NBA Titles:
1971
Retired Uniform Numbers:
(1) Oscar Robertson, (2) Junior Bridgeman, (4) Sidney Moncrief,
(14) Jon McGlocklin, (16) Bob Lanier, (32) Brian Winters, (33) Kareen
Abdul-Jabbar
Season Recaps
2002-03: Revamped Bucks Return to Playoffs
It was a season of change for the Bucks, who rebuilt their team
with athleticism and an improved defensive mindset while remaining
a factor in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
The Bucks said goodbye to two of the top scoring players in their
history, and still finished 42-40 and in the playoffs for the fourth
time in five seasons.
Long defined by the high-scoring duo of Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson,
the Bucks began the transformation on August 2, sending Robinson
to Atlanta in exchange for Toni Kukoc and a #1 pick in the 2003
Draft. In Robinson, the Bucks bid adieu to the second leading scorer
in team history after eight seasons and 12,010 points.
Picking up some of that scoring slack was third-year swingman
Michael Redd. The team averted disaster in October when they matched
Redd°s offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks. Redd, following a
breakout season a year ago, distinguished himself as one of the
league°s top sixth men. On March 30, his 250th career trey qualified
him third on the NBA°s all-time three-point percentage leaders (.438).
He was at his best in clutch situations, shooting 54.5 percent in
the fourth quarter.
The new-look Bucks improved their athleticism via the draft, adding
Marcus Haislip in the first round and Dan Gadzuric in the second
round. Gadzuric, from UCLA became the first rookie since Ray Allen
to start for the Bucks on opening day and the first rookie ever
to start an opening game for George Karl.
Despite the revamped roster, the Bucks trudged through the beginning
of the season with a 14-20 record before surging above.500 with
a 13-3 stretch from Jan. 10-Feb. 14. Though they enjoyed a degree
of success, the Bucks felt they still needed to make a move to improve
the team°s defense. No one expected that that move would involve
Allen, a three-time All-Star, who was dealt on Feb. 20 with two
other players and a first-round draft pick in exchange for nine-time
All-Star Gary Payton and swingman Desmond Mason.
The team°s new nucleus of Mason (14.8 ppg), Payton (19.6), Kukoc
(11.6), Redd (15.1) and holdovers Sam Cassell (19.7 ppg) and Tim
Thomas (13.3 ppg) stumbled to a 7-12 mark in their first 19 games,
but closed the season with eight wins in their final nine games
to make the playoffs. The Bucks postseason hopes were derailed by
a New Jersey team that prevailed four games to two en route to the
NBA Finals.
Cassell, who had a team-high 1,536 points and 450 assists, became
the 249th player in NBA history to score 10,000 points on Feb. 21.
Earlier in the season, on Dec. 9, he recorded the first triple-double
of his career in his 602nd career game.
Karl continued to build his coaching legacy, finishing at or above
.500 for the 12th consecutive season and becoming the 14th coach
in NBA history to win 700 games, a milestone achieved on March 22
with a win over New Orleans. On the final day of the regular season,
he passed John MacLeod for 13th on the all-time win list with his
708th NBA win.
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2001-02: Injury Bug Bites Bucks
With expectations high just one year after advancing to the Eastern
Conference Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks faced a foe that, in recent
history, was unfamiliar ¬ injuries.
Among the team°s top five scorers, a total of 56 games were missed
because of injury, far exceeding the 22 games missed by the team°s
top five scorers in the two previous seasons.
Free agent addition Anthony Mason was the only Bucks player to
start all 82 games, as the Bucks stumbled to a 41-41 record, one
game shy of a playoff berth. Despite the decline, the Bucks finished
at .500 or better for the fourth consecutive season under George
Karl.
There were individual successes for the Bucks, who saw six Bucks
players match or eclipse career-high scoring nights, including Ray
Allen, who scored 47 points and hit a franchise-record 10 three-pointers
in an April 14 win over Charlotte.
Michael Redd, who blossomed in his second season, produced most
of his career high 29 points in one quarter. In a 115-76 win over
Houston on February 20, Redd hit an NBA-record eight three-pointers
in the final period and the Bucks hit a franchise-record 16 treys
in the game.
Glenn Robinson started the season ranked #202 on the NBA°s all-time
scoring list, but he spent much of the season in the passing lane.
In what would be his last game as a Milwaukee Buck, Robinson passed
the 12,000-point mark for his career, becoming only the 159th player
in league history to reach that milestone. En route, Robinson passed
Sidney Moncrief (11,594) for second on the Bucks all-time scoring
list, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
George Karl continued his assault on the coaching record books,
becoming the 15th coach in league history to notch 650 wins (1/19
vs. Atlanta). With a 95-88 victory against Denver on March 28 at
the Bradley Center, Karl earned the 1,500th win in Bucks history.
More fans saw the Bucks than ever before, as an average of 18,178
¬ including a record 25 sellouts ¬ watched Ray Allen earn his third
consecutive All-Star appearance.
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2000-01: Team Jells; Earns Central Division
Crown
The Bucks steady progress under George Karl took a dramatic upward
turn in 2000-01. After a 3-9 start, the Bucks were 49-21, trailing
only San Antonio (49-20) as the hottest team in the NBA over the
final five months.
The 52-30 overall mark earned the team its first Central Division
title since 1986. Milwaukee°s 31-10 home record was the best in
the Eastern Conference; the 21 road wins were the most since 1986.
Throughout the season, many milestones were conquered. George
Karl became the 17th coach in NBA history ¬ and sixth fastest ¬
to reach 600 wins, with a 116-111 win over Denver on January 31.
Twelve days prior in Charlotte, Karl presided over his 1,000th game
as an NBA coach. Glenn Robinson became the fifth player in Bucks
history to score 10,000 points. In so doing, he was the first member
of his draft class or the preceding draft class to top the 10,000-point
barrier.
Robinson and Ray Allen again earned all-star honors, and shared
the team scoring title with 22.0 ppg. Allen, who averaged career-best
5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists, was voted to the All-NBA Third Team.
