The Milwaukee Bucks have turned things around in remarkable fashion.
A few weeks ago, the Bucks went 2-8 to start the season and franchise face Giannis Antetokounmpo was at the center of serious trade speculation.
Fast forward and Giannis alongside superstar teammate Damian Lillard are the NBA’s most lethal duo for a 14-11 Bucks team just one game away from lifting the NBA Cup.
On Tuesday night in Las Vegas, the Bucks take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the high-flying Oklahoma City Thunder in the championship game of the In-Season Tournament.
The heavily criticised Las Vegas showpiece lacks virtually all of the prestige and esteem of an NBA championship, but it does represent the chance for silverware, no matter how inconsequential, for a team largely written off at the beginning of the season but starting to trend in the right direction.
For the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023, see Milwaukee in 2024.
The Bucks won a world championship in 2021 and seemed destined to dominate The Association for the next five years with the ‘Greek Freak’ wreaking havoc.
That failed to materialize, though, as injuries, early playoff exits, and the ascension of a powerhouse Boston Celtics team left a battered and bruised Bucks squad flailing in their dust.
In order to maximise $186 million man Giannis’ championship window, Milwaukee made a big offseason splash in 2023, acquiring All-NBA guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers to be Oscar Robertson to Antetokounmpo’s Kareem-Abdul Jabbar.
On paper, ‘Dame Time’ and Giannis’ fit was as surefire as it gets, but the Antetokounmpo-Lillard axis struggled to find its groove.
A turbulent 2023 season ended with a first-round playoff exit and a coaching change that saw Doc Rivers replace the incumbent Adrian Griffin.
Suddenly, the Lillard-Antetokounmpo tandem posed more questions than answered with no obvious solution.
Previously, they were both their team’s undisputed No. 1 options — Dame in Portland, Giannis in Milwaukee — but all of a sudden they had joined forces with no real idea about how to mesh their individual styles.
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Both stars, named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, acknowledged their chemistry issues, admitting they were working through the teething problems while being as open — and accountable — with each other as possible.
“Me and him [Giannis] gotta be able to hold each other accountable,” Lillard explained.
“I gotta be able to say somethin’ to you. And you gotta be able to say somethin’ to me at all times.”
“He’s always had to put his foot down in Milwaukee…and I’ve always been that way in Portland. And I think now that we’re together…we both gotta look over and say, ‘This a top-75 player, too.’ And I gotta trust him to carry this with me.”
The 2024 season marked a clean slate and a chance to put this ‘trust’ to the test.
But their relationship looked as brittle as ever once the new campaign rolled around, as Milwaukee suffered loss after loss — including a double-digit defeat to Boston — to leave them languishing near the foot of the Eastern Conference.
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The Bucks were largely derided as legitimate championship contenders by media and analysts alike.
After four consecutive double-digit losses in October, one outlet called the Bucks a ‘sinking ship’ and claimed it was “becoming increasingly clear that Milwaukee no longer gives Antetokounmpo his best chance to win.”
Since then, however, either through hard work or divine intervention, the Bucks have transformed into a more than competent basketball operation.
They went 6-1 after that 2-8 start, winning their last three which includes a 114-109 victory against the Orlando Magic in the quarterfinal of the NBA Cup and a 110-102 semifinal win over the Atlanta Hawks.
The firepower of Antetokounmpo and Lillard proved too much for both teams to overcome, with the All-Star pair showing signs they may yet reach their dizzying ceiling.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 37 points, seven rebounds, two steals and four blocks against the Magic. Lillard added 28 points and nine assists while scoring 11 of Milwaukee’s last 13 points in the fourth quarter.
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Giannis followed that up with a 32-point, 14-rebound, nine-assist, four-block performance against the Hawks, while Lillard chipped in 25 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
As a pair, Lillard and Giannis are scoring at a virtually unprecedented clip.
Antetokounmpo is the NBA’s leading scorer, averaging 32.7 points per game, while Dame is 11th, putting up 25.7 points per contest.
They lead all duos in points per game and total points scored this season. They are currently averaging 58.4 points per game, the third most any two teammates have combined for since the NBA-ABA merger.
To put that into historical context, Giannis and Dame are averaging more points as a duo than Los Angeles Lakers greats Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant managed during the 2000-2001 (57.2 ppg) and 2002-2003 (57.5 ppg) seasons.
The Bucks pair trail only James Harden and Russell Westbrook (61.5 ppg) from the 2019-20 season and Mavs duo Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving (59.5 ppg) in the 2023-24 campaign in terms of combined scoring.
“Crazy stat,” posted one fan on social media.
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It goes without saying that the Bucks’ All-NBA duo are piecing together a masterclass in the two-man game, especially in the clutch, which is what’s ultimately propelled Milwaukee to the brink of NBA Cup success.
After the semifinal win against the Hawks, Lillard shared his thoughts on his growing chemistry with Antetokounmpo.
“You got to play the game the right way, especially when you’re on a good team,” the 34-year-old floor general said.
“I’m on the floor with a lot of good players, a lot of shooting. You’re out there with a guy like Giannis, who’s going to draw a lot of attention when he’s getting downhill.
“There’s really no reason for me to force the action. There’s nothing wrong with getting off of the ball and spacing–because of that, that’s been a huge part of our successes, allowing the ball to move. It ends up where it’s supposed to when everyone is doing the right thing.”
It’s taken its time but Giannis and Dame are finally starting to click and live up to their devastating potential.
The pair head into the NBA Cup Final as underdogs against the No. 1 seeded OKC, who have one of the most exciting young rosters in the league and are tipped to win this season’s chip.
Nevertheless, Milwaukee should take comfort from the fact they possess arguably the best two players from either roster on their side who, in a one-off, winner-takes-all shootout, are capable of beating any team on any given night.