Milwaukee Bucks

 

Milwaukee Bucks
Conference	Eastern Conference
Division	Central Division
Founded	1968
History	Milwaukee Bucks 1968–present
Arena	Bradley Center
City	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Team Colors	Hunter Green, Deep Red, Silver, White
Owner	Herb Kohl
General Manager	Larry Harris
Head Coach	Larry Krystkowiak
NBA D-League Affiliate	Tulsa 66ers
Championships	1 (1971)
Conference Titles	2 (1971, 1974)
Division Titles	13 (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2001)

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The current franchise owner is U.S. Senator Herb Kohl.

History

Early years

The Milwaukee Bucks were formed in January 1968 when the NBA awarded a franchise to Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. (Milwaukee Pro), a group headed by Wesley Pavalon and Marvin Fishman. In October, the Bucks played their first NBA regular season game against the Chicago Bulls before a Milwaukee Arena crowd of 8,467. Their first victory came in their 6th game as the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 134–118; they would win only 26 more games in their first year.

The Buck's record that year earned them a coin flip against the Phoenix Suns to see who would get the right to draft Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in the 1968-69 NBA season with the first pick in the upcoming draft. The Bucks won the coin flip and upon drafting Lew Alcindor instantly became contenders for the NBA Championship. In only their second season the Bucks made the playoffs and Alcindor was named rookie of the year.

1970s-1980s

The following season, the Bucks added the final piece to their championship puzzle by adding Oscar Robertson, known as "the Big O," to the team. Subsequently, in only their third season the Bucks won 66 games and went on to win the NBA Championship on April 30, 1971, by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in Milwaukee, 118–106, in Game 4 of the finals. By winning the title in only their third season, the Bucks became the fastest expansion team in any of the four major American sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) to win a world championship.

In 1972, the Bucks snapped the Los Angeles Lakers record 33-game winning streak during a nationally televised game; in 1973 the Bucks recorded their third consecutive 60-win season, the first NBA team to do so. One year later, the Bucks were back in the 1974 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. In Game 6 of the series, Jabbar made a patented "sky hook" shot to end a classic double-overtime victory for the Bucks. The Bucks lost Game 7 and the series to the Celtics. After the 1974-75 NBA season, the Bucks pulled a mega-trade by sending Jabbar to the Lakers for Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters and David Meyers.

After the mega-deal, the Bucks brought with them several seasons in transition, but most of these players would bear fruit. After being sold to cable television executive Jim Fitzgerald in 1977, the Bucks would enter in another era of greatness. It began with coach Don Nelson. In the 1977 draft, the Bucks drafted in Marques Johnson, Kent Benson, and Mark Grunfeld. Johnson would become a staple in the Bucks for years to come. Rookie Sidney Moncrief made his debut in 1979.

In 1979, the Bucks also brought in veteran center Bob Lanier to fill in the hole left by the departure of Jabbar. They then won the Midwest Division title in 1980. After losing to Seattle in the semi-finals, the Bucks moved to the Eastern Conference's Central Division. There, they would win 6 straight division titles and have .500 seasons for the next 11 years. Within those years, the Bucks became perennial Eastern Conference contenders, primarily due to the strong play of Moncrief, Paul Pressey, Craig Hodges and the arrival of Terry Cummings, Ricky Pierce and Jack Sikma from trades with the Los Angeles Clippers and Seattle respectively. Other notable players who played for the Bucks in this era included Larry Krystkowiak, Randy Breuer and Paul Mokeski.

During the 1980s the Bucks were one of the most successful basketball teams in the league. Only three teams had overall winning records throughout the 80s -- the Celtics, the Lakers and the Bucks. Despite their success, the Bucks were perennially stymied by the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics in post-season. Starting in 1980-81 season the Bucks were eliminated by either the Sixers or the Celtics for 7 consecutive seasons, including twice in 7-game series. On the occasions in which they did beat one of the two teams they would often lose to the other as in 1982-83 when they swept the Celtics only to lose the Sixers and in 1985-86 when they beat the Sixers only to be swept by the Celtics (see below section for season by season playoff recap). It was also during the 1985-86 season that the Bucks removed red in the color scheme.

