History Might Be On Bucks' Side Despite Horrible Start to Season

Can the Bucks overcome the odds?

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Just over a season ago, the Milwaukee Bucks traded for star point guard Damian Lillard in an effort to fortify their chances for the NBA championship. The Bucks won the championship in 2021, but are looking to win at least one more, especially while they still have superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

One year later and the Bucks are floundering with a 2-8 record to start the season. They are still without Khris Middleton but have only managed to beat struggling Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz teams. They have played far from a championship-caliber team, but one potentially positive sign is that this isn't the first Bucks team to make the playoffs after a rough start to the season.

The 2000-01 Bucks team advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals despite starting the season 3-9, via JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. That Bucks team didn't only sneak into the playoffs, but they finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 52-30 record. The Bucks made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, who fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals that year.

The other factor that bodes well for the Bucks is that the Eastern Conference has largely gotten off to a weak start this season. Only two teams have a winning record to start the season in the East. The Cleveland Cavaliers are undefeated at 11-0 and the Boston Celtics, the defending champions, are 9-2. After the Celtics, the 5-5 Indiana Pacers rank third in the conference.

The Bucks are second-last in the conference, but they are only three wins back from third place. Milwaukee has not set themselves up well, but they could easily crawl back into the race if they go on a winning streak.

What doesn't bode well for the Bucks is that they have historically low odds of making the postseason. The Bucks started 1-6, and since 1970, only 12 teams have started the season 1-6 or worse and gone on to make the postseason. The slow start from nearly every Eastern Conference team could help the Bucks become an exception, but they will have to overcome the odds either way.

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