Milwaukee Bucks (1968-Present)

Historical Moments:
1968/69: More then a decade after the Hawks flew south to St. Louis the city of Milwaukee once again had an NBA team to call themselves in the expansion Bucks. The Buck opened their initial season by losing to the Chicago Bulls 89-84 before 8,467 fans at The Mecca. The team's first win would come in their 6th game when the beat the Detroit Pistons 134-118. The Bucks would go on to finish with a 27-55 record finishing in last place in the Eastern Division. By finishing in last place the Bucks would enter a coin flip for the top pick in the NBA draft. A pick the Bucks would win allowing them to draft UCLA star Lew Alcindor.

1969/70: Lew Alcindor would make an immediate impact winning the Rookie of the Year 28.8 ppg and 14.5 rebounds per game. The Bucks would go on to finish in 2nd place with a solid 56-26 record, a 28 game improvement over their inaugural season. In the playoffs the Bucks would dispatch the Philadelphia 76ers in 5 games to set up a match up with New York Knicks in the Eastern Division Finals. However, in the East Finals the Bucks would fall in 5 games.

1970/71: With realignment the Bucks are moved to the Western Conference and into the Midwest Division. To round out the team the Bucks would acquire Oscar Robertson from the Cincinnati Royals for Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk. Robertson added experience to the young Bucks averaging 19.4 ppg while making the All-Star team. The trade also made Lew Alcindor a better player as he won the league scoring title and MVP with 31.7 ppg as the Bucks finished with a league best 66-16 record. In the first round the Bucks would easily beat the San Francisco Warriors in 5 games. Moving on the Western Finals the young Aclindor would dominate aging legend Wilt Chamberlain as the Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. In the Finals the Bucks would continue to roll as they swept the Baltimore Bullets in 4 straight becoming the fastest expansion team to win a Major Championship, as Lew Alcindor won the Finals MVP.

1971/72: Lew Alcindor converts his religion to Islam changing his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The name change would not affect his play on the court as he won the MVP for the 2nd straight season by averaging 34.6 ppg as the Bucks won the Midwest Division with a solid 63-19 record. In the playoffs the Bucks would beat the Golden State Warriors in 5 games setting up a highly anticipated match up with Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. However, this time the Lakers would get the best in the Bucks dethroning them as Champions in 6 games.

1972/73: Despite a season plagued with injuries the Bucks again win the Midwest Division topping the 60-win plateau with a record of 60-22. However, in the playoffs the Bucks would be stunned in the first round losing to the Golden State Warriors in 6 games.

1973/74: Led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who wins his 3rd MVP in 4 years the Bucks win their 4th straight division title with a record of 59-23. In the playoffs the Bucks would catch fire reaching the NBA Finals by beating the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 and sweeping the Chicago Bulls in 4. In the Finals the Bucks would battle the Boston Celtics in one of the greatest playoff series in NBA history forcing a 7th game on a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hook shot in double overtime. However, in the 7th game at the Mecca the Bucks would fall by a score of 102-87. Following the season Oscar Robertson would announce his retirement.

1974/75: With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar starting the season on the injured list with a broken hand the Bucks get off to a terrible start wining just 3 of their first 16 games. When Kareem returned the Bucks played solid basketball but could not escape the cellar finishing with a 38-44 record. Along the way the Bucks who were plagued all season by injuries suffered several frustrating close losses as they missed the playoffs for the first time in 5 years. Following the season the Bucks would stun the NBA and their fans by trading Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, David Meyers and Junior Bridgeman.

1975/76: Without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the middle the Bucks again struggle to finish with a 38-44 record. However, as luck would have it the entire Midwest Division would struggle that season and the Bucks would make the playoffs by finishing in 1st place. However in the playoffs it would be a quick exit, as they are knocked off by the Detroit Pistons in a 3-game series. Following the season Jon McGlocklin the last of the original Bucks would retire.

1976/77: The Bucks are sold to Jim Fitzgerald, a cable television executive, and original GM Wayne Embry steps aside as the Bucks transition continues. Lou Costello the Bucks would be the next to go when he is fired after a 3-15 start. Replacing Costello is Don Nelson, who was a key player off the bench for 5 Boston Celtics championship team. With a young coach with no experience the Bucks would go on to finish in last place with a 30-52 record.

1977/78: The Bucks have a fine draft selecting 3 players Kent Benson, Marques Johnson, and Ernie Grunfeld, who make an immediate impact, as the Bucks made the playoffs by finishing in 2nd place with a 44-38 record. In the playoffs the Bucks would stun the Phoenix Suns sweeping them in 2 straight. However, in the 2nd round they would fall in 5 games to Denver Nuggets.

