Tag Archives: milwaukee bucks

The Top 10 NBA Teams of All Time: #7, The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks

#7
The 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks
Regular Season: 66-16 (80.5)
Playoffs: 12-2 (85.7)
Total: 78-18 (81.3)

Award Winners;
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: League MVP, Finals MVP, 1st Team All-NBA, 2ndTeam All-Defense, All Star
Oscar Robertson: 2nd Team All-NBA, All Star

The Milwaukee Bucks were an expansion team that came into the league in 1968 and got very lucky very fast. Not surprisingly for a team in its debut season, the Bucks fared poorly, winning 27 games and winding up with the number one draft pick in 1969. There was clearly only one choice to make that year, and it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor.

For you youngbloods who don’t know, Kareem was an absolute monster in both high school and college. His high school team, Power Memorial in New York City, won back to back national championships in 1963 and ‘64. He won three straight NCAA championships with UCLA in 1967, ‘68 and ‘69. He likely would’ve won four if he’d been allowed to play on the varsity team while he was a freshman, but it was against NCAA regulations at the time. He was so good as a freshman that in scrimmages, the freshmen team regularly beat the varsity squad. The NCAA even BANNED DUNKING because it made things too easy for him! This only helped him, as it led to him perfecting his unstoppable hook shot known as the skyhook. In his three years on the varsity team, UCLA lost two games. Two. Out of ninety. Anyway, he was good.

Here’s where Milwaukee’s luck really comes in: before David Stern introduced the draft lottery in 1985, the holder of the number one pick was literally decided by a coin toss between the worst team in the East and worst team in the West. The Bucks had been at the bottom of the Eastern Division in ‘68-69, with the Phoenix Suns being the worst in the West. The Bucks won the toss and grabbed Kareem without hesitation. The Suns got another center, the 6’10 Neal Walk. Walk actually had some pretty good seasons in Phoenix, but was out of the league by 1977. Milwaukee had more good luck in that draft, stealing future All Star Bob Dandridge at 45th overall.

The ‘69-70 season was a dramatic turnaround for the Bucks, who improved from 27 wins to 56. Even as a rookie, Kareem was one of the best players in the NBA, and the young Milwaukee team made it as far as the division finals. They lost in five games to a great New York Knicks team led by Walt Frazier and Willis Reed, but the Bucks were clearly on their way.

What put them over the top in 1970-71 was the arrival of veteran superstar point guard Oscar Robertson, who’d played his whole career with the Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings). The Royals hadn’t made the playoffs since 1967 and hadn’t made the Finals since 1951, when they were still in Rochester. It’s well known that Robertson didn’t get along well with his coach in Cincinnati, Celtics legend Bob Cousy. Whatever the reason for the trade, Oscar was happy to have a change of scene.

In 1970-71, it was 23 year old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who unsurprisingly put up the biggest numbers, averaging 31.7 points and 16 rebounds on 57.7% shooting. Did I tell you he was good? 32 year old Oscar Robertson brought 19.4 points, 8.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 49.6% from the field and 85% at the line. 23 year old small forward Bob Dandridge put up 18.4 points and 8 rebounds on 50.9% shooting. 27 year old two guard Jon McGlocklin chipped in 15.8 points while shooting 53.5%. With all the ingredients together, the Bucks went 66-16 in the regular season and posted a 20 game winning streak during February and March, despite at one point having to play five games in six days! Imagine playing that much and still kicking everyone’s ass.

In 1970-71, the Bucks were shifted into the Western Conference and faced the 41-41 San Francisco Warriors in the first round, who were led by Nate Thurmond and Jerry Lucas. The Warriors were clearly not up to the challenge, and the Bucks won the first three games by between 11 and 14 points. San Francisco did pull out a 106-104 win in game four before having the door slammed in their faces in game five by a score of 136-86. Yes, that’s 50 points. Seven Bucks scored in double figures in that one, with Jon McGlocklin leading the way with 28. Kareem had 23 points and 17 rebounds.

Their next challenge was the 48-34 Los Angeles Lakers, featuring Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. The result was the same, with the Bucks winning in five games. Milwaukee crushed LA in four out of five by a margin of 18 to 23 points. LA did pull out an impressive 118-107 win at home in game three, with Wilt scoring 24 points and grabbing 24 rebounds. In Milwaukee’s 23 point win in game four, Kareem put up 31 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 14 for 20.

In the NBA Finals, Milwaukee met the 42 win Baltimore Bullets, led by a young Wes Unseld, who’d managed to knock off the defending champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Finals. This series was the least challenging of all for the Bucks, and they swept the Bullets with the closest game being a 107-99 win at home in game three. Game two was the biggest blowout, with the Bucks winning 102-83 in Baltimore. Kareem led the way as usual, with 27 points and 24 rebounds and Oscar Robertson had 22 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds. Kareem was named Finals MVP, averaging 25 points, 17.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

The Bucks won over sixty games again in 1972 and ‘73 but lost in the second and first rounds respectively. In 1974 they had the league’s best record with 59 wins, but lost to John Havlicek, Dave Cowens and the Celtics in seven games in the Finals. Oscar Robertson retired after that season and the Bucks missed the playoffs in ‘75 for the first time since their debut season. That Summer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Lakers, where he went on to win five more championships in the ‘80s. Kareem had grown up in Manhattan and went to school in LA, and requested the trade as Milwaukee just wasn’t his kind of town. Even though he played most of his career and won most of his championships with the Lakers, I associate Kareem with the Bucks just as much. I think he looked really cool with the Afro and mutton chops in those old red white and green uniforms.

