From 15 to 60: The Playoff-Ready Bucks are Built to Stay

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Photo credit: Clancy Carroll

The Milwaukee Bucks partnered with the city of Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to dye the Milwaukee River green on Friday, April 12, 2019 ahead of the Bucks' opening playoff series against the Detroit Pistons.

The 2018-2019 NBA season was one for the books for the Milwaukee Bucks, who will enter the playoffs as the number one overall seed and the only team to eclipse the 60-win mark during the regular season. Before they begin what hopes to be a thrilling finals run, one must take the time to appreciate the transformation this team had to go through to make this possible. After winning just 15 games five seasons ago, the ride this franchise has taken is something that would be hard to believe even if it was a Hollywood movie.

After being stuck in what most would call basketball purgatory for the better part of the past two decades, one of the most defining moments of the franchise came during the 2013 draft when they took a seemingly unknown unicorn by the name of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Who knew that a guy selling trinkets on the streets of Greece and sharing basketball shoes with his brothers would go on to become one of the most transcending talents this league has ever seen? Fast forward through the sale of the team to Wes Edens and Marc Lasry accompanied with the building of a new arena and the “Own the Future” phase under Jason Kidd; the Bucks have finally instilled a culture that has set them up to be successful this season and beyond.

Remember the bizarre general manager search two summer’s ago that ended up with the hiring of in-house candidate Jon Horst? Forget that he was their fourth of fifth option at the time because the subsequent moves he’s made suggest he was more than the right man for the job. From trading for Eric Bledsoe to hiring Mike Budenholzer to bringing in vets like Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova to trading for George Hill and Nikola Mirotic, the construction has allowed the Deer to thrive in this new NBA as a top five team in both offense and defense. The record speaks for itself as the Bucks have bought into a system that makes them the one of the most dangerous teams in this league. Here’s a little recap of how that new system has fared this season.

The playoffs are an entirely different beast and there’s a monkey on their back that they must get off in order to prove they are a force to be reckoned with. That is, of course, winning a playoff series. Something that dates back to 2001 having lost eight consecutive first round appearances. Not to mention the pressure that comes with being the number one overall seed. It all starts with the eighth seeded Detroit Pistons, whom the Bucks defeated all four times they played this season. The last time they played was back on Jan. 29, 2019, in Detroit with the Bucks cruising to a 10-point win behind a near triple-double from the Greek Freak.

This isn’t just another playoff appearance for the Bucks, who haven’t had home court advantage since the 2001 playoffs when they lost to Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference finals. This is an opportunity for this young team led by MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo to make a huge statement to not only the Eastern Conference but also the rest of the league that their time is now. On paper, they are title favorites having finished the season with the top-scoring margin in the league with the ability to run the floor and score the ball from anywhere. The key is obviously Giannis, who dictates the entire offense with his ability to create and dominate the paint with a plethora of shooters around him.

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Photo credit: Shepherd Express staff

Another view of the vibrant green Milwaukee River.

While the Deer have plenty of ammo offensively to win games, it’s their defense that will lead them to the promised land. It’s no accident they finished with the number one defense in the league and will have to instill their will and length to force turnovers and get out in transition. I haven’t even mentioned guys like Eric Bledsoe and first time All-Star Khris Middleton, who will look to replicate his performance against Boston in last year’s playoffs. Bledsoe, on the other hand, hopes to have a short memory after last year’s playoff disaster and continue to show why he earned that 4-year, $70 million dollar extension he inked a couple months ago. He has certainly shown a lot of growth from last April and has become a different animal on both ends of the floor with controlled aggression and making big-time plays for his team all season long.

The Bucks will be without the services of one of their most important pieces in Malcolm Brogdon for at least round one but that shouldn’t hinder them with how much depth they have up and down the roster. The additions of Brook Lopez, Ersan Ilyasova, George Hill, and Nikola Mirotic should definitely make a difference as they bring shooting, toughness and veteran leadership; which is exactly what this team will need to help them advance. Also, guys like Sterling Brown and Tony Snell will see extended minutes until Brogdon returns and have shown the ability to step up when called upon.

As far as the Pistons go, they snuck into the playoffs ahead of the Hornets behind the recently hobbled Blake Griffin, who had a monster year averaging a career-high 24.5 points. Griffin, who is nursing a sore knee, will have a tall order going up against Giannis and the Bucks' stingy defense. Beyond Griffin and All-Star center Andre Drummond, there’s not much that Milwaukee should be scared of matchup-wise. One face that Bucks fans might be glad to see is Thon Maker, who was part of the three-way deadline deal that landed Nikola Mirotic in Milwaukee. Maker, who averaged 5.5 points in 29 games since the trade, will certainly be looking to make his imprint on the series against his old team.

Bottom Line:

Winning 60 games in the regular season was fun, but now it’s time to focus on the bigger picture if you’re the Milwaukee Bucks. Playoffs have not been exactly the Bucks' strong suit for the last decade and a half but there’s a new culture brewing in the cream city. They have to come out with the confidence they've had all season long under Budenholzer and continue to let it fly. Not only do they need to just get out of the first round, but they need to dominate and make this series as short as possible. The Pistons don’t belong on the same floor as the Bucks but the longer the series goes on, the more it gives them confidence they can pull off a miracle upset.

The time is now for 24-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo, who enters his fourth playoff series in his sixth year in the league. Judging by the work he has put in and the MVP season he has put up numbers-wise, there will be plenty of teams Fearing the Deer and Milwaukee will be playing well into May and June.