1978/79: The Bucks playoff chances were hurt before the season even started as Alex English signed as a Free Agent with the Indiana Pacers. Without one of their leading scorers the Bucks would struggle all season missing the playoffs by finishing with a 38-44 record.

1979/80: The Bucks finally fill their hole in the middle that had been left by the trade of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, by acquiring Bob Lanier form the Detroit Pistons. In the final 26 games after the Lanier trade the Bucks go 20-6, and win the Midwest Division with a 49-33 record. However, in the playoff the Bucks would be knocked out by the Seattle Supersonics in hard fought 7-game series in the Western Semifinals.

1980/81: Under realignment the Bucks are sent back East to the Central Division. The move would seem to benefit the Bucks as the won the Division with a solid 60-22 record. However, the playoffs would bring heartbreak again as they fall to the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games in the Eastern Semifinals.

1981/82: Despite Marques Johnson beginning the year on the sidelines with an 18-game holdout, the Bucks continue to dominate the Central Division winning by 13 games with a record of 55-27. However, once again the Bucks would be bounced right away losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in 6 games.

1982/83: Sidney Moncrief wins the first ever Defensive Player of the Year award as the Bucks battle through injuries to win the Central Division again with a 51-31 record. The Bucks solid regular season finally bare fruit in the playoffs as they sweep the Boston Celtics in 4 straight. However, in the Eastern Finals the Bucks would be tripped up by the Philadelphia 76ers again falling in 6 games.

1983/84: The Bucks win the Central Division again with a 50-32 record a Sidney Moncrief helps the Bucks become the stingiest defense in the NBA. In the playoffs the Bucks would survive a surprisingly strong first round challenge by beating the Atlanta Hawks in a hard fought 5-game series. In the 2nd Round the Bucks would gallop past the New Jersey Nets in 6 games. However, they would hit a brick wall in the Eastern Finals as they fall to the Boston Celtics in 5 games.

1984/85: The Bucks acquire Terry Cummings from the Los Angeles Clippers for Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, and Harvey Catchings. The move would payoff as the Bucks win their 6th straight division title with a record of 59-23. In the playoffs the Bucks would school the Chicago Bulls beating them 3 games to 1. However, in the 2nd round they would be rolled over by the Philadelphia 76ers being swept in 4 straight.

1985/86: The Bucks continue to dominate the Central Division winning their 7th straight title with a record of 57-25. After easily sweeping aside the New Jersey Nets in 3 games the Bucks finally make it past the Philadelphia 76ers winning a hard fought 7-game series. However, in the Eastern Finals the Bucks would fall again losing 4 straight to the Boston Celtics.

1986/87: The Bucks would acquire Jack Sikma from the Seattle Supersonics with the hopes of finally making it to the NBA Finals. However, the Bucks would begin a decline as their reign as division champions came to an end despite a solid 50-32 record. Leading to the decline was that Sidney Moncrief is limited to 39 with a series of injuries. In the playoffs the Bucks would survive a tough 5 game series against the Philadelphia 76ers before falling to the Boston Celtics in a hard fought 7 games series in the Eastern Semifinals. Following the season Coach Don Nelson would depart for the Golden State Warriors ending a successful 11-year reign as Coach of the Bucks.

1987/88: With new Coach Del Harris the Bucks remain one of the toughest defenses in the NBA as they make the playoffs for the 9th straight season with a record of 42-40. However, it would be a quick exit in the playoffs as they fall to the Atlanta Hawks in a hard fought 5-game series.

1988/89: The Bucks find a new place to roam as they open the Bradley Center after 20 years at the Milwaukee Arena, better known as The Mecca. In their new home the Bucks would have another successful season finishing in 4th place with a solid record of 49-33. In the playoffs the Bucks would fight off the Atlanta Hawks in a hard fought 5-game series. However, in the 2nd round they would be swept aside by the Detroit Pistons in 4 straight.

1989/90: The Bucks retool by trading Terry Cummings to the San Antonio Spurs for Alvin Robertson and Greg "Cadillac" Anderson Despite a season full of injuries the Bucks make the playoffs again with a record of 44-38. However, in the playoffs they would be run over in 4 games by the up and coming Chicago Bulls.

1990/91: The Bucks start the season by winning their first 18 homes on the way to their 12th straight playoff appearance by finishing in 3rd place with a record of 48-34. However, in the playoffs the Bucks would make a quick exit as they are swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in 3 straight.

