The Milwaukee Bucks will open their 2023 playoff season on Sunday. Game 1 will be the 302nd playoff game in Bucks history. They have a record of 149-152 in post-season games since 1970, a winning percentage of .495.
In the 55-year history of the franchise, this is the 35th year the Bucks have made the playoffs.
Sunday’s opponent will be either the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat. They will face off tonight in a one-game, winner-take-all to see who will take on the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs
While the Bucks would not indicate which team they would prefer to play in the first round, playoff history shows that some matchups are better than others.
Here’s a by-round look at which teams the Bucks would/might play and their all-time playoff records versus each of those teams:
First Round: Chicago or Miami
Bucks are 14-9 (.609) versus the Bulls; the Bucks are 5-8 (.385) versus the Heat
Second Round: If the Bucks win the first round, they will face either Cleveland or New York
The Bucks have never faced the Cavs in the playoffs; the Bucks are 1-4 (.200) versus the Knicks.
Conference Championship: If the Bucks reach the Eastern Conference Championship, they will face either Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, or Philadelphia.
Bucks are 15-13 (.536) versus the Hawks; Bucks are 21-25 (.457) versus the Celtics; Bucks are 13-9 (.591) versus the Nets; Bucks are 20-29 (.408) versus the 76ers.
If the Bucks reach the NBA Finals, they will face the Western Conference champ. Of the nine teams currently remaining in the playoffs, the Bucks have faced five of the nine in previous playoffs.
Bucks are 10-6 (.625) versus the Lakers; Bucks are 10-6 (.625) versus the Warriors; Bucks are 6-2 (.750) versus the Suns; Bucks are 3-4 (.429) versus Oklahoma City (formerly Seattle); Bucks are 3-4 (.429) versus Denver. The Bucks have never faced the L.A. Clippers, Sacramento, Memphis, and Minnesota in the playoffs.
This is the fifth straight year that the Bucks are in the playoffs under Mike Budenholzer. In the previous four playoffs, the Bucks under Budenholzer have won eight series and lost three. The three series losses were to Toronto in 2019, Miami in 2020, and Boston in 2022. Their eight series wins in the last four seasons were: 2019: Boston and Detroit; 2020: Orlando; 2021: Atlanta, Brooklyn, Miami, and Phoenix; 2022: Chicago.
The Bucks have played in 58 post-season series since 1970. They have won 26 of those series. They won three playoff series in their history against Atlanta, Brooklyn, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.