Milwaukee Bucks
The 2022-23 Milwaukee Bucks can be defined by losing in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 1 seed to Jimmy Butler and the 8-seed Miami Heat in 5 games.
What did we learn?
Just two years after hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, Coach Bud is out as head coach of the Bucks.
The decision was made after multiple blown 4th-quarter leads to the Heat where Bud neglected to put the Bucks in the best position to win. The icing on the cake had to be Grayson Allen dribbling out the clock on the Bucks’ season in front of a stunned Milwaukee crowd.
More than anything, it has everything to do about Giannis believing and trusting that his coach is giving him and his team the best chance to win.
The Bucks did not win. They did not make it out of the first round. They won just one game against the 8-seed Heat, which does indeed make his season an absolute failure.
It’s not about life. This is sports — where wins and losses result in failure and success. It’s not all or nothing. It’s just a game after all.
It must be duly noted that Giannis was injured. (It probably should be noted earlier.) He didn’t play in Games 2 or 3 and just 10 minutes in Game 1. The Bucks one win over the Heat was actually in Game 2 without him.
But Giannis was in there with the Bucks when they melted away in those fourth quarters — a flashback and redux to the Bubble where Jimmy and the Heat ripped the 1-seed right from underneath them. Giannis only had a 26-13-10 triple-double in Game 4 and only 38 points and 20 rebounds in Game 5.
Giannis and the Bucks earned the 1-seed in the East and had the best record in the NBA thanks to a fantastic finish to the regular season. It wasn’t all gravy this year, dealing with injuries for a lot of the season, most notably to Khris Middleton. But others rose to the occasion.
Brook Lopez was amazing, playing in 78 games after just 13 last year. Splash Mountain was OPEN for business all year, splash splashing away while also anchoring the defense. Lopez’s 193 total blocks were a career-high, the most in the NBA, and landed him on first-team All-Defense.
Jrue Holiday joined Lopez on first-team All-Defense, his fifth All-Defenseive selection. Holiday was also top-10 in the NBA in assists per game and scored his most points per game since 2018-19, stepping up in Middleton’s absence. Middleton played just 33 games, averaging 15 points and 24 minutes per game.
Bobby Portis was in early-season talks for 6th Man of the Year, averaging a 14 and 10 double-double while shooting a career-high 55 percent on 2s. Portis sprained his MCL in late January, missing 11 straight games, but he only missed one other game all season.
The Bucks’ bench unit got additional help later on in the form of Joe Ingles’ playmaking and shooting and Jae Crowder’s wing defense. All of a sudden, the Bucks had their missing ingredients and looked like a complete team.
Milwaukee galloped to a 16-game winning streak from Jan. 23 to March 1, ripping their way to the best record in the league and cementing themselves as the clear Vegas Championship favorites going into the playoffs.
But they lost to the Heat in 5 in the first round.
And that’s precisely how this season will be remembered.
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Additional Notes
An unsung hero for Milwaukee this season was Jevon Carter, who played in 81 games and totaled the sixth-most minutes on this team. He’s a capable 3-point shooter, yet Bud didn’t trust him in the playoffs with a 10-foot pole.
Pat Cannaughton’s six 3s off the bench in Game 2 vs. the Heat were mighty helpful for the Bucks to get their first and only win of the series. He hit five combined 3s in all the other games.
Rookie MarJon Beauchamp had some moments this season where he piqued our interest. He seems like a potential sniper, but he was another one that Bud did not trust at all.
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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?
Feels like another season that Giannis will destroy. Over 52.5 wins.
Bucks 2022-23 record: (58-24)
Yes indeed! As we like to say: Giannis pulverized the regular season to smithereens.
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What’s Next?
The Bucks do not have a first-round pick, but they do have a new head coach in Adrian Griffin, previously an assistant coach for the Raptors. It will be interesting to see the schemes that he rolls out next fall. A lot of pressure for a first-time head coach.
The list of free agents here is a lengthy one: Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Jae Crowder, Joe Ingles, Wesley Matthews and Jevon Carter. Middleton and Carter both have player options.
Milwaukee will be in the mix, this we know. It’s all about prioritizing lineup flexibility in the playoffs, setting up Giannis for success.
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Favorite Bucks Highlight of the 2022-23 Season:
The Return of Power Dunk City. Coming Soon.
