OKC Thunder: Ranking difficulty of seeding schedules for all 22 teams
11th) Bucks – Cumulative opponent win total: 296
Seeding Game Record: 3-5, cemented as top seed in East and in NBA. Will play Magic in first round.
- Bucks 119 – Celtics 112 (July 31)
- Rockets 120 – Bucks 116 (August 2)
- Nets 119 – Bucks 116 (August 4)
- Bucks – 130 – Heat 116 (August 6)
- Mavericks 136 – Bucks 132 OT (August 8)
- Raptors 114 – Bucks 106 (August 10)
- Bucks 126 – Wizards 113 (August 11)
- Grizzlies 119 – 108 Bucks (August 13)
With the top seed in the east essentially sewn up, the Bucks don’t have much to play for. They begin the resumption of their season 6.5 games ahead of the second-place Raptors so one win would cement them as the East’s top seed.
The only other objective for Milwaukee is tying up first overall (although the home court doesn’t matter in the bubble).
Other than bragging rights, I’m not sure there is much advantage to ensuring they stay atop the league where the currently hold a 2.5 game edge on the Lakers.
They’ve done the heavy lifting early so coach Bud needs to approach this restart with wisdom. Keep your team in shape and focus on building up endurance. That might be a hard sell with Antetokounmpo who only knows one way to play.
That said, there is a cautionary tale here…
Last season the Bucks skated into the Eastern Conference Finals without facing any adversity until they lost consecutive games versus the Raptors. When adversity struck they weren’t able to respond.
The closest they came to any adversity this season was when Giannis hurt his leg versus the Lakers. They lost that game (their second in three matches) as well as the next two games. and hit the hiatus having lost four of five matches.
When you consider this team faced numerous clubs who didn’t play their star or were missing core members I just wonder how battle-tested they truly are.
Unlike Erik Spoelstra and Nick Nurse Coach Bud doesn’t test out different adjustments so just remember I warned of this when the playoffs arrive.