Apr 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives past Philadelphia 76ers forward Jerami Grant (39) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Milwaukee Bucks
By Ryan McNeill
Record: 41-41
First Round Opponent: Chicago Bulls
Season Series: Bulls won 3-1
Things weren’t supposed to come together so quickly for the Milwaukee Bucks.
This time last year the Bucks were languishing towards to the bottom of the standings as they were angling for one of the top picks in the 2014 NBA Draft.
When Milwaukee won the second overall pick, it was assumed that Jason Kidd would have a couple of years to mild young players like Brandon Knight, Giannis “The Altphabet” Aantetokounmpo and Parker would have a couple of years to gel and grow.
The Bucks creeped to a 15-16 record to the season during which time Parker was lost for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury. Instead of folding, the team has hovered around .500 all season and currently sit in the sixth seed in the Easter Conference.
All without Kidd having to order a player to spill a pop on the court to sneak in an extra timeout.
The playoffs this season is akin to the Bucks playing with house money; nothing is expected and they can play loose without any pressure on them.
Getting pressure-packed minutes in the playoffs will be a great thing for the development of Michael Carter-Williams and Aantetokounmpo.
Things will get really interesting next season when Parker is healthy and added to that mix to form a trio that Milwaukee will be happy to build around.
Next: Brad Stevens' C's