Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: Reflecting on the streak

Since our last roundtable, more than a month ago, the Bucks have lost just one NBA game. With their winning streak coming to an end after 18 games, what aspect of the run was most impressive to you?

Dan Larsen (@Dan_Larsen34): Winning 18 games in a row is an impressive feat in and of itself. Only eight teams in the history of the league have gone on a longer winning run than what the Bucks just did. However, what stood out most about the streak was how dominant the Bucks were during it.

Milwaukee wasn’t just squeaking by with close wins. They absolutely hammered their opponents on a nightly basis. Even in the few games where they faced a deficit heading into the fourth quarter, they managed to win those games by double digits. That’s the hallmark of a top-tier team.

If there was any doubt about what this team was capable of heading into the season, those should be eased now. This team might be the favorite to win the NBA title right now.

Jordan Treske (@JordanTreske): I definitely echo Dan’s point about the manner with which the Bucks increasingly rolled through their opponents over the course of their 18-game winning streak. Of course, that stretch wasn’t filled with world beaters by any stretch of the imagination, but it showed a gear the Bucks were missing as we all were examining how they stacked up to last year’s squad.

With that at their disposal, the Bucks addressed any doubts about whether they would be able to replicate their juggernaut-like play at times.

Brennan Olin (@brennan_olin): I agree that the most impressive part of the streak was the manner in which they dismantled teams, but just as impressive was how well the bench played.

Mainly due to the stellar play of Donte DiVincenzo and George Hill, the Bucks’ bench was able to extend leads consistently while letting the starters rest. Their foot was always on the gas pedal and there was never any let up. It was quite impressive.

Ben Rauman (@BenRauman): Obviously winning 18 games in a row is an impressive feat regardless, but what makes it even more impressive to me is how the Bucks were able to do it without their second-best player, Khris Middleton, for a sizable chunk of the games. While the Bucks are a deep team, it’s never easy when your second-best player misses any significant time with injury. The Bucks proved capable of weathering that storm.

The team’s young wings stepped up in Middleton’s absence with DiVincenzo and Sterling Brown showcasing Milwaukee’s rotational depth. Hill maintained his impossibly steady presence leading the bench unit, and guys like Pat Connaughton, Ersan Ilyasova, and D.J. Wilson all had their moments to shine too during the streak as well. Overall, I’m really impressed by the resolve of this Bucks team and the depth they showcased without a key guy like Middleton available.

Adam McGee (@AdamMcGee11): Simply taking care of business at that rate is immensely impressive. This was a stretch that a team as good as we’d have liked to think the Bucks were should have been racking up wins, yet the ability to actually deliver on that to this extent is a staple of a truly elite team. Every troll with a Twitter account and an inferiority complex seemed to want to belittle the Bucks for what was an all-time streak. That simply overlooks the fact that winning game after game, even against supposedly lesser teams, is brutally difficult in the NBA. If it was easy, we’d see a lot more streaks like this one, and the fact is we don’t.