1991/92: The Bucks glory days come to a crashing end as they miss the playoffs by finishing in last place with a 31-51 record. Desperate to turn thing around the Bucks make a coaching change and bring in aging center Moses Malone. However, neither move would work.

1992/93: The Bucks undergo radical changes as local favorite Mike Dunleavy is brought to lead a young team that included 7 young players brought in during the off season. However, getting the young team to gel proved problematic as the Bucks again struggled and finished in last place with a record of 28-54.

1993/94: The Bucks enter the season with a new look ditching the cartoonish Buck spinning a basketball for a more regal forward looking Buck, as they change from predominately green uniforms to purple. On the court the Buck struggle continued as they finished with a franchise worst 20-62 record. However, in the lottery the Bucks would prove to be a winner getting the top pick which they used on Purdue star Glen "Big Dog" Robinson.

1994/95: Glenn Robinson teamed with Vin Baker to form a formidable front court duo as excitement was brought back to Milwaukee. However, the Bucks still miss the playoffs by finishing with record of 34-48.

1995/96: The Bucks, led by developing superstars Vin Baker and Glenn Robinson, were considered a team with playoff potential. However, the struggles would continue as the Bucks missed the playoffs for the 5th year in a row with a record of 25-57. Following the season the Bucks would fire Coach Mike Dunleavy, and replace him with Chris Ford. However, before departing Milwaukee Dunleavy would acquire 3-point shooter Ray Allen in a draft day trade.

1996/97: Under new coach Chris Ford, the Bucks appeared to be on their way, breaking out of the gate with a 15-11 start. However, they couldn't maintain that momentum and missed the playoffs again by finishing in 7th place with a 33-49 record.

1997/98: The Bucks ship away Vin Baker in a 3-team deal that sees Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill land in Milwaukee. However, a wave of injuries would hamper the Bucks all year as they miss the playoffs for the 7th straight season with a record of 36-46.

1998/99: George Karl is brought in to lead the Bucks after a successful tenure with Seattle Supersonics. The move would pay immediate dividends as the Bucks made the playoffs in a lockout-shortened season with a record of 28-22. Along the way the Bucks make 2 big deals acquiring Sam Cassell in a 3-team deal with Minnesota Timberwolves and New Jersey Nets, and Tim Thomas from the Philadelphia 76ers for Tyrone Hill. However, in the playoffs the Bucks would be no match for the Indian Pacers as they are swept in 3 straight games.

1999/00: With less then a moth to go the Bucks playoff chances appeared bleak as they sat on the bubble with a record of 32-37. However, down the stretch the Bucks would play their best basketball by winning 10 of their last 13 games to sneak into the playoffs with a record of 42-40. In the playoffs the Bucks gave the top seeded Indiana Pacers all they could handle before losing Game 5 by 1 point.

2000/01: After a slow 3-9 start the Bucks team seemed to gel, winning their first division title in 16 years with an awesome record of 52-30. The Bucks seemed to rise up against the best winning all 8 games against the top 4 teams in the Western Conference. In the playoffs the Bucks dominated the Orlando Magic winning the series in 4 games. Down 3 games to 2 in the 2nd round the Bucks would prove to be a team that could battle back as they knocked off the Charlotte Hornets in 7 games for a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the Eastern Finals the Bucks would force a 7th game when Ray Allen exploded for 41 points in Game 6. However, the Bucks would fall in Game 7 in Philadelphia.

2001/02: The Bucks get off to a solid start leading the Central Division most of the first half. However, injuries would begin to catch up with them, and through out the 2nd half the Bucks struggled eventually falling out of playoff contention on the final day of the season while posting a 41-41 record. Following the season the Bucks would deal away Glenn Robinson to the Atlanta Hawks for Toni Kukoc, Leon Smith and a 2003 first-round pick.

2002/03: In a year of transition the Bucks played inconsistent basketball all season as they hovered around .500 almost all season. At the trade deadline with the hopes of making a playoff run the Bucks acquired Desmond Mason and Gary Payton from the Seattle Supersonics in a blockbuster trade for Ray Allen. After the trade the Bucks continued to under achieve at times. However, they would finish the season on a strong note by winning 8 of their last 9 games to slip into the playoffs with a record of 42-40. However, in the playoffs the Bucks would make a quick exit as they were eliminated in 6 games by the New Jersey Nets. Following the season the changes would continue for the Bucks as Sam Cassell and Ervin Johnson were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Joe Smith, while Gary Payton was lost to the Los Angeles Lakers through free agency. With all the changes going around the Bucks decided to change coaches as well replacing George Karl with Terry Porter.

