Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons for optimism at halfway point in 2020-21 season

Second reason for optimism — Milwaukee Bucks could make a push for the one-seed in the East

As Milwaukee has periodically resembled the powerhouse they’ve been over the last couple of seasons, they’re still in prime position to make a run for the top seed in the East after claiming that spot in each of the last two seasons.

Going into the second half of the season, the Bucks are two games back of the East-leading Philadelphia 76ers and 1.5 games back of the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets.

Those two teams in particular not only serve as the barometer in which they’ll have to leapfrog over throughout the second half of the season, but they’ll have a combined five meetings against both squads. The first one comes on March 17 when the Bucks host the 76ers at Fiserv Forum.

As NBA.com’s John Schuhmann recently broke down in his analysis of the second half schedule, the Bucks have the hardest strength of schedule between the three teams. At the same time, the Bucks control their own destiny in their pursuit to hunt for the one-seed.

Whether they will do that remains to be seen, but as they have found their form in recent weeks, the Bucks have stood within striking distance to finish where they have in the last two seasons.