jan. 14, putting pressure on Boston and Miami at the top of the Eastern Conference. Joakim Noah had eight points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, who beat the Heat 93-89 on Thursday night.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored a second-high 16 points and John Salmons added 14 points for the Bucks.

Earl Boykins entered the game for the first time in the fourth quarter and scored Milwaukee’s first 10 points of the period. Salmons hit a 3-pointer to trim the Bulls’ lead to 78-72 with 3:56 remaining.

Rose then drove the lane and hit a wide-open Kyle Korver, who drained a 3-pointer. After Andrew Bogut hit one free throw for the Bucks, Korver made another jumper with 2:21 remaining to put the game away.

Carlos Boozer added 13 points for Chicago, which shook off a slow start to take the opener of an important five-game road trip. Noah had 13 rebounds in the first half alone in his third game back following thumb surgery.

The Bulls grabbed control midway through the third quarter. Trailing by one, they put together a 19-5 run to grab a 66-53 lead on Deng’s reverse layup with 1:27 remaining. Boozer had eight points in the surge.

Milwaukee made just eight of 23 shots in the third.

NOTES: Bucks F Ersan Ilyasova missed the game due to a concussion he suffered in a collision in practice on Friday with center Jon Brockman. He is listed as day to day. … The Bucks recalled rookie F Larry Sanders from Fort Wayne of the NBA Development League. … Chicago improved to 12-0 against Central Division teams.

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Not even a year ago, a Bulls victory was something to be noted, relished and rehashed. Not so this season, as victories like Saturday’s 83-75 grind-it-out win against the Bucks have become an expectation for Bulls fans. 

For once, Derrick Rose looked merely human as he struggled both shooting (7-19 fg) and passing (4 assists, 3 turnovers). The exciting thing for this team is that they no longer depend on Rose to carry the load every night. Luol Deng continued was has been his best professional season, leading the Bulls with 19 points including 8-8 from the charity stripe, and playing his usual fantastic defense. He is likely in line to make the NBA’s All-Defensive Team if he keeps this up. Joakim Noah finally broke the rust off and dominated the glass with 17 rebounds, 9 of them offensive. The Bulls front line out-rebounded the Bucks 49-37, and despite a late run fueled by diminutive Earl Boykins, the outcome was seldom in doubt.

Milwaukee played without Chris Douglas-Roberts and Ersan Ilyasova, resulting in a 38% shooting night. To call it ugly would be kind. The Bradley Center sounded like the United Center North, with Rose being serenaded by MVP chants every time he touched the ball. 

It would be nice to see Carlos Boozer snap out of his mini-slump, to say nothing of Keith Bogans’ continued and well-documented struggles. But the the return of Noah and the inspired play of Omer Asik has allowed Chicago to keep notching the win column in spite of it. You know your team has come together when someone different steps up every night. The Bulls now have 40 wins, a mark they didn’t reach until the second-to-last day of the 2009-10 season. They remain undefeated in the Central Division at 12-0.

The Bulls travel next to Washington to face the Wizards Monday night, before a difficult stretch against the Hawks, Magic and Heat. 

Enjoy it, Bulls fans. Your team is more than good. The expectation of victories is a luxury reserved only for the NBA’s elite.