Milwaukee played its best against the best, accruing an 8-0 record
against the top four teams in the Western Conference.
The Bucks saved their most inspired play, though, for the postseason.
After a dominant first-round win over the Orlando Magic, the Bucks
overcame a 3-2 series deficit against Charlotte, winning games six
and seven to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first
time since 1986.
In a memorable seven-game series vs. Philadelphia, Ray Allen averaged
27.1 ppg, including 51 percent three-point shooting, to put the
NBA Finals within reach. His 41-point outburst in Game Six forced
a deciding game and marked the highest single-game playoff output
since Terry Cummings scored 41 against the Sixers in 1985.
In Game Seven, Allen Iverson°s 44 points were the difference,
and Philadelphia advanced. Milwaukee°s 10-8 postseason was proof,
though, that the Bucks were back.
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1999-2000: All-Stars Take Another Step
Forward
The Bucks second straight playoff berth was in severe jeopardy
on March 24, when they were 32-37. An inspired final month, during
which the team finished 10-3, earned the Bucks the final playoff
seed in the next to last game of the season.
En route to the 42-40 record, their best 82-game mark in nine
seasons, the Bucks played their best road basketball since 1985-86,
going 19-22 away from the Bradley Center.
Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson each appeared in his first All-Star
Game, giving the Bucks their first All-Star duo since Ricky Pierce
and Alvin Robertson in 1991. Allen (22.1 ppg) and Robinson (20.9)
carried the Bucks scoring load during the regular season, with an
assist ¬ literally ¬ from Sam Cassell, who set a franchise record
with 729 ´dimes° (9.0 apg) and chipped in a career-best 18.6 ppg.
Mo< The Bucks ´Big Three° contributed 60.3 percent of the Bucks
offensive output (5,008 points), and trailed only the LA Lakers
trio of Shaquille O°Neal, Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice (5,101) in total
points scored.
Head Coach George Karl continued to lead the Bucks to new heights,
reaching the 50-win mark faster than any other coach in Bucks history
(89 games).
In the postseason, the Bucks drew the Indiana Pacers for the second
straight year. Unlike last year, the resurgent Bucks were no pushovers.
They won their first playoff game in 10 seasons at Indiana, and
forced a deciding fifth game against the top-seeded Pacers.
A 41-point explosion from Reggie Miller saved the day for Indiana,
which won, 96-95, on a three-pointer by Travis Best in the final
seconds. After the game, Miller would graciously say that the better
team lost the series.
The series was a coming out party of sorts for forward Tim Thomas,
who averaged 15.4 ppg in the series and was rewarded in the off-season
with a multi-year contract to remain with the Bucks.
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1998-99: It's the Playoffs, By George
George Karl never missed the playoffs in 6 1/2 seasons as coach
of the Seattle SuperSonics. So when the Bucks named Karl as their
new head coach, there was reason to believe Milwaukee's seven-year
postseason drought would end.
And end it did, as Milwaukee went 28-22 in the lockout-shortened
season before losing to Indiana in the first round of the playoffs.
Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen continued to develop as one of the
league's top scoring tandems, averaging 18.4 and 17.1 points per
game, respectively.
Milwaukee made several roster moves, beginning with a draft-day
trade for Robert Traylor. The forward/center started 43 games and
led all NBA rookies with a .537 shooting percentage. The Bucks also
signed free-agent sharpshooter Dell Curry, who was tops in the league
with a .476 percentage (69-for-145) from three-point range.
In a three-team, eight-player deal on March 11, Milwaukee acquired
point guard Sam Cassell from New Jersey and sent Terrell Brandon
to Minnesota. In a separate trade on the same day, The Bucks received
promising young forward Tim Thomas from Philadelphia for Tyrone
Hill.
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1997-98: Waiting their Turn
Led by the trio of Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen and new addition Terrell
Brandon, the Milwaukee Bucks had hoped to return to the playoffs
this season. A wave of injuries and a tough Eastern Conference schedule
sidelined that quest, but the new-look Bucks did improve to 36-46.
On September 25, the Bucks sent Vin Baker to Seattle in a three-team
trade that sent Brandon, forward Tyrone Hill and Cleveland's 1998
first round pick to Milwaukee. It was one of those rare trades that
truly seemed to benefit each team. Brandon, a true All-Star playmaker,
added offensive versatility to the team while Hill led the team
in rebounds with 10.7 rpg . Another new addition, center Ervin Johnson,
helped the team improve on defense with a team-high 1.95 bpg.
Milwaukee began the season at 11-10 before Brandon suffered a severely
sprained ankle in mid-December. He ended up missing a total of 32
games over the course of the season. When healthy, Brandon averaged
16.8 points, a team-high 7.7 assists and 2.22 steals per game.
Robinson had another big season for the Bucks before an injury
to his left leg ended his season in early March. He led the team
in scoring at 23.4 points and he improved on defense. The Bucks
team captain scored a season-high 42 points at Chicago on January
2 and collected 39 points in a 115-112 overtime win over New York
on January 29.
With Baker in Seattle, Allen became the second offensive option
for Milwaukee and flourished. He was the only Buck to play in all
82 games this season and averaged 19.5 ppg, up from last year's
13.4 ppg as a rookie. He also finished third in the league in free
throw percentage at .875, and improved in every statistical category.
Allen scored a career-high 40 points on April 18 against Minnesota
and hit a franchise record seven three-pointers on January 16 versus
Chicago. In addition, Allen gained notoriety with a leading role
in Spike Lee's basketball film He Got Game.
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1996-97: Early Season Surge Can't Carry
Bucks
The arrival of new head coach Chris Ford and rookie guard Ray Allen
gave the Bucks a new direction. And while their 33-49 record represents
an improvement of eight games from a year ago, it still left the
Bucks well shy of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Under new coach Chris Ford, the Bucks appeared to be on their way,
breaking out of the gate with a 15-11 start, including wins over
Seattle and Houston. Although they couldn't maintain that momentum,
they continued to develop their frontcourt tandem of Vin Baker and
Glenn Robinson and added an outside threat, Allen, to complement
their inside game.
