Fear the Deer.
The Milwaukee Bucks are on the cusp of winning their first playoff series since 2001.
But the team's ultimate goal is much greater than a four-game sweep of the struggling Detroit Pistons.
The Bucks this postseason are hoping to match their dominating 1970-71 season when veteran point guard Oscar Robertson (age 32) and second-year center Lew Alcindor (age 23) captured the only NBA title in franchise history in the team's third year of existence.
Nearly 50 years later, the Bucks, led by 24-year-old superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, are back in the championship hunt.
The Bucks finished the '70-71 regular season with an impressive 66-16 mark and went 12-2 in the playoffs, climaxing an impressive postseason run by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games.
The Bucks pounded a team featuring Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld by an average of more than 12 points per game in the 1971 NBA Finals.
Not until the Warriors swept the Cavs last season in the NBA Finals, winning four games by a combined margin of 60 points, had a team been so dominant in the league's signature event.
Another display of Milwaukee's overall dominance in 1971 took place in the two games following its pair of playoff losses.
The Bucks beat the Lakers and a declining Wilt Chamberlain by 20 following a Game 3 loss in the West Conference Finals.
One week earlier, the Bucks embarrassed the Warriors and leading scorer Nate Thurmond by 50 after a Game 4 loss in the West Conference Semifinals.
Longtime NBA analysts expect great teams to rebound after a rare loss.
The widely-used term "bounce back" seems to be at least a half-century old.
In search of his first NBA title, "The Big O" tutored a young Alcindor to play the game the right way, which at the time, loosely translated to taking shots close to the basket.
Robertson and head coach Larry Costello preached the importance of offensive efficiency with the following knowledge: the shorter the shot, the higher the field-goal percentage.
The world champion Bucks led the NBA in field-goal rate at 50.9% during a season in which league average failed to hit 45%.
Fast forward to this season and the Bucks are thriving by taking shots -- and defending shots -- from long distance.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer, a Gregg Popovich disciple, believes in never taking a challenged shot from inside the three-point arc.
The three-point line was introduced to the NBA before the 1979-80 season but only in recent seasons has it changed the game so dramatically.
In the second season of the three-point shot, games averaged only one made three-pointer from four attempts.
This season, games averaged nearly 23 made three-pointers from 64 shots from beyond the arc, both numbers are all-time highs.
The critical question for the Bucks this postseason: Does "The Greek Freak" have enough support to upset the extravagant roster of the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors?
Highly doubtful.
Antetokounmpo fashions nearly as much length as Kevin Durant and he's quickly building the strength to match an aging LeBron James, a player who no longer rules the East after winning eight straight conference titles.
A Milwaukee-Golden State showdown would pit Durant, the league's best player, against Antetokounmpo, the league's second-best player.
Two problems for Milwaukee: 1) Antetokounmpo's outside shot needs refinement and 2) His teammates are unproven on the NBA's biggest stage.
The Bucks deserve favoritism to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2019 NBA Finals.
But the Warriors are clearly the team to beat.
The NBA, unlike other major sports, has received criticism in recent years for lacking suspense or intrigue when it comes to predicting league champions.
The Warriors are seeking their third straight title and fourth in five seasons and the chances of success not only look feasible but also inevitable.
The Milwaukee Bucks are on the cusp of winning their first playoff series since 2001.
But the team's ultimate goal is much greater than a four-game sweep of the struggling Detroit Pistons.
The Bucks this postseason are hoping to match their dominating 1970-71 season when veteran point guard Oscar Robertson (age 32) and second-year center Lew Alcindor (age 23) captured the only NBA title in franchise history in the team's third year of existence.
Nearly 50 years later, the Bucks, led by 24-year-old superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, are back in the championship hunt.
The Bucks finished the '70-71 regular season with an impressive 66-16 mark and went 12-2 in the playoffs, climaxing an impressive postseason run by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games.
The Bucks pounded a team featuring Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld by an average of more than 12 points per game in the 1971 NBA Finals.
Not until the Warriors swept the Cavs last season in the NBA Finals, winning four games by a combined margin of 60 points, had a team been so dominant in the league's signature event.
Another display of Milwaukee's overall dominance in 1971 took place in the two games following its pair of playoff losses.
The Bucks beat the Lakers and a declining Wilt Chamberlain by 20 following a Game 3 loss in the West Conference Finals.
One week earlier, the Bucks embarrassed the Warriors and leading scorer Nate Thurmond by 50 after a Game 4 loss in the West Conference Semifinals.
Longtime NBA analysts expect great teams to rebound after a rare loss.
The widely-used term "bounce back" seems to be at least a half-century old.
In search of his first NBA title, "The Big O" tutored a young Alcindor to play the game the right way, which at the time, loosely translated to taking shots close to the basket.
Robertson and head coach Larry Costello preached the importance of offensive efficiency with the following knowledge: the shorter the shot, the higher the field-goal percentage.
The world champion Bucks led the NBA in field-goal rate at 50.9% during a season in which league average failed to hit 45%.
Fast forward to this season and the Bucks are thriving by taking shots -- and defending shots -- from long distance.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer, a Gregg Popovich disciple, believes in never taking a challenged shot from inside the three-point arc.
The three-point line was introduced to the NBA before the 1979-80 season but only in recent seasons has it changed the game so dramatically.
In the second season of the three-point shot, games averaged only one made three-pointer from four attempts.
This season, games averaged nearly 23 made three-pointers from 64 shots from beyond the arc, both numbers are all-time highs.
The critical question for the Bucks this postseason: Does "The Greek Freak" have enough support to upset the extravagant roster of the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors?
Highly doubtful.
Antetokounmpo fashions nearly as much length as Kevin Durant and he's quickly building the strength to match an aging LeBron James, a player who no longer rules the East after winning eight straight conference titles.
A Milwaukee-Golden State showdown would pit Durant, the league's best player, against Antetokounmpo, the league's second-best player.
Two problems for Milwaukee: 1) Antetokounmpo's outside shot needs refinement and 2) His teammates are unproven on the NBA's biggest stage.
The Bucks deserve favoritism to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2019 NBA Finals.
But the Warriors are clearly the team to beat.
The NBA, unlike other major sports, has received criticism in recent years for lacking suspense or intrigue when it comes to predicting league champions.
The Warriors are seeking their third straight title and fourth in five seasons and the chances of success not only look feasible but also inevitable.
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