Purple Region
(2) Sidney Moncrief defeated (31) Eric Murdock
Another top seed advancing in truly routine fashion is Sidney Moncrief. Moncrief’s contributions on the court and long-term roles and associations with the franchise post-retirement make him one of the most popular Bucks of all-time, and a real threat to win it all in this bracket. In other words, poor Eric Murdock never really stood a chance.
(18) Vin Baker defeated (15) Brian Winters
Our first real upset of the bracket, although this always threatened to be a closely contested battle. Vin Baker’s time with the Bucks was relatively short-lived, but filled with individual highs and glimmers of hope that clearly still resonate with Bucks fans to this day. Winters, therefore has to suffer the ignominy of being the only one of the nine Bucks whose numbers have been retired to fail to advance to round two.
(7) Terry Cummings defeated (26) Lucius Allen
One of the greatest Bucks of all-time, and one of the most overlooked, Terry Cummings faced no real issues in overcoming Lucius Allen in the first round. Perhaps this would have been different if Allen hadn’t slipped on a wet spot, and the Bucks had gone on to win a second championship in 1974, but as it stands the preacher prevails behind a stellar résumé of Bucks’ contributions.
(11) Glenn Robinson defeated (22) Ricky Pierce
Big Dog made light work of Big Paper Daddy in a matchup that many might have expected to be closer. Instead, this acted as yet another reminder of just how popular the 2001 Bucks are, and how they could deliver further upsets in the rounds ahead. Robinson’s cult hero status, in particular, should not be overlooked.