Baker, who averaged 21.0 ppg and 10.3 rpg, made the All-Star time
for the third straight season, and became the first Buck since Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar (1974-75) to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds
in a season. Robinson finished 13th in the league in scoring (21.1
ppg), as the Bucks were one of only three teams with two players
averaging better than 20 points per game. Allen, the fifth pick
in the 1997 NBA Draft, enjoyed a fine rookie season, scoring 13.4
points and earning a berth on the NBA's All-Rookie Second Team.
At season's end, General Manager Mike Dunleavy, who had coached
the Bucks from 1992-96, announced his resignation to pursue a head
coaching job in Portland. In the offseason, the Bucks added another
piece to their puzzle when they acquired shotblocking center Ervin
Johnson in a trade with the Denver Nuggets.
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1995-96: Stars Emerge, But Losses Mount
Although talk in the preseason was of a return to the playoffs, the
1995-96 Bucks fell to 25-57, the second-worst season in franchise
history. Only in 1993-94 (20-62) did the Bucks win fewer games.
The Bucks, led by developing superstars Vin Baker and Glenn Robinson,
were considered a team with playoff potential. But the team never
jelled. The Bucks fell victim to a rugged early schedule that included
the dreaded "Texas Triangle" and won only two of their first eight
games, setting the tone for a disappointing year.
In late November, Mike Dunleavy shook up the roster with a pair
of trades that resulted in the acquisition of Benoit Benjamin and
Sherman Douglas. The trades left the Bucks with only five players
on their roster from the previous season. Despite the shakeup, the
Bucks continued to struggle.
Individually, Robinson and Baker continued to develop into one
of the league's top frontcourt tandems. Baker, in his third season,
was named to the All-Star Game for the second straight time. He
was one of the league's leaders in points (21.1 ppg) and rebounding
(9.9 rpg). Robinson chipped in 20.2 ppg, meaning the duo supplied
more than 43 percent of the team's points, numbers the likes of
which hadn't been seen in Milwaukee since 1971-72, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
and Bob Dandridge scored 45.7 percent of the Bucks' scoring punch.
After the disappointing season, Dunleavy stepped down as head coach,
but would remain as the team's Vice President of Basketball Operations/General
Manager. Among his offseason moves; a draft-day trade that gave
Milwaukee an outside scoring threat in Ray Allen, as well as a future
first round pick.
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1994-95: "Big Dog," Baker Bring Excitement
Back To Milwaukee
The young Milwaukee Bucks had reason to be optimistic in 1994-95.
With No. 1 draft pick Glenn Robinson on board, the team showed a 14-game
improvement over its 1993-94 mark. In the season's final week Milwaukee
found itself in the hunt for the final playoff slot in the Eastern
Conference, but the squad finally fell off the pace.
Robinson teamed with All-Star Vin Baker to give the Bucks a formidable
forward duo. His average of 21.9 points per game ranked 10th in
the league, first among NBA newcomers, and was better than that
of any Bucks rookie since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. (Despite Robinson's
stellar performance, the Dallas Mavericks' Jason Kidd and the Detroit
Pistons' Grant Hill shared Rookie of the Year honors.) Baker averaged
17.7 points and was 12th in the NBA in rebounding with 10.3 boards
per contest. He also led the league in minutes played with 3,361,
the highest total by a Bucks player since Abdul-Jabbar logged 3,548
minutes in 1973-74.
Guard Todd Day improved his production, averaging 16.0 points and
canning 163 of 418 three-point shots for a .390 percentage, 25th
in the NBA. Eric Murdock and Lee Mayberry continued to share the
point guard duties, combining for 18.8 points and 9.8 assists per
game. At center, aging Alton Lister and newcomer Eric Mobley did
much of the work in the post and combined to average 6.5 points
and 7.2 rebounds.
Milwaukee was the NBA's healthiest team in 1994-95; its players
missed a combined total of only 10 games.
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1993-94: Bucks Lose Games But Win Lottery
The 1993-94 Bucks opened the season with a win and closed with the
No. 1 selection in the draft. In between, there was little to get
excited about. The team finished at 20-62, tied for the second-worst
record in the league. Milwaukee failed to qualify for the playoffs,
marking the first time in the franchise's history that the team failed
to reach postseason play for three consecutive seasons.
Point guard Eric Murdock led the team in scoring (15.3 ppg) and
assists (6.7 apg). The other bright spot was rookie Vin Baker, who
made the NBA All-Rookie First Team and was the Bucks' top rebounder
(7.6 rpg). As a team, the Bucks finished 24th in the NBA in field
goal percentage, 25th in scoring, and 26th in free throw percentage.
Defensively, they yielded the third-highest field goal percentage
and finished next-to-last in rebounding.
However, there was a silver lining, and it arrived wearing a Purdue
Boilermakers uniform. After Milwaukee won the draft lottery, the
Bucks selected forward Glenn Robinson with the No. 1 overall pick
in the 1994 NBA Draft. Robinson, who led the nation with 30.3 points
per game in 1993-94, was every organization's College Player of
the Year.
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1992-93: "May-Day": Bucks Struggle Through
Youth Movement
The 25th edition of the Milwaukee Bucks opened the 1992-93 season
with eight new faces, the most important of which was local favorite
Mike Dunleavy, who had returned from a two-year coaching stint with
the Los Angeles Lakers to take the reins in Milwaukee as head coach
and vice president of basketball operations. Dunleavy began a major
rebuilding effort by bringing in seven young players-Alaa Abdelnaby,
Anthony Avent, Theodore "Blue" Edwards, Todd Day, Lee Mayberry, Eric
Murdock, and Anthony Pullard. It marked the single largest turnover
of players from one season to the next in club history. (Murdock and
Edwards came over from Utah in a trade that sent Jay Humphries and
Krystkowiak to the Jazz.)
Many of the team's key players were young-Avent, Day, Mayberry,
and Murdock were all 24 years old or younger, and Edwards was 27.
