Milwaukee have the NBA’s best record, best defense and, oh yeah, best player. Why aren’t more people considering them the favorite for the title?
The Milwaukee Bucks are in the midst of a historic season. In fact, the Bucks are on pace to become one of just three 70-win teams in NBA history along with the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who won 73 regular-season games, and the 1995-96
Chicago Bulls, who won 72. Yet you would be hard-pressed to find too many people comparing these Bucks with those historic teams. How have Milwaukee pulled this off and why have they flown under the radar?
A huge part of the reason for the Bucks’ success is that they have the reigning (and probable repeat) Most Valuable Player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. According to Player Efficiency Rating, which measures a player’s overall contribution, Antetokounmpo is on pace to have the best regular-season in NBA history. Terrifyingly, for opponents at least, he is still only 25.