Ownership and Arena Changes in the 1980s

In 1985, Milwaukee businessman (and now U.S. Senator) Herb Kohl bought the Bucks after fears that out-of-town investors could buy the team and move it out of Milwaukee. (In 2003, after considering selling the team, Kohl announced that he had decided against selling the Bucks to Michael Jordan and would "continue to own them, improve them and commit them to remaining in Wisconsin.")

In the 1988-89 season, after 20 years at the 11,052-seat MECCA (Milwaukee Arena, now U.S. Cellular Arena), the Bucks moved into the new 18,700-seat Bradley Center, located directly across the street from the MECCA in downtown Milwaukee. The Bradley Center was one of the first arenas in the country to be built with luxury suites. The Bradley Center was privately financed from a $90 million donation from Milwaukee businesswoman Jane Bradley Pettit in memory of her father.

1990s-present

To honor their 25th Anniversary in 1993, the Bucks changed their uniforms, replacing the cartoonish deer in favor of a more regal one. Also, red was replaced by purple.

The Bucks had two high lottery picks in a row in the early 1990s that allowed them to get two high-caliber offensive players. In the 1993 NBA Draft, Milwaukee selected power forward Vin Baker with the eighth overall pick. The following season the Bucks obtained small forward and college standout Glenn Robinson with the first selection in the 1994 NBA Draft. From the 1994-95 season to the 1996-97 season, the Bucks were led by the strong offensive play of both Robinson and Baker. Following the 1996-97 season, Baker was traded to the Seattle Sonics in a three-team deal that brought Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill to Milwaukee.

With the steady addition of talent such as Ray Allen, Tim Thomas, and Sam Cassell, as well as the hiring of veteran head coach George Karl, the Bucks grew to become an elite team in the Eastern Conference, winning the Central Division title in 2001. However, the Bucks lost Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Behind the strong encouragement of George Karl, the Bucks acquired Anthony Mason at the beginning of the 2001-2002 season. On paper this made the Bucks the team to beat in the Eastern Conference for the 2001-02 season. On the court and off, however, team chemistry was destroyed by the presence of Mason. The Bucks, who at the season's midway point were the number four seed in the Eastern Conference, began an unthinkable free-fall, which culminated with a loss to Detroit on the final night of the season that eliminated the Bucks from NBA playoff contention. The resulting fallout caused tension between the team's three stars and coach, resulting in the eventual trades of Glenn Robinson to Atlanta (for Toni Kukoc and a first-round draft pick that they used to select T.J. Ford).

In the midst of the 2002-03 season, the Bucks traded their superstar Ray Allen and backup Ronald "Flip" Murray to the Seattle SuperSonics for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. The trade allowed for increased playing time for Michael Redd, and with Gary Payton in the backcourt, the Bucks finished the season with a 42–40 record. The Bucks made the playoffs; however, the Bucks lost in the first round to the New Jersey Nets. Team leaders Sam Cassell & center Ervin Johnson were traded to Minnesota (for Joe Smith). Payton would leave in free agency following the season. Coach George Karl’s coaching tenure with the Bucks also ended after the season.

The Bucks had a promising 2003-04 season with the strong play of rookie point guard T.J. Ford and new coach Terry Porter until Ford suffered a career-threatening spinal cord contusion and missed the final 26 games of the season.

With T.J. Ford missing the entire 2004-05 season because of his spinal cord contusion, the Bucks had a disappointing season ending with a 30–52 record. Strong play by young stars Maurice Williams and Michael Redd did provide some encouragement. Coach Terry Porter was fired at the end of the season. Due to their poor record the Bucks were placed in the NBA Draft Lottery. Despite only having a 6% chance for the first selection in the lottery, the Bucks won the first pick for the 2005 NBA Draft, which was used to select Andrew Bogut of Australia and the University of Utah. This luck would raise expectations for the coming season, as the team anticipated the return of T.J. Ford along with the addition of Bogut and former All-Star center Jamal Magloire who was acquired in a trade with the New Orleans Hornets for Desmond Mason.

The Bucks showed improvement in the 2005-06 season under new Coach Terry Stotts. On April 1, 2006 the Bucks set a new NBA record for the fewest team turnovers in one game with just two turnovers in a 96–89 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Earlier the same week, on March 28, they set a new NBA record with 11 3-pointers in a quarter, another new NBA record with 14 3-pointers in a half, and a team record with 18 3-pointers in a 132–110 shootout victory over the Phoenix Suns. The Bucks finished the 2006 Regular Season with a loss to the Wizards, giving them a 40–42 record, dropping them to the 8th seed in the East. The Bucks lost to the Detroit Pistons, the defending Eastern Conference Champions, in the 1st round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, with a final series tally of 4–1. Milwaukee had their only win in the playoff series when they beat Detroit 124–104 on April 29, 2006.

