In April 2013, the 8th seeded Bucks were trailing the reigning champion Miami Heat 2-0 and point guard Brandon Jennings said “Bucks in Six.” Unfortunately, Milwaukee would not win in 6, they would actually lose the next 2 games and be eliminated in 4. However, the prophecy was written, “Bucks in Six” became what Milwaukee’s rallying cry. They went down in the NBA Finals, 2-0, and “Bucks in Six” became the rallying cry once again. It seemed ridiculous and highly unlikely but the prophecy that Brandon Jennings started in 2013 would be fulfilled, the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 NBA Finals in 6 games and became NBA Champions.
That summer the Bucks began a rebuild, starting 2-guard Monta Ellis was allowed to sign with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency and his backcourt mate Brandon Jennings was traded to the Detroit Pistons. In that draft, they drafted a forward from Greece named Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 15th overall pick. Antetokounmpo was a tall but very skinny forward who had a lot of untapped potential as he was only 19 years old. In the Jennings trade, the Bucks received Brandon Knight, Khris Middleton, and Viacheslav Kravtsov, Kravtsov never played for the Bucks and Knight was traded to the Suns in 2015. Milwaukee was terrible in the 2013-14 season going just 15-67 leading to them finishing with the worst record in the NBA. Thus, they received the 2nd pick in the 2014 draft and selected Duke forward Jabari Parker. Parker lasted just 4 seasons with the Bucks and has bounced around the league ever since. That offseason, they also hired/traded for Jason Kidd to be their new head coach. In 2014-15, Milwaukee won 42 games and made the playoffs, however, they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls in 6 games. In 2015-16 the Bucks took a step back, as they won just 33 games and finished 12th in the Eastern Conference. In the 2016 draft, the Bucks drafted Thon Maker, he was a bust and has bounced around the league since Milwaukee traded him to the Pistons at the 2019 trade deadline. However, they did draft 2017 rookie of the year Malcolm Brogdan in the 2nd round, so that was a positive. That season, the team finished 6th in the East losing to the Raptors in the first round, as Giannis Antetokounmpo won the NBA’s most improved player award.
In November 2017, the Bucks traded for Eric Bledsoe to help out at the point guard spot and in January 2018, Jason Kidd was fired. Milwaukee would finish 7th in the conference and take the 2nd seeded Boston Celtics, a depleted Celtics team but still the 2 seed, to a 7th game but they lost. After firing Kidd the Bucks needed a new coach so on May 16th, 2018, the Bucks hired Mike Budenholzer to be the new head man. Then in June, with the 17th pick, they drafted the Final Four’s most outstanding player Donte DiVincenzo and in July, the team signed center Brook Lopez, who really has been a huge part of the Bucks since he was signed. That season, Milwaukee broke through, winning 60 games and clinching the 1st seed in the East as Giannis won his first MVP. After sweeping the Pistons and avenging the Celtics in 5 they would take on the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. They took the first 2 games at home but then Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors came back and won 4 straight games, winning the series in 6, Brandon Jennings probably did not enjoy that one very much. That summer the team committed to Khris Middleton, acquired in the Jennings trade, who had become the co-star to Antetokounmpo. They did lose Malcolm Brogdon to the Indiana Pacers in a sign and trade because they had given Eric Bledsoe a big contract extension so they did not have enough room to sign Brogdon and stay under the luxury tax. The team played 73 games in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, going 56-17 for the season, getting the first seed as Giannis captured his 2nd MVP and his 1st Defensive Player of the Year award. After defeating the Magic in the first round, the Bucks took on the Miami Heat in round 2. They fell flat on their face, losing the first 3 games with 2 of them by double digits. After winning game 4 behind 36 points from Khris Middleton the Bucks would go on to lose game 5, in part due to an injury the Greek Freak suffered, being eliminated by the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat. Change was needed and that change came in a big way.
In November the Bucks made a huge trade. They sent Eric Bledsoe (a player who became a huge problem in the playoffs), George Hill, 3 first round picks, and 2 first round pick swaps (which allows a team to take whichever pick is higher) to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Jrue Holiday and Sam Merrill. Holiday was the big part of the trade, as he was set to slide into Eric Bledsoe’s point guard spot and instantly become a force on the defensive end and (hopefully) would not become invisible on offense in the playoffs because of the lack of ability to shoot. He was projected to be a huge upgrade, which he was. The team also signed Bobby Portis in free agency to a 2-year contract. The Milwaukee Bucks looked as ready as they ever would be.
