U.S. President Joe Biden (center) stands with Milwaukee Bucks players Jrue Holiday (left) and Donte DiVincenzo (right) during a ceremony to honor the team for its NBA Championship (Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)
Why Milwaukee Bucks fans should not worry: Championship fatigue
Before getting too bent out of shape about the Milwaukee Bucks’ early-season struggles, fans should remember that the team’s core group has had multiple years with great regular-season records and deep playoff runs.
Against the Toronto Raptors in 2019, they blew a lead in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals that would have seen them take a three games to one lead in that series. If not for that fourth-quarter collapse, the team may have reached the Finals in 2019 instead of having to wait until 2021. Last season was the third consecutive season the team started with championship aspirations. While they were finally able to accomplish their goal, and doing so had to be exhausting.
We’ve seen this movie before. After winning the