After the 2005-06 season, the Bucks made substantial changes to their roster, trading several of their key players. The Bucks traded starting point guard T.J. Ford to the Raptors for forward Charlie Villanueva, and traded starting center Jamaal Magloire to Portland for Steve Blake, Brian Skinner, and Ha Seung-Jin. On August 10, 2006 the Bucks traded Joe Smith to the Denver Nuggets for Ruben Patterson[1]. During the season, in January 2007, Steve Blake was traded to the Denver Nuggets for point guard Earl Boykins, Julius Hodge, and cash considerations. In Boykins' Milwaukee Bucks debut he contributed 11 points and 11 assists. Hodge was later waived by the Bucks.

On June 28, 2006, the Bucks revealed a new color scheme as well as an updated logo. The new colors revealed were dark red and forest green, returning the team to its original color scheme, although they retained silver from the previous color scheme. Its new uniform identity was also revealed on the last week of September 2006.

The beginning of the 2006-07 season gave Bucks' fans high hopes. The Bucks had a fantastic December going 11–6, but soon after, starters Michael Redd, Charlie Villanueva, and Moe Williams suffered key injuries. For much of January, this left Andrew Bogut as the only remaining starting player from the anticipated lineup (starter Bobby Simmons had been sidelined for most of the season with an injury). The Bucks’ record suffered as a result of these injuries, with the team recording only 2 wins in the month of January. In February the Bucks lost a crucial game to the Boston Celtics who were riding a franchise long 18-game losing streak. The Bucks' struggles continued with more injuries until they fired head coach Terry Stotts after losing their 41st game of the season. Late in the season Bogut was also injured, leaving the Bucks with 4 out of the 5 planned starters for the season, Bogut, Villanueva, Simmons, and Redd, all on the injured list for the final weeks of the season. The Bucks finished with a 28-54 record, third-worst in the NBA.

On June 28 2007, the Bucks drafted Yi Jianlian from China with the No. 6 pick. Yi is widely regarded to be the best Chinese prospect to come out of China since Yao Ming. Although Yi is considered by many to be a strong offensive player, his selection by the Bucks brought many concerns, leading some commentators to consider Yi to be a high risk choice. Most notably, prior to the draft, Yi’s agent Dan Fegan had stated that Yi did not want to play for the Bucks and refused to let the Bucks’ watch Yi workout. Fegan had stated that Milwaukee did not have a sufficient population of Asians, and Milwaukee would not be a good fit for Yi. After being drafted by the Bucks, Yi refused to visit Milwaukee and his agent has openly tried to convince the Bucks to trade Yi to another team by threatening that Yi would return to China rather than play for the Bucks. In addition, questions exist surrounding Yi’s real age (ranging between 19 to 22) and his ability to acclimatize to the physical game in the NBA. Yi Jianlian recently signed a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks on August 29, 2007 in Hong Kong. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Yi made his Bucks pre-season debut against Chicago, although scoring only 3 points and fouled out. He made a better showing at Utah with 12 points on the stat sheet.The Milwaukee Bucks are currently 2-2 in the preseason and have promised to play with maximum intensity for the 4 remaining exhibition matches leading into the regular season.

Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %

Season	W	L	%	Playoffs	Results
Milwaukee Bucks
1968-69	27	55	.329
1969-70	56	26	.683	Won Division Semifinals Lost Division Finals	Milwaukee 4, Philadelphia 1 New York 4, Milwaukee 1
1970-71	66	16	.805	Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Won NBA Finals	Milwaukee 4, San Francisco 1 Milwaukee 4, Los Angeles 1 Milwaukee 4, Baltimore 0
1971-72	63	19	.768	Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Milwaukee 4, Golden State 2 Los Angeles 4, Milwaukee 2
1972-73	60	22	.732	Lost Conference Semifinals	Golden State 4, Milwaukee 2
1973-74	59	23	.720	Won Conference Semifinals Won Conference Finals Lost NBA Finals	Milwaukee 4, Los Angeles 1 Milwaukee 4, Chicago 0 Boston 4, Milwaukee 3
1974-75	38	44	.463
1975-76	38	44	.463	Lost First Round	Detroit 2, Milwaukee 1
1976-77	30	52	.366
1977-78	44	38	.537	Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals	Milwaukee 2, Phoenix 0 Denver 4, Milwaukee 3
1978-79	38	44	.463
1979-80	49	33	.598	Lost Conference Semifinals	Seattle 4, Milwaukee 3
1980-81	60	22	.732	Lost Conference Semifinals	Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 3
1981-82	55	27	.671	Lost Conference Semifinals	Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 2
1982-83	51	31	.622	Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Milwaukee 4, Boston 0 Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 1
1983-84	50	32	.610	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Milwaukee 3, Atlanta 2 Milwaukee 4, New Jersey 2 Boston 4, Milwaukee 1
1984-85	59	23	.720	Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals	Milwaukee 3, Chicago 1 Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 0
1985-86	57	25	.695	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Milwaukee 3, New Jersey 0 Milwaukee 4, Philadelphia, 3 Boston 4, Milwaukee 0
1986-87	50	32	.610	Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals	Milwaukee 3, Philadelphia 2 Boston 4, Milwaukee 3
1987-88	42	40	.512	Lost First Round	Atlanta 3, Milwaukee 2
1988-89	49	33	.598	Won First Round Lost Conference Semifinals	Milwaukee 3, Atlanta 2 Detroit 4, Milwaukee 0
1989-90	44	38	.537	Lost First Round	Chicago 3, Milwaukee 1
1990-91	48	34	.585	Lost First Round	Philadelphia 3, Milwaukee 0
1991-92	31	51	.378
1992-93	28	54	.341
1993-94	20	62	.244
1994-95	34	48	.415
1995-96	25	57	.305
1996-97	33	49	.402
1997-98	36	46	.439
1998-99	28	22	.560	Lost First Round	Indiana 3, Milwaukee 0
1999-2000	42	40	.512	Lost First Round	Indiana 3, Milwaukee 2
2000-01	52	30	.634	Won First Round Won Conference Semifinals Lost Conference Finals	Milwaukee 3, Orlando 1 Milwaukee 4, Charlotte 3 Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 3
2001-02	41	41	.500
2002-03	42	40	.512	Lost First Round	New Jersey 4, Milwaukee 2
2003-04	41	41	.500	Lost First Round	Detroit 4, Milwaukee 1
2004-05	30	52	.366
2005-06	40	42	.488	Lost First Round	Detroit 4, Milwaukee 1
2006-07	28	54	.342
2007-08	0	0	.000
Totals	1684	1482	.532
Playoffs	99	111	.471	1 Championship

Players of note

Basketball Hall of Famers

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, drafted as Lew Alcindor (name changed during tenure with the Bucks)
• Dave Cowens
• Wayne Embry (Inducted as a contributor; see Coaches and others section for more details.)
• Alex English
• Bob Lanier
• Moses Malone
• Oscar Robertson
• Julius "Dr. J" Erving (originally drafted by Bucks)

Retired numbers

• 1 Oscar Robertson, G, 1970–74
• 2 Junior Bridgeman, F, 1975–84 & 1986–87
• 4 Sidney Moncrief, G, 1979–89
• 14 Jon McGlocklin, G, 1968–76
• 16 Bob Lanier, C, 1980–84
• 32 Brian Winters, G, 1975–83
• 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, C, 1968–75

ANDREW BOGUT (C)

First overall picks

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (as Lew Alcindor) – 1969

• Kent Benson – 1977

• Glenn Robinson – 1994

• Andrew Bogut – 2005

Additional players of note

Ray Allen Vin Baker Frank Brickowski Sam Cassell Lester Conner Terry Cummings Bobby Dandridge Todd Day Blue Edwards

Dale Ellis T.J. Ford Jay Humphries Ervin Johnson Marques Johnson Toni Kukoc John Lucas Gary Payton

Ricky Pierce Paul Pressey Alvin Robertson Glenn Robinson Jack Sikma Tim Thomas Scott Williams Brian Winters

Coaches and Others

Hall of Famers

• Wayne Embry (Former general manager; inducted as a contributor. When he became GM of the Bucks in 1971, he was the first African-American to serve in that position in the NBA. He would later go on to be the NBA's first African-American team president with the Cleveland Cavaliers.)
• K. C. Jones (Former assistant; inducted for his playing career with the Boston Celtics.)