The result of their youthful inexperience was a 28-54 record and
a seventh-place finish in the Central Division.
Day, a first-round draft choice, proved that he could shoot (but
not always with accuracy), averaging 13.8 points on .432 field goal
shooting. Brickowski and Edwards were the team's top scorers with
16.9 points per game each.
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1991-92: The Glory Days Are Over
Milwaukee's streak of 12 consecutive winning seasons and playoff appearances
came to an end in 1991-92 as the Bucks tied for sixth place in the
Central Division with a 31-51 mark. Through 1990-91, Milwaukee had
never finished lower than fourth and had placed in the top three in
the Central Division in 9 of 11 seasons.
The Bucks led the NBA in steals (863) for the third straight year
and ranked second in turnovers forced (17.3 per game). The team
also finished second in the league in three-point field goal percentage
at .369 (371-of-1,005). The main marksman was Ellis, who set a club
record with 138 three-pointers, while 6-11 Brad Lohaus hit 57 from
long range.
But Lohaus's three-point tendency exposed the Bucks' weak point-inside
scoring. Frank Brickowski, an undersized center at 6-9 who had been
obtained in a 1990 trade with San Antonio for Paul Pressey, was
the team's best low-post threat at 11.4 points per game. The Bucks
also tried to get help from veteran Moses Malone, who contributed
15.6 points per contest. In December 1991, with an 8-9 record, Del
Harris relinquished his head coaching duties to concentrate on overall
operations, and assistant coach Frank Hamblen assumed the head coaching
job for the remainder of the season.
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1989-91: Milwaukee Trades For A "Cadillac"
For the 1989-90 season, the Bucks had several new faces and a wealth
of injuries. The most significant shakeup sent Cummings to San Antonio
in exchange for Alvin Robertson and Greg "Cadillac" Anderson. Milwaukee
lost more players for more games because of injuries than any other
NBA team. Key players Krystkowiak and Pressey missed major portions
of the season. But the club still managed a 44-38 record and a third-place
finish in the Central Division.
The squad's most potent weapon came from the bench in the form
of Pierce, a deadeye shooter with a knack for drawing fouls. He
became the first reserve ever to lead the team in scoring (23.0
ppg) and won the NBA's Sixth Man Award. Robertson broke the club
record for steals with 207. On November 9, 1989, the Bucks battled
Seattle in a five-overtime game that was the second longest on record-it
took four hours, 17 minutes, and 309 total points for the Bucks'
155-154 victory.
The postseason lasted only one round for the Bucks, who lost to
Chicago, three games to one. The loss marked only the third time
since the 1978 Playoffs that Milwaukee had failed to reach the conference
semifinals.
With the Bucks' fortunes tumbling, most observers figured the team
would finish no better than sixth place for the 1990-91 season.
Milwaukee surpassed those predictions, posting a 48-34 record and
finishing in third place in the Central Division. But the Bucks
were whisked away in the playoffs, suffering a three-game first-round
sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Milwaukee's trademarks in 1990-91 were good ballhandling, tough
defense, and strong performances at home-the team began the season
with 18 straight victories at the Bradley Center. The Bucks topped
the NBA in steals for the second consecutive year, with 894, and
forced opponents into 18.7 turnovers per game, second in the league
behind Golden State. Robertson accounted for a league-leading 246
steals and scored 13.6 points per game en route to an All-Star selection.
He was joined on the All-Star roster by Pierce, who continued his
high-scoring ways, averaging 22.5 points. In February, shortly after
the All-Star Game, Pierce was traded to Seattle in exchange for
Dale Ellis, a three-point threat who averaged 19.3 points in 21
games with the Bucks.
The Bucks advanced to the playoffs but squandered their home-court
advantage, losing three straight first-round games to Philadelphia.
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1988-89: Winning Ways Continue In New
Arena
In 1988-89 the team began play in a new arena, the Bradley Center,
where the Bucks continued their winning ways. The club posted a 49-33
record but found themselves in fourth place behind Detroit, Cleveland,
and Atlanta in the NBA's toughest division.
With Sikma and Pierce leading the way, Milwaukee broke the league's
single-season team free throw percentage record, besting the 1974-75
Kansas City-Omaha clip of .8205 with an .8207 mark. The Bucks also
reached the franchise's 1,000-win mark in 1,654 games, becoming
the second-fastest club to attain that plateau, behind Boston, which
had accomplished the feat in 1,593 games.
Milwaukee went 11-10 over the first 21 games of the 1988-89 campaign
before going on a 33-13 tear. The team then dropped 10 of its final
15 games. The Bucks set attendance records in the new arena, averaging
17,097 fans per game and registering 20 sellouts in 41 home dates.
The Bucks were led by Cummings, who made the All-Star Team and
scored 22.9 points per game. Larry Krystkowiak, a 6-9 forward from
the University of Montana, played well in his second season in Milwaukee,
averaging 12.7 points. Moncrief started 50 games in his final season
with the Bucks.
In the playoffs the squad battled injuries and scored an upset.
With Atlanta holding the home-court advantage, the Bucks toppled
the favored Hawks, three games to two, in a first-round series.
But major injuries to Cummings, Krystkowiak, and Pressey effectively
ended the club's already slim chances against Detroit. The Pistons,
who pounded all opponents in their championship run, pasted Milwaukee
in four games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Pierce scored more than 20 points in each of the last eight playoff
games, and Fred Roberts scored 33 points in the final game against
Detroit while subbing for Cummings. Pressey did not play in the
postseason, and Krystkowiak's knee injury in Game 3 of the Detroit
series derailed his career for two years.
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1987-88: End Of An Era: Nelson Steps
Down
Nelson left the Bucks after the 1986-87 season to become the Golden
State Warriors' executive vice president. The move brought to a close
the most successful coaching career in franchise history. In his 11
seasons with Milwaukee, Nelson guided the Bucks to a 540-344 record,
seven straight 50-win seasons, and seven straight division titles.
