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Milwaukee Bucks: 49 years in 49 days – 1970-71 season

By Ti Windisch

MILWAUKEE - 1970: Oscar Robertson #1 of the Milwaukee Bucks moves the ball up court during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1970 season at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1970 NBAE (Photo by Vernon Biever/NBAE via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - 1970: Oscar Robertson #1 of the Milwaukee Bucks moves the ball up court during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1970 season at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1970 NBAE (Photo by Vernon Biever/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Milwaukee Bucks reached the mountaintop in their third season, winning the franchise’s only NBA championship.

The season: 1970-71

The record: 66-16

The postseason: 12-2, won NBA Finals

The story:

The 1969-70 Milwaukee Bucks were a great team, to be sure. Winning 56 games is nothing easy, as former Bucks center Zaza Pachulia would say. The ’70-71 Bucks were just on another level of greatness entirely.

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This is likely the best squad in Milwaukee’s history. The Bucks won 66 games in the regular season on their way to a dominant postseason run, losing no more than one game in any series on their way to a series sweep over the Baltimore Bullets and Milwaukee’s first title.

So, what changed to make the Bucks that much better? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, somehow, got even better, bumping his averages up to 31.7 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. At just age 23, he picked up his first MVP award in just his second season.

Bob Dandridge, too, stepped up his game in his second year. Bobby D became a crucial tertiary scorer, putting up 18.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. It was a newcomer that really pushed things forward for the Bucks, though.

Milwaukee traded Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk for Oscar Robertson before the season starter. The Big O had aged out of his prime, but he still had plenty left in the tank for the 1970-71 NBA season, and he proved it. Robertson averaged 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.2 assists and cemented his NBA legacy by finally winning a championship thanks to the Bucks.

That team wasn’t just good, it was outstanding. Milwaukee was first in points per game and both offensive and defensive rating, and ripped off an incredible win streak of 20 straight games towards the tail end of the season.

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Fortunately, the Bucks did not stop their winning ways once the postseason began. After losing one game in each of their first two series against the San Francisco Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, the Bucks swept the Bullets and won the four games by an average margin of more than 12 points.

After Kareem started the series hot, Dandridge and Robertson led the way in scoring in the last two games, respectively, to get the Milwaukee Bucks their only title to date.

Some legends stood in Milwaukee’s way in that playoff run. The Lakers had Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich, and the Bullets had Wes Unseld manning the middle. Still, the 1970-71 Bucks were too much for any of them to handle.

Next: 49 years in 49 days: 1969-70 season

Bucks fans must have thought they had a multi-championship dynasty on their hands after their team destroyed everything in the way en route to that title. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t meant to be for the 1970s Milwaukee Bucks.

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