2003/04: The Bucks began the season with a rebuilding mindset as most of their roster had turned over since the start of the 2002/03 season. One of the biggest changes came at coach where Terry Porter was now the man in charge. The young Bucks would manage to play well as Michael Redd had a break out season averaging 21.7 ppg. The Bucks would go on to finish the season with a 41-41 record which would be good enough to see them slip into the playoffs as the 6th seed in the East. In the playoffs the Bucks would not go quietly as they stunned the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 on the road to earn a split with the series shifting to Milwaukee. However in Milwaukee the Bucks would struggle as they were blown out twice as the eventual NBA Champion Pistons went on to win the series in 5 games.

2004/05: Injuries hampered the Bucks from the start as T.J. Ford was lost for the entire season due to a neck injury. The Bucks would get off to a sluggish start losing 12 of their first 18 games, quickly falling into last place in the Central Division where they would remain all season on the way to a terrible 30-52 record. The only bright spot came from Michael Redd, who averaged a 23.0 ppg a team high. Following the season the Bucks would begin to restructure their team as Coach Terry Porter was replaced by Terry Stotts while the Bucks who won the draft lottery selected Utah Center Andrew Bogut with the top overall pick.

2005/06: After missing the playoffs the Bucks hoped to rebound with new Coach Terry Stotts, and the top overall draft pick Andrew Bogut. Out of the gate the Bucks looked strong as they won their first three games, and held a respectable 16-11 record after the first two months of the season. However, January brought hard times to Milwaukee, as the Bucks struggled losing 7 of 9, as the Bucks slipped below .500. The Bucks would hover near the .500 mark the rest of the season as they were in a battle for the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. When the dust settled and the season was over the Bucks would find themselves in last place again with a record of 40-42. However, they would still make the playoffs as the eighth seed in the East. Once again Michael Redd was the best player on the team leading the Bucks with a career high 25.4 ppg. While, Andre Bogut struggled at times with a mediocre 9.4 ppg, but was solid on the boards with 7.0 rebounds per game. In the playoffs the Bucks would face the Detroit Pistons, and would find themselves in a quick hole losing the first two games on the road. However, as the series shifted to Milwaukee the Bucks put together a perfect game as Redd scored 40 points in a 124-104 win. It would be the only game the Bucks would win in the series as the Pistons won in five games.

2006/07: Coming off their playoff appearance the Bucks went back to the future, keeping the same general logo design, but going back to their original green and red color scheme. They also made on the court changes, trading T.J. Ford to the Toronto Raptors for Charlie Villanueva, while acquiring Ruben Patterson from the Denver Nuggets for Joe Smith. The Bucks would get off to a slow start as they adjusted to the new players, losing 9 of their first 13 games. However, in December the Bucks would turn things around posting a solid 11-6 record as they entered the New Year with a 16-15 record. However, a rash of injuries in January would cripple the Bucks, as they won just 3 of their next 20 games, while Michael Redd, Charlie Villanueva, and Mo Williams, were sidelined with injuries. The slump would eventually cost Coach Terry Stotts his job, as he was fired on March 13th as the Bucks sat in last place with a record of 23-41. With new Coach Larry Krystkowiak the Bucks would win their first two games. However, the injuries continued to pile up as even Andrew Bogut was lost down the stretch as four of the five players in the starting line up were on the bench in street clothes as the Bucks ended the season with a disappointing 28-54 record.

2007/08: The Bucks celebrated their 40th season, as they introduced their all-time team chosen by the fans. Sadly the current team on the court was not much to look at, as they got off to a slow start, posting an 11-19 record after the first two months, which included an awful December in which they lost 12 of 16 games. The Bucks struggles continued as they posted a losing record in January, and February, and quickly became a non-factor in the playoff race. The Bucks would go on to finish in last place again, as they finished the season with an awful record of 26-56, which included an ugly eight game losing streak to finish the season. Following the season there would be sweeping changes in Milwaukee, as General Manager Larry Harris was fired and replaced by John Hammond, formerly the Vice President of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons. Coach Larry Krystkowiak would also end up unemployed, as the Bucks replaced him with Scott Skiles. On the court there would be changes too, as Captain Mo Williams, was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a three team deal involving the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Richard Jefferson was acquired from the New Jersey Nets for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons.