Before the game: Milwaukee
Let’s get to the Bucks now. If you suffer from a short memory this was the second season under head coach Jason Kidd.
After a surprising first year in which the Bucks improved from 15-wins to 41-wins and a playoff berth, optimism was high for the Bucks. Kidd at this point was seen as an up-and-coming coach and second-overall pick Jabari Parker had healed from the knee injury that ended his rookie season prematurely.
We knew not of the dark days to come.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was just beginning to flash his abilities and was showing he had the potential to be a top-tier player in the league. Also, Khris Middleton had proved himself to be more than just a throw-in player in the Brandon Jennings–Brandon Knight trade by finishing as a top scorer on a playoff team the year prior.
Plus, the Bucks had made the biggest free agent signing in their franchise’s history over the previous summer when they signed center Greg Monroe. At the time, Monroe was one of, if not the top free agent at the time, and he chose the Bucks over teams like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers.
Then, there was Michael Carter-Williams. Still a relatively new member of the Bucks, MCW had been traded at the previous year’s trade deadline to Milwaukee in exchange for Brandon Knight in a surprising move supposedly pushed by Kidd, who raved about MCW’s length as a 6’6″ point guard.
It was all shaping up to be a magical season for the Bucks as they finally made a push for relevance and as a serious contender in the eastern conference.
Unfortunately, by the time Golden State came to town, the season was already in shambles.
The Bucks came in with just a 9-15 record as they seemed to digress from the success of the previous season. Their once formidable defense was coming undone as NBA teams seemed to already have figured out how to beat Kidd’s schemes (despite this, Kidd did not adjust until the Bucks fired him in 2018) and the roster moves were not panning out.
The Bucks’ offense had little to no shooting to speak of when trotting out lineups that consisted of MCW-O.J. Mayo-Middleton-Giannis-Monroe. This game was only three years ago but good lord could you imagine an NBA team trying to play today’s game with a lineup like that?
Nothing was going the Bucks’ way, and even though the season was less than 25 games old, it seemed over for all intents and purposes
Even with all these bad omens for the Bucks, the fans believed the team could make history. In fact, co-owner of the Bucks, Wes Edens, was so confident he decided to create and distribute special 24-1 shirts that drew the attention of everyone watching the game.
It was the most unrealistic, over-confident called shot for a Bucks team since Brandon Jennings infamously predicted, “Bucks in 6.” The entire Bucks super fan section proudly donned the bold claim, and I have to admit, I thought it was pretty dumb.
I remember thinking, why would you antagonize the Warriors? Why would you motivate them even more?
But what do I know?