This writer will be perfectly candid about it — it’s been easy to write this team off at different points this season. It's not something that's easy to admit as a fan and as a writer, but there it is: this iteration of the Milwaukee Bucks as currently constructed was just hard to believe in early on. For a time, it genuinely felt like the Bucks had lost the sauce for the first time in the Giannis Antetokounmpo era.
It wasn't looking too good.
And given the on-court product we saw for most of this year and last, how could it not? The defense cratered, and the offense sputtered every other game. The coaching looked as unremarkable as expected. The Damian Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo pick-and-roll that was supposed to terrify the league? It barely even happened through much of the year, even when it was working as expected.
But suddenly, with the playoffs right around the corner, the Milwaukee Bucks are moving like a team that knows exactly what time it is. For the first time since 2021, it's looking like this team might actually have it again.
The Milwaukee Bucks are peaking at the right time
They’ve won seven in a row, and it’s not a fluky run. They’ve handled a playoff opponent in the Detroit Pistons, gutted out comeback wins and — most crucially — they’ve looked connected. And it feels like this latest streak has changed everything.
This isn’t just a hot stretch at this point; it feels like a complete shift. The defense, once a laughingstock, is suddenly functional. Brook Lopez looks alive again. Giannis is playing with that familiar fury. Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. have shown remarkable leadership in the past few games.
Even the role players—AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., Bobby Portis—are hitting shots when it matters. That's not even mentioning that Lillard, who may very well return in these playoffs, had clearly found his old self again.
At the risk of sounding totally unjournalistic, it has to be said: the vibes matter so much, and right now, the vibes are simply immaculate. What fans are seeing now is arguably the closest thing to the 2021 title vibe since, well, 2021. And the math is working in their favor, too.
The Bucks will open the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, a team they’ve gone 3-1 against this season. That’s no small thing. Indiana’s speed and spacing gave them problems early on, but the Bucks did have success against them overall.
Milwaukee’s 3-1 record against Indy isn’t just luck. They’ve figured out how to slow down Tyrese Haliburton, exploit Indiana’s shaky defense and win the kind of shootouts that used to bury them.
More importantly, a matchup with Indiana means avoiding Boston or New York. No Jayson Tatum. No Jalen Brunson and no Madison Square Garden chaos. That path — Indiana, then potentially Cleveland — is real, and it’s manageable.
Let's get it out of the way: this team has burned us before. But the chemistry’s finally starting to bubble, and the playoff path is cleaner than anyone could’ve hoped for just a few weeks ago.
None of this is to say that the Milwaukee Bucks are title favorites. Boston is still an absolute titan. Cleveland and New York are lurking and are looking as formidable as ever. Even Detroit is looking like it could give this team a run for their money. But for the first time in years, this feels like a team that could surprise people.
This might just be the best shot the Bucks have had at another Finals run since they climbed that mountaintop in 2021. Quietly, steadily, but surely — the Bucks are peaking at the exact right time. And they've done it without their second-best player in tow, which says everything about the character and resilience of this team.
Obviously, the Milwaukee Bucks really have yet to prove they can hang with the best of them. That record against the East's top three speaks for itself. But this latest resurgence has this writer thinking: Who's to say they can't do it in the playoffs?
Six weeks ago, that idea would have been laughable. Now? For maybe the first time in a while, the Milwaukee Bucks are giving us something to believe in.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.