The Milwaukee Bucks franchise dominates this negative playoff statistic

For the eighth time in Milwaukee Bucks history, the team won 58 regular season games. But with an early exit from the playoffs due to a four-games-to-one series defeat at the hands of the eighth-seed Miami Heat, the Bucks saw another promising regular season end with a bitterly disappointing playoff run.

With only one win in the post-season, the Bucks became the first team in NBA history to win 58 or more games in the regular season and only win one game in the playoffs that year. Previously, the record for the fewest wins in the playoffs by a team that won 58 or more games in a regular season was two. Six different teams achieved that dubious honor.

Milwaukee Bucks franchise dominates this negative playoff statistic

But what makes these disastrous playoffs for the Bucks franchise even more frustrating is that this is the fourth time in team history that the team has won 58+ regular season games and won three or fewer games in the playoffs that season. In fact, there have been nine times that a team has won 58+ games in a season and won three or fewer playoff games… and the Bucks have done it four times. No other team has done it more than once.

Fewest playoff wins by teams with 58+ regular season wins

The following are the nine times when an NBA team won 58+ games in the regular season and three or fewer playoff games that same season.

One playoff win: The 2022-23 Milwaukee Bucks (won 58 regular season games)

Two playoff wins:   1972-73 Milwaukee (won 60 regular season games)
1977-78 Portland (won 58 regular season games)
1993-94 Seattle (won 63 regular season games)
1994-95 Utah (won 60 regular season games)
2006-07 Dallas (won 67 regular season games)
2010-11 San Antonio (won 61 regular season games)

Three playoff wins:1980-81 Milwaukee (won 60 regular season games)
1984-85 Milwaukee (won 59 regular season games)

Here is a snapshot look at the four times the Bucks achieved this feat:

1972-73: The Bucks won 60 games that season (tied for the second-most wins that season). They lost to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals 4-2.

1980-81: The Bucks won 60 games that season (had the third-most wins in the league that year). They lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals 4-3.

1984-85: The Bucks won 59 games that season (had the third-most wins in the league that season). They defeated the Chicago Bulls 3-1 in the Eastern Conference first round and then were swept 4-0 by the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

2022-23: The Bucks won 58 games (they had the most wins in the league). They lost to the Miami Heat 4-1 in the Eastern Conference first round.

One final stat: There have been 117 teams that have won 58 or more games in an NBA season, per Stathead (Subscription required). The average number of wins for those teams in the playoffs that season was 9.8. 61 of the 117 teams won at least 10 playoff games that season, just over 52 percent of those teams.

The Bucks will have a long off-season ahead to try and bounce back from this debacle.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.