Del Harris, who became the Bucks' new head coach for 1987-88, helped
Milwaukee record its 9th straight winning season, the 15th in the
franchise's 20-year history. A hallmark of Milwaukee teams in those
years was consistency, and the team's streak of 52 months of winning
records wasn't snapped until January 1988. The Bucks, also known
for defense, were again strong in that category, yielding 105.5
points per game and limiting opponents to .473 field goal shooting.
Sikma, who became the tallest man in NBA history to win the NBA
free throw title by shooting .922 percent from the line, helped
the Bucks to a team-record .775 free throw percentage. Journeyman
center Randy Breuer had a career season in 11 categories, including
an average of 12.0 points per game. But the Bucks lacked many elements,
notably another big scoring threat besides Cummings (21.3 ppg).
Sikma scored 16.5 points per game and Pierce contributed 16.4. Moncrief
was again hampered by injuries.
Milwaukee finished the season tied with Cleveland for fourth place
in the Central Division, then lost to Atlanta in a five-game first-round
playoff series. The Bucks honored Junior Bridgeman at midseason
by retiring his uniform No. 2; he had played 10 seasons with the
Bucks (1975-76 through 1983-84, and 1986-87), averaging double figures
in scoring in all but his first and last years.
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1984-87: Roster Shake-Up Leads To Yet Another
Division Crown
The Bucks had won four straight Central Division titles in a declining
fashion, with their win total slipping from 60 in 1980-81 to 50 in
1983-84. Rather than continue the slide, the Bucks shook up their
roster. Prior to the 1984-85 season they traded Marques Johnson, Junior
Bridgeman, Harvey Catchings, and cash to the Los Angeles Clippers
in exchange for Terry Cummings, a 22.9 points per game scorer, Craig
Hodges, and Ricky Pierce.
The trade paved the way for a fifth straight Central Division crown
and a robust 59-23 record. The Bucks had the league's stingiest
defense, giving up 104.0 points per game. The defense was paced
by Moncrief and Paul Pressey, a 6-5 player from the University of
Tulsa for whom Nelson invented the position of "point forward."
Pressey ran the offense but also rebounded well and defended against
virtually any player on the court.
Former DePaul University forward Cummings logged 23.6 points and
9.1 rebounds per game and made his first All-Star Game appearance.
Pierce contributed 9.8 points per game coming off the bench. As
the regular season came to a close, Milwaukee native Herb Kohl,
who later became a U.S. senator, purchased the Bucks from Jim Fitzgerald.
In the postseason Milwaukee dropped Chicago and high-flying rookie
Michael Jordan, three games to one, in the first round, but lost
to Philadelphia and another airborne performer, Julius Erving, in
four straight games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Moncrief
and Cummings were named to the All-NBA Second Team; Moncrief and
Pressey were named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team; and Nelson
was again voted NBA Coach of the Year.
In 1985-86 Milwaukee completed its seven-year division title run
with a 57-25 campaign. But the Bucks again fell short of the NBA
Finals, earning the distinction of being the best team in the 1980s
that never reached the final round.
The team's style was much the same as it had been the year before:
tough on defense and careful with the basketball. The Bucks lowered
their team mark for turnovers for the third straight season, with
only 1,369. Craig Hodges set new team records for three-point field
goals made (73) and attempted (162) and led the league in long-distance
shooting, edging out New York's Trent Tucker, .4506 to .4505. Pressey
was the only other Milwaukee player to rank among the league leaders,
placing eighth in steals with 2.10 per game.
But the Bucks met Boston again in the playoffs, and again the Celtics
were too much. After Milwaukee swept New Jersey in the first round
and slipped past Philadelphia, four games to three, in the Eastern
Conference Semifinals, the Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference
Finals for the third time in four years. Boston won the series in
four straight games.
The 1986-87 campaign began a slide for the Bucks that saw them
fall from the top of the Central Division to several seasons of
mediocrity and then to also-ran status. The 1986-87 version was
still a winning one, however. The Bucks finished 50-32, their seventh
straight season in the 50-win category, and placed third in the
division.
Milwaukee's major deal for the year brought 6-11 center Jack Sikma,
acquired with two second-round draft choices from Seattle in exchange
for Alton Lister and two first-round picks. Sikma, a 10-year veteran
and a seven-time All-Star, averaged 12.7 points in his first year
with Milwaukee.
The Bucks' decline was furthered by injuries to Moncrief. A tireless
battler in seven previous seasons, in 1986-87 he played in only
39 games because of medical problems and averaged only 11.8 points.
Cummings had another fine season with 20.8 points per contest. John
Lucas joined the team in mid-January to plug a hole when injuries
mounted, adding leadership and stability.
The Bucks drew longtime playoff nemesis Philadelphia in the first
round. It took the full five games and the home-court advantage
for the Bucks to advance. With one playoff rival down, Milwaukee
met another, Boston. As usual, the Celtics prevailed in a seven-game
conference semifinal tilt. Moncrief was regal, scoring 33 and 34
points in back-to-back games against Boston, which went on to lose
to the Lakers in the 1987 NBA Finals.
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1981-84: Bucks Continue To Sing The Postseason
Blues
In 1981-82 Milwaukee captured its third straight division title with
a 55-27 record, running away in the Central Division with a 13-game
lead on second-place Atlanta. But the triumphs were not without obstacles.
Marques Johnson began the year with an 18-game holdout, and Coach
Don Nelson was forced to use 15 different starting lineups because
of injuries to several players.
Nelson proved to be a master of coaching improvisation. One of
his best moves was to put Moncrief among the starting five. The
third-year guard from the University of Arkansas scored 19.8 points
per game and pulled down 6.7 boards per contest, more than teammate
Lanier, who averaged 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds. Moncrief, among
the best defenders in the league, was the first player to lead his
team in scoring, rebounding, and assists since the Celtics' John
Havlicek in 1969-70.
The team's scoring average was boosted in a 171-166 triple-overtime
offensive extravaganza with the San Antonio Spurs on March 6, 1982,
as the two teams combined to set a single-game NBA scoring record
(later broken by Denver and Detroit in 1983). George Gervin scored
50 points to lead the Spurs to victory in the marathon contest.