There was a problem though. The Brooklyn Nets had assembled a superteam with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving after they traded for James Harden in a trade with the Houston Rockets, but back to them later. The Bucks did make a trade half way through the regular season sending D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, and 2 first round picks the Rockets for P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs (who was waived), a first round pick, and a second round pick. Tucker would become a key defender for the Bucks in the playoffs as they made their title run. Milwaukee finished as the 3rd seed, setting up a rematch with the Miami Heat, they would sweep the series. In round 2, Milwaukee got the Nets. Not even a minute into the series Harden re-aggravated a pulled hamstring he suffered at the end of the regular season. It did not affect the first 2 games, however, as the Nets dominated, taking a 2-0 series lead. Then the series shifted back to Milwaukee and the Bucks gutted out a game 3 win. In game 4, Kyrie Irving rolled his ankle after landing on Giannis’ foot, which would keep him out of the rest of the series, as the Bucks tied the series at 2. Game 5 was an all time kind of game as James Harden returned but was clearly injured and ineffective. However, the Bucks could not survive one of the greatest performances of all time by Kevin Durant as he scored 49 points and played all 48 minutes (the Bucks should have won the game despite that but that is not the point). Then the Bucks defended their home floor as they won game 6. Game 7 was another awesome basketball game. Durant delivered another all time performance scoring 48 points but he was inches away from 49 and a trip to the conference finals, as his game winning attempt would only tie the game because KD’s big toe was on the 3 point line (if only his shoe was a half size smaller). In overtime the Bucks would only score 6 points but that was enough to beat the 2 points the Nets scored as the Bucks would advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
They would play the Atlanta Hawks in those East Finals. After the Hawks took game 1 in Milwaukee (the only game the Bucks would lose at home in the playoffs) the Bucks would rebound and get games 2 and 3 to take a 2 games to 1 series lead. Then in game 4 it looked like disaster struck as Giannis got hurt in the loss and it looked like it could have been a season ender. The Bucks would go on to win games 5 and 6 without Antetokounmpo and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974. Giannis had hyperextended his knee and, though he was originally listed as doubtful, would play in game 1 of the NBA Finals. He did play well though but the rest of the Bucks did not as Jrue Holiday, who had a brutal postseason shooting the basketball though he was able to affect the game so much defensively he was still one of the most important players on the Bucks team, was terrible as he scored 10 points on 4-14 shooting. In game two the Greek Freak had one of the great performances in recent finals history as he scored 42 points including 20 in the third quarter, but it was not enough as the Bucks went down 2-0.
The prophecy was written; “Bucks in Six” was destiny. However, there was a lot of work to be done. Another dominant performance, 41 points and 13 rebounds, by Giannis would make the series 2-1. Then with time running out in game 4, with the Bucks up 2, Giannis made one of the greatest blocks of all time, keeping the lead and tying the series at 2, Khris Middleton also had a 40 piece so that helped the cause. Game 5 was the Jrue Holiday game. 27 points, 13 assists, and 3 steals as he also made the biggest play of the game. With the Bucks up one, Holiday stole the ball from Devin Booker and then lobbed it to Giannis in a spot where only Giannis could catch it, as the Bucks took a 3-2 series lead. It felt like destiny, through all the pain, the losing, the heartbreak, the choking, it felt like there was no way they were going to lose (of course this is really easy to say after the fact but hey storytelling). After the first quarter, it certainly looked like the Bucks would cruise, as they were up 13 at the end of one. However, after losing the second quarter 31-13 it was clear this would not be easy. However, then the Greek Freak happened, a 20 point 3rd quarter had the game tied entering the 4th and then the Bucks made enough plays to win as the Suns blew numerous fast break attempts. A 50 burger from Giannis Antetokounmpo in the closeout game of the NBA Finals, sealed the deal and 8 years after Brandon Jennings said “Bucks in Six” the Bucks would win the NBA Finals in 6 games after trailing the series 2-0 and it was clear who was going to win Finals MVP. Antetokounmpo became just the 3rd player in the history of the NBA to win MVP, DPOY, and Finals MVP in the history of the sport. The best part was that Brandon Jennings was in the building for game 6 to witness it all.
Whiffed draft picks, good draft picks, bad coaches, good coaches, brutally frustrating sterating players, and of course one of the best and most unique players of all time, the Bucks have had it all over the past 8 years, they have even had their head of basketball operations leave them for the Orlando Magic. However, none of it matters because they captured the one thing everyone in the our great league works towards, the Larry O’Brien trophy, and the Milwaukee Bucks won it for the first time in 50 years, when they had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) and Oscar Robertson. For Giannis, no one can ever say he has not won a championship ever again when discussing his greatness, and he did it for the team that drafted him after he bet on that organization to build a champion around him, and they did. Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks and all of their fans!
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