Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks know what's at stake heading into the second half of the season. Even after firing their head coach to make way for Doc Rivers, the pressure was ratcheted even further. The Bucks have the talent, they have the depth, and, now, they have the coaching. The question is, will the Bucks finally look like the championship contender that many believed they would be at the start of the season?
All throughout the season, the Bucks have shown signs of emerging as a team that could possibly compete with the likes of the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. However, they've been too inconsistent. Heading into the final stretch of the season, if the Bucks are able to flip a switch heading into the postseason, they could completely change the narrative surrounding this season.
I can't imagine this year will be remembered as anything but a failure if the Bucks aren't at least able to make it to the conference finals. With the way things are trending recently, that's far from a certainty for Milwaukee.