The Bucks had more disappointment in store. They met the 76ers
again in the Eastern Conference Semifinals; Philadelphia opened
the series with two victories at the Spectrum, and Milwaukee never
recovered, falling in six games. The Sixers eventually lost to the
Lakers in the 1982 NBA Finals.
Nelson juggled his team through another run of injuries in 1982-83
and was rewarded with another Central Division title and his first
NBA Coach of the Year Award. Moncrief was the main man. As NBA Defensive
Player of the Year (chosen the first year the award was given),
Moncrief led the team with 22.5 points per game. Johnson (21.4 ppg)
again put up numbers good enough to earn him a fourth All-Star Game
appearance.
The Bucks also received help from other sources. Dave Cowens, acquired
from Boston for Quinn Buckner, and Alton Lister, a second-year center
from Arizona State, joined with the ailing Lanier to give the team
plenty of power inside.
After finishing the regular season at 51-31, Milwaukee blasted
the Celtics in four straight games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Bucks then ran into a buzz saw-the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers of
Julius Erving and Moses Malone, a team that lost only one game in
their romp to the NBA title. Milwaukee could take some consolation
from the fact that the Bucks had dealt the Sixers that loss, in
Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Players continued to come and go for the 1983-84 Bucks, who nonetheless
set a steady course for their fifth straight division crown with
a 50-32 record. Cowens was released, Winters retired, and 7-3 rookie
Randy Breuer joined the team, as did 6-1 veteran Nate Archibald
and sharpshooter Kevin Grevey.
Moncrief was still the anchor, winning his second straight NBA
Defensive Player of the Year Award and helping the team lead the
league in fewest points allowed (101.5 ppg). Johnson continued to
pour in jumpers, averaging 20.7 points. Under the new expanded playoff
format, Milwaukee faced Atlanta in the first round and needed all
five games to shake the Hawks.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bucks bounced the New
Jersey Nets, four games to two, for a chance to meet the Celtics
for the Eastern Conference championship. Paul Mokeski, who had logged
only 12.3 minutes per game for the year, was an unlikely contributor,
averaging 6.1 points in the playoffs. But Boston, starting a run
of conference championships with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert
Parish aboard, disposed of the Bucks in five games. For the second
straight year Milwaukee lost in the conference finals to the eventual
NBA champion.
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1979-81: NBA's Biggest Feet Help Bucks
Walk Over Opponents
Lacking a force in the middle since Abdul-Jabbar's departure in 1975,
Milwaukee obtained a center during the 1979-80 season who brought
the Bucks back to prominence. Future Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, a big
banger with a soft touch and huge feet, was acquired from Detroit
during the All-Star break in exchange for Kent Benson and a first-round
draft choice.
After Lanier's arrival the Bucks went 20-6 on their way to a 49-33
record and the Midwest Division title. A balanced team with Lanier,
Winters, Johnson, Buckner, Bridgeman, and rookie Sidney Moncrief,
Milwaukee had only one player among the league's statistical leaders-Johnson
finished 10th in field goal percentage with a .544 clip.
The Bucks drew defending NBA-champion Seattle in the Western Conference
Semifinals in what turned out to be a thrilling seven-game series.
The first two games were overtime contests, with each team earning
a win. Game 5 set an NBA record with a crowd of 40,172, and Game
7 saw the SuperSonics prevail.
The Bucks had all the necessary ingredients for victory in 1980-81
but won no prize. With a solid, consistent, and deep squad, they
stormed to a 60-22 record to top the newly aligned Central Division.
This alignment placed Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference, in a
division with Chicago, Indiana, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Detroit.
The Bucks would win the division six straight times yet would never
advance to the NBA Finals.
Scoring 113.1 points per game, the Bucks won often: 10 in a row
early in the season, 11 straight road games, and 16 in a row at
home. Johnson averaged 20.3 points, Bridgeman 16.8, Lanier 14.3,
Moncrief 14.0, and Winters 11.6. Buckner broke the team's season
mark for steals with 197.
The playoffs brought another seven-game heartbreak. Yielding the
home-court advantage to Julius Erving's rising Philadelphia 76ers
in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bucks took the series
to the limit before losing by a single point in
Game 7.
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1976-79: Back On Track: The Nelson Regime
Begins
The 1976-77 season brought more change. In October 1976 Jim Fitzgerald,
a cable television executive, obtained a controlling interest in the
club. Wayne Embry, formerly general manager, relinquished his day-to-day
responsibilities. McGlocklin, the last of the original Bucks, retired.
Don Nelson, a member of five Celtics championship teams, replaced
the dismissed Larry Costello as coach 18 games into the season. (The
Bucks were 3-15 at the time.) Nelson, who had no previous coaching
experience, would guide the Bucks to the playoffs in 9 of his 11 years
with Milwaukee-but not this one.
In 1976-77 the Bucks, two seasons removed from the NBA Finals,
finished in last place in the Midwest Division with a 30-52 record.
They were a team of exciting yet inexperienced players. The 1976
NBA Draft brought rookies Quinn Buckner, Alex English, Scott Lloyd,
and Lloyd Walton, while Swen Nater joined the squad as a free agent.
The highlight of the year may have come on February 13, when Milwaukee
hosted the NBA All-Star Game.
For 1977-78, the Bucks had another fine draft, selecting Kent Benson,
Marques Johnson, and Ernie Grunfeld. The three newcomers joined
Bridgeman, Buckner, English, Meyers, and Winters to form a good
team that had no playoff experience. Milwaukee finished 44-38 and
second in the Midwest Division.
The team backed into the playoffs after the Seattle SuperSonics
beat Golden State in the final contest of the regular season. The
Bucks swept the favored Suns in two games in a first-round series,
then succumbed to the Denver Nuggets in seven games in the Western
Conference Semifinals. Winters was an All-Star, while Buckner was
selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and Johnson was named
to the NBA All-Rookie Team.
