It’s reasonable to assume that Milwaukee will not win the remaining 21 games, which means that all is not lost for the Golden State Warriors this season.
They will always be the only team in NBA history to win 73 games.
The Warriors broke a record 73-9 in the 2015-16 season and the Bucks fell to 52-9 with their loss to Miami on Monday night. But there is still a chance that Milwaukee will be able to pose as the most dominant team in league history on one point: the margin of victory.
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This season’s Bucks outclass teams by 12.26 points per game. He’s on his way to being the second best player in NBA history, just behind the Los Angeles Lakers 1971-1972 mark of 12.28 – a team with a Hall of Fame coach at Bill Sharman, four Hall of Fame players at Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, and a player who would become a Hall of Fame coach for Pat Riley.
And the Bucks are in this stratosphere.
“We still have a lot of basketball to play,” said goalkeeper Wesley Matthews. “And we know where we are and where we want to be. It’s something very special to be where we are in the standings. “
Matthews then proposed a phrase that should thrill the rest of the NBA: “There’s a lot of room for improvement and growth.”
In leadership of the Bucks, they will have the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference race sewn by the last week of March and likely a home advantage for all of the NBA playoffs , shortly after. And yet, they are still focused on finding ways to improve.
Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer was asked how difficult it is to be critical when a team plays in one of the best starts in NBA history.
He did not hesitate before answering.
“It’s not difficult,” said Budenholzer. “I mean, I guess that’s part of what makes training maddening or a lot of fun. You can always push them to be better and there are always things we can do better and when we lose, there are things we do well and it’s not great. So I hope we follow this line to keep our guys, you know, hungry and grow and improve and recognize when they do things right too. “
Milwaukee was on the pace of 71 wins before Monday’s loss; now the pace is 70. It is likely that some players will be at rest once the Bucks win anything that can be won in the regular season, although Budenholzer also understands the delicate balance and the need to play good way at the start of the playoffs. in a month and a half.
“It is a beautiful line of march,” he said.
Only three teams were better in 61 games than Milwaukee: the 2015-16 Warriors were 55-6, the Chicago Bulls 1995-96 54-7 and the Bulls 1996-97 were 53-8. There have been five other teams to start 52-9, most recently the Dallas Mavericks 2006-07 and the San Antonio Spurs 2015-16.
“At the end of the day, you’re going to win games and lose games,” said Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks star and reigning NBA player. “We are not going to go 82-0.”
The goal for the Bucks is clear – to win 16 playoff games.
The rest, for them, does not seem to matter much.
NOT BAD ENOUGH
The worst team in NBA history to ever play in the playoffs, in terms of lost wins, was the 1987-1988 San Antonio Spurs. They went 31-51.
This dubious brand will not be caught up this season. Well, probably not.
For the first time since 2015, a team – perhaps more than one – with a lost record is likely to enter the playoffs. Orlando and Brooklyn are both well below the .500 mark and yet they still have comfortable grips on what would be the last two places in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Memphis is No. 8 in the West, also with a losing record.
Since the league grew to 30 teams in the 2004-05 season, only 10 of 240 playoffs have ended the regular season with lost records. The worst of this period: the Atlanta Hawks 2007-08 and the Indiana Pacers 2010-11, both finishing 37-45.
And the last time three sub-500 teams entered the playoffs was in 1997: Phoenix had 40-42, Minnesota 40-42 and Los Angeles Clippers 36-46.
This could raise questions about why the NBA would want an expanded post-season format, the so-called “play-in” concept where teams # 9 and # 10 from each conference would have a chance to make the pitch at through a mini playoffs.
Such games would be dramatic, which would be good.
Such matches would also open the door to more bad teams entering the playoffs, which would not be so pleasant.
Expect the competitive balance across the NBA to be a big topic again soon. After Monday’s games, the league had 12 teams with winning percentages of 0.600 or better, one team at 0.597 – Dallas, a single header game of 0.600 – and the other 17 teams all under 500.
THE COMING WEEK
A game to watch every day of the week to come:
Tuesday, L.A. Clippers in Oklahoma City: Paul George against his old team, Chris Paul against his old team, and the clubs have shared two games so far.
Wednesday, Orlando to Miami: Aaron Gordon and Orlando Derrick Jones Jr. face off for the first time since the Star Weekend dunk competition.
Thursday, Toronto at Golden State: This game obviously meant a lot more in June, although it may be the night Stephen Curry finally returns for the Warriors.
Friday, Milwaukee at L.A. Lakers: Obviously, could be a glimpse of the NBA Finals, and the Bucks will look to sweep the two-game streak this season.
Saturday, Atlanta to Memphis: Their second meeting in less than a week, and it should be an elite-guard Trae Young confrontation against Ja Morant.
Sunday, Indiana to Dallas: The Mavericks won at Indianapolis last month without Luka Doncic, although the Pacers have started to get in shape lately.
Denver Milwaukee Monday: The Nuggets won at Milwaukee on January 31, a 12 point victory which is the biggest loss the Bucks have absorbed at home this season.