The Bucks had good teams throughout the ‘80s with guys like Sidney Moncrief and Marques Johnson, but still haven’t made the Finals since ‘74. Personally, as a Celtics fan, I’m terrified thinking about how good those guys could be in a few years when Giannis Antetokounmpo hits his prime. This could be the year, now that Kawhi Leonard’s off to LA.

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 12: Don Nelson

#19 Don Nelson, “Nellie,” Small Forward, 1965-1976

Born in Muskegon, Michigan in 1940, Don Nelson attended the University of Iowa from 1959 to ‘62, where he made Third Team All-American in his final year. He was drafted 17th overall by the Chicago Zephyrs (now the Washington Wizards) in 1962. He moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1963, and reached the NBA Finals with the team in 1965, but lost to the Boston Celtics.

Nelson became a Celtic himself later that year, winning a title against the Lakers in 1966, and two more against them in 1968 and ‘69. Nelson scored a key basket towards the end of the deciding game of the ‘69 series, helping to secure another title for Boston. He spent much of his career in Boston as the team’s sixth man, following in the footsteps on Frank Ramsey and John Havlicek. After a rough couple of years following Bill Russell’s retirement in 1969, Nelson and the Celtics got back on track, winning two more championships; in 1974 Against the Milwaukee Bucks, and in ‘76 against the Phoenix Suns, capping off his career with a fifth title.

His career highs include 15.4 points per game in 1969-70 and shooting a league-leading 54% from the field in 1974-75. He scored a career high 40 points in a win against the San Diego Rockets in February 1970. Despite mostly coming off the bench, Nelson currently sits at 14th all time among Celtics players in points. He retired as a player in 1976, and his number “19” was retired by the Celtics in 1978.

He was far from done with basketball though, becoming head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976. He won Coach of the Year in 1983, the same year the Bucks swept the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. Unfortunately for Nelson, the Bucks were eliminated the next round by the eventual champion Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics got their revenge the following year, defeating the Bucks in the Conference Finals in five games on their way to another title. Nelson won Coach of the year for the second time in 1985, despite being swept by the 76ers in the semifinals. In 1986, the Bucks were swept by the Celtics in the Conference after Nelson made the mistake of saying he was a better, smarter coach than the Celtics’ K.C. Jones.

Nelson left the Bucks after losing to the Celtics in the playoffs again in 1987, joining the Golden State Warriors in 1988. Although he never made it past the second round of the playoffs at Golden State, he won his third coach of the year award in 1992. He also coached Team USA to a Gold Medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championships in Canada. In 1995-96, Nelson moved on to the New York Knicks, but was fired that March due to disagreements with management. From 1997 to 2005, Nelson coached the Dallas Mavericks, who made it as far as the Conference Finals in 2003, losing to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in six games. Nelson returned to coaching the Warriors from 2006 to 2010, although they only made the playoffs in his first year back. Don Nelson is one of only three coaches to win Coach of the Year three times, the others being Pat Riley and Greg Popovich. He also coached the Western Conference All-Star Team twice, in 1992 and 2002. Don Nelson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2012, and it’s likely only a matter of time before he’s inducted as a coach

The Celtics Retired Numbers Series pt. 14: Dave Cowens

#18 Dave Cowens, “Big Red,” Center, 1970-1980

Born in Newport, Kentucky in 1948, Dave Cowens attended Florida State University from 1967 to ’70, where he was named Second Team All-American in his last year. To this day, he’s the school’s all time leader in rebounds with 1,340, as well as the leader in rebounds per game with 17.5 in 1968-69 and is second all time in single game rebounds with 31. His number “5” was retired by Florida State. Although relatively short for a center at 6’9’’, Cowens was drafted fourth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1970, partly on the recommendation of Bill Russell.

The Celtics were going through a difficult transition following the retirement of Russell and many of the other stars of the ‘50s and ‘60s, and they missed the playoffs in Cowens’ rookie season. He started strong however, winning Rookie of the Year and making All-Rookie First Team in 1971. The Celtics soon turned things around, thanks to Cowens and Jo Jo White, who had entered the league the year before, and the C’s were back in the playoffs in ‘72. 1972 was also Cowens’ first All Star Game, something he would repeat every year of his Celtics career besides 1979. In 1974, Cowens would win his first NBA Championship against the Milwaukee Bucks, and won another in 1976 against the Phoenix Suns. Cowens retired for the first time in 1980 at the relatively young age of 31.

He was later convinced to return to basketball to play one more season for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1982-83, where his old teammate Don Nelson was head coach. Alongside his two championship rings, Dave Cowens was also League MVP in 1973, averaging over 20 points and 16 rebounds in a season that the Celtics went 68 and 14. He was also All-NBA Second Team in 1973, ‘75 and ‘76, All-Defensive First Team in 1976, and All-Defensive Second Team in 1975 and ‘80. He served as Celtics team captain from 1978 to 1980 and as player-coach for most of 1978-79. He was also selected to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Among Celtics players, Cowens currently sits at third all time in rebounds, sixth in blocked shots, eighth in minutes played, ninth in both points and steals, and tenth in assists. His career highs include 16.2 rebounds and 20.5 points per game, both in 1972-73. He scored a career high 39 points in a January 1976 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. That March, he grabbed a ridiculous 27 rebounds in another win against the Sixers. In 1977-78, he was one of five players ever to lead their team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in the same season. Cowens’ number “18” was retired by the Celtics in 1981.

After his playing career, Cowens became the assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs from 1994 to ‘96, then head coach of the Charlotte Hornets from 1996 to ‘99 and of the Golden State Warriors from 1999 to 2001. In 2006, he joined the coaching staff of the Detroit Pistons. In 1991, Dave Cowens was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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