For the 1978-79 season Milwaukee lost two key players. English
went to the Indiana Pacers as a free agent, and Meyers missed all
82 games with a back injury. Consequently, the team finished 38-44
and out of the playoffs.
Johnson provided many of the season's highlights. A 6-7 forward
in his second season out of UCLA, he scored 25.6 points per game,
third in the NBA behind George Gervin (29.6 ppg) and Lloyd Free
(28.8), and received more All-Star votes than any other player in
the Western Conference. Bridgeman scored 15.5 points per game off
the bench, and the Bucks shattered the NBA single-season assists
record with 2,562 (later broken by the 1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers
with 2,575). On March 14 Milwaukee set a team scoring record for
a regulation-length game with 158 points against New Orleans.
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1974-76: A Time of Transition
The 1974-75 season marked the first of three years of significant
transition for the Bucks. During this campaign Robertson retired and
Allen was traded to Los Angeles for guard Jim Price. But Milwaukee
still had Abdul-Jabbar.
How important was Abdul-Jabbar to the Bucks? The opening of the
season made it obvious. They began with him on the sidelines, nursing
a broken hand. Without the big guy in the middle, the Bucks went
3-13. After Abdul-Jabbar returned, the team went 35-31 but couldn't
avoid the Midwest Division cellar. The Bucks' final mark of 38-44
was an accomplishment, however, for a team dogged by bad luck throughout
the year.
Price, who along with Abdul-Jabbar and Dandridge made up the club's
first All-Star trio, was out of action for the second half of the
season with a knee injury. Milwaukee lost 18 games by 5 points or
less, 11 of those by 3 points or less. The team entered the final
week of the season chasing a wild-card playoff spot but failed,
missing the postseason for the first time in five years. Abdul-Jabbar
was the league's third-highest scorer at 30.0 points per game, and
was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Transition continued at an accelerated pace for the Bucks during
1975-76. The real head-turner was the monumental trade that sent
Abdul-Jabbar (who had decided he was no longer happy in Milwaukee)
and reserve center Walt Wesley to Los Angeles in exchange for center
Elmore Smith, guard Brian Winters, and two former All-Americans,
rookies David Meyers and Junior Bridgeman. Abdul-Jabbar went on
to win five NBA Championships with the Lakers before his retirement;
the Bucks did not win another crown while he was still in the league.
In six seasons with the Bucks, Abdul-Jabbar had been named league
MVP three times, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1970, an All-Star six
times, an All-NBA First Team pick four times, an NBA All-Defensive
First Team selection twice, and NBA Finals MVP in 1971. Almost 20
years later he still ranked as Milwaukee's all-time career scorer,
top rebounder, points per game leader, field goal percentage leader,
and holder of a list of other records as long as his potent right
arm. The franchise retired his uniform No. 33 in 1993. The Bucks
were 342-150 with Abdul-Jabbar on the team, a .695 winning percentage.
The Bucks' record for the 1975-76 season without Abdul-Jabbar was
38-44, the same as their record had been with him the year before.
Their place in the standings was entirely different, however. Milwaukee
went from last place to first in its two seasons with identical
records, winning the Midwest Division in 1975-76. (The Lakers and
Abdul-Jabbar finished fourth in the Pacific Division with 40 victories.)
The Bucks didn't last long in the playoffs, however, losing to
Detroit in a best-of-three first-round series. Dandridge finished
the regular season with 21.5 points per game, ninth best in the
NBA. Winters was an All-Star.
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1972-74: Robertson Slows Down, But The
Bucks Don't Stop Here
In 1972-73 the Bucks topped 60 wins for the third year in a row, an
NBA first, but the season was a difficult one. Coach Larry Costello
had his full roster available for barely half of the 82-game schedule.
Abdul-Jabbar (30.2 ppg) was unseated as scoring champion by a player
a foot shorter than him, Kansas City-Omaha's Nate "Tiny" Archibald
(34.0 ppg), and he was dethroned as MVP by a player a step slower,
Boston's Dave Cowens. The season was Robertson's second to last and
his lowest-scoring campaign to date at 15.5 points per game.
Dandridge, however, emerged as a first-rate player. He scored 20.2
points per game and played in the 1973 NBA All-Star Game. Allen
continued to improve in his third season with the Bucks, scoring
15.5 points per game. But the Warriors and Rick Barry surprised
the Bucks by pushing them out of the playoffs earlier than anticipated,
as Milwaukee fell to Golden State in the Western Conference Semifinals,
four games to two.
The Bucks responded with a tremendous season in 1973-74. Although
falling short of the 60-win mark, they won the Midwest Division
for the fourth time in their six-year history, posting an NBA-best
59-23 record. Abdul-Jabbar was irrepressible, finishing third in
the league in scoring (27.0 ppg) behind Bob McAdoo and Pete Maravich,
second in field goal percentage (.539), fourth in rebounding (14.5
rpg), and second in blocked shots (3.49 per game). He was voted
the NBA Most Valuable Player for the third time in his first five
seasons.
Robertson, at age 35, averaged 12.7 points and 6.4 assists, career
lows but still impressive for the elder statesman. Dandridge hit
18.9 points per game on .503 shooting from the field, the 10th-best
mark in the league. Allen tore cartilage in his knee in a March
15 game at Detroit and was out for the remainder of the regular
season and the playoffs.
Even without Allen the Bucks were in fine form in the postseason.
They eliminated Los Angeles, four games to one, in the opening round
and dispatched Chicago, four games to none, in the Western Conference
Finals. The NBA Finals pitted Milwaukee against Boston, which boasted
Cowens, John Havlicek, and young guards Jo Jo White, Don Chaney,
and Paul Westphal.
The result was a fantastic NBA Finals. It went seven games, with
Boston winning the opener at Milwaukee but losing the second in
overtime. The teams split the next two games in Boston. But the
Celtics won Game 5 on the road and had a chance to wrap it up at
Boston Garden in Game 6. Instead, the Bucks claimed a double-overtime
victory on a memorable Abdul-Jabbar hook shot from deep in the corner
in the final three seconds. In Game 7, 6-9 center Cowens scored
28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 102-87 Celtics win.