Current coaching staff

• Head Coach: Larry Krystkowiak[2]
• Assistant Coaches: Lester Conner, Brian James, Bob Ociepka, Mike Sanders
• Strength Coach: Tim Wilson
• Athletic Trainer: Andre Daniel
• Assistant Trainer: John Anderson
• Team Nutritionist: Brian Zehetner

Coaching history

• Larry Costello (1968–76)
• Don Nelson (1976–87)
• Del Harris (1987–91)
• Frank Hamblen (1991–92)
• Mike Dunleavy, Sr. (1992–96)
• Chris Ford (1996–98)
• George Karl (1998–2003)
• Terry Porter (2003–2005)
• Terry Stotts (2005–2007)
• Larry Krystkowiak (2007-present)

General manager history

• Wayne Embry
• Bob Weinhauer
• Ernie Grunfeld
• Larry Harris (Current GM)

High Points

Franchise Leaders

Individual Awards

External links

• Milwaukee Bucks official web site
• Milwaukee Bucks InsideHoops.com coverage
• Milwaukee Bucks Statistics
• Sports E-Cyclopedia

Preceded by New York Knicks 1970

NBA Champions Milwaukee Bucks 1971

Succeeded by Los Angeles Lakers 1972

National Basketball Association (2007-08)
Eastern Conference			Western Conference
Atlantic	Central	Southeast	Northwest	Pacific	Southwest
Boston Celtics	Chicago Bulls	Atlanta Hawks	Denver Nuggets	Golden State Warriors	Dallas Mavericks
New Jersey Nets	Cleveland Cavaliers	Charlotte Bobcats	Minnesota Timberwolves	Los Angeles Clippers	Houston Rockets
New York Knicks	Detroit Pistons	Miami Heat	Portland Trail Blazers	Los Angeles Lakers	Memphis Grizzlies
Philadelphia 76ers	Indiana Pacers	Orlando Magic	Seattle SuperSonics	Phoenix Suns	New Orleans Hornets
Toronto Raptors	Milwaukee Bucks	Washington Wizards	Utah Jazz	Sacramento Kings	San Antonio Spurs
Annual events: Playoffs · Finals · All-Star Game · Weekend · Rookie Challenge · Three-point Shootout · Skills · Shooting Stars · Slam Dunk · Draft
Other: Current team rosters · Midwest Division · Dress code · Salary Cap · Arenas · D-League · WNBA (Finals) · Europe Live Tour · Larry O'Brien Trophy · Finals MVP · 50 Greatest Players

Milwaukee Bucks 1970-71 NBA Champions
33 Alcindor (Finals MVP) | 7 Allen | 20 Boozer | 19 Cunningham | 10 Dandridge | 18 Greacen | 14 McGlocklin | 35 McLemore | 1 Robertson | 4 Smith | 8 Webb | 5 Winkler | Head Coach Costello

Milwaukee Bucks Head Coaches
Costello • Nelson • Harris • Hamblen • Dunleavy • Ford • Karl • Porter • Stotts • Krystkowiak

Sports teams based in Wisconsin
Baseball	NL: Milwaukee Brewers - MWL: Beloit Snappers • Wisconsin Timber Rattlers NWL: Eau Claire Express • Green Bay Bullfrogs • La Crosse Loggers • Madison Mallards • Wisconsin Woodchucks
Basketball	NBA: Milwaukee Bucks
Football	NFL: Green Bay Packers - AF2: Green Bay Blizzard - CIFL: Milwaukee Bonecrushers - WPFL: Wisconsin Wolves - NAFL: Racine Raiders - NWFA: Milwaukee Momentum
Hockey	AHL: Milwaukee Admirals - USHL: Green Bay Gamblers
Soccer	MISL: Milwaukee Wave - NPSL: Milwaukee Bavarians • Princeton 56ers
Australian Rules Football	MAAFL: Milwaukee Bombers
College athletics (NCAA Div. I)	Marquette Golden Eagles • UW-Milwaukee Panthers • UW-Green Bay Phoenix • Wisconsin Badgers
Category:Sports in Wisconsin

be-x-old:Мілўокі Бакс

Donate to Wikimedia