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1970-72: Kareem And "The Big O" Lead Bucks
To NBA Crown
Milwaukee took the 1970-71 NBA championship with a dominating playoff
run. The seeds for this success had been planted when the Bucks swung
an offseason deal that sent Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk to the
Cincinnati Royals in return for guard Oscar "The Big O" Robertson.
Robertson was entering his 11th season. Although not as sharp as
in his younger years, he brought a wealth of skills and experience
to the young Bucks and still averaged 19.4 points, earning spots
on the All-Star Team and the All-NBA Second Team. Alcindor, meanwhile,
threw down 31.7 points per game and was named the NBA's Most Valuable
Player.
In addition to Alcindor and Robertson, the Bucks started Jon McGlocklin,
Bob Dandridge, and Greg Smith, with Bob Boozer, Lucius Allen, and
Dick Cunningham in reserve. Milwaukee stormed to a 66-16 record
in the newly aligned Midwest Division. The Bucks lost only two times
in 12 playoff games, notching four-games-to-one series victories
against the San Francisco Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers before
sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in the 1971 NBA Finals.
Defending the title the next season proved difficult. For the player
now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, however, everything seemed easy
in 1971-72. He was the league's leading scorer with 34.8 points
per contest, including 55 against the Boston Celtics on December
10. The NBA Most Valuable Player for the second straight year, Abdul-Jabbar
was rarely stopped when he received the ball near the basket.
The Bucks had four other players with scoring averages in double
figures: Dandridge (18.4 ppg), Robertson (17.4), Allen (13.5), and
McGlocklin (10.7). Milwaukee took the Midwest Division with a 63-19
record and disposed of Golden State, four games to one, in the first
round of the playoffs. The Western Conference Finals pitted the
Bucks of Abdul-Jabbar and Robertson against the Lakers of Wilt Chamberlain
and Jerry West.
Chamberlain was nearing the end of his career (he would retire
after the next season) and scored only 14.8 points per game in 1971-72,
far below the 50.4 average he had registered a decade earlier. But
he topped the league in rebounds and field goal percentage and was
an outstanding defender, making the matchup of Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar
significant in the annals of NBA big men. The Lakers finished with
the best record in the Western Conference and swept Chicago in the
first round. Los Angeles then defeated the Bucks in six games before
trouncing New York, four games to one, for the NBA championship.
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1968-70: It's Better To Be Lucky Than Good
Milwaukee opened its initial season on October 16, 1968, with an 89-84
loss to the Chicago Bulls before 8,467 fans in the Milwaukee Arena.
The starting lineup featured Wayne Embry at center, Fred Hetzel and
Len Chappell at forward, and Jon McGlocklin and Guy Rodgers in the
backcourt. Larry Costello was the head coach. The team's first win
came in its sixth game of the season, a 134-118 victory over the Detroit
Pistons.
The 1968-69 Bucks completed the season at 27-55 and last in the
Eastern Division, a fortuitous finish as it turned out. Under league
rules at the time, a coin toss was held between the two divisions'
last-place finishers for the first pick in the college draft. The
expansion Phoenix Suns, last in the Western Division with a 16-66
record, were matched with Milwaukee in a telephone-conference coin
toss conducted by then NBA Commissioner J. Walter Kennedy. Suns
owner Dick Bloch guessed heads, and the 1964 Kennedy half-dollar
came down tails.
The selection was obvious: Lew Alcindor, who had led the UCLA Bruins
to three NCAA Championships in three years. Alcindor would go on
to play 20 seasons in the NBA and become the greatest scorer in
league history with 38,387 career points. The Suns took 6-10 University
of Florida center Neal Walk, who would average 12.6 points in eight
seasons with Phoenix, New Orleans, and New York.
Alcindor immediately made the Bucks winners. A 7-2 center with
an artful, unique, and downright deadly sky-hook, he was an easy
choice for the 1969-70 NBA Rookie of the Year Award after averaging
28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds. He also played in the 1970 NBA All-Star
Game and was selected to the All-NBA Second Team and the NBA All-Defensive
Second Team at season's end. He finished second in the league in
scoring to the Los Angeles Lakers' Jerry West (31.2 ppg) and third
in rebounding behind the San Diego Rockets' Elvin Hayes (16.9 rpg)
and the Baltimore Bullets' Wes Unseld (16.7).
As great as Alcindor was in his first season, the Bucks were not
simply a one-man attack. All-Star Flynn Robinson knocked down 21.8
points per contest, 6-6 forward Bob Dandridge made the NBA All-Rookie
Team, and Jon McGlocklin threw in 17.6 points per game. The Bucks
finished at 56-26 in only their second season, placing second behind
the New York Knickerbockers in the Eastern Division. Milwaukee then
beat the Philadelphia 76ers, four games to one, in the Eastern Division
Semifinals before bowing to New York in the Eastern Division Finals.
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Bucks Enjoy Instant Success Thanks To Coin
Flip
The Milwaukee Bucks first entered the NBA in the 1968-69 season. Thanks
to a coin toss that landed them the game's most graceful center, the
Bucks won a league championship faster than any team in the history
of major professional sports. With Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)
at center and Oscar Robertson at guard, the Bucks took the NBA crown
in only their third season. Their early success established them as
a strong team throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. Consistently
a playoff qualifier during those years, the Bucks exhibited a tough,
hard-nosed style. Milwaukee had some disappointing years in the '90s,
but with bright, young stars Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen now on board,
the team climbed back into the playoffs in 1999.
The city of Milwaukee's first NBA team, the Hawks, fled to St.
Louis for the 1955-56 season after four years of meager support.
The second franchise was more fortunate. Entering the league along
with the Phoenix Suns after paying an entry fee of $2 million, the
club was tagged the Bucks because the name suggested "spirited,
good jumpers, fast and agile," according to the name-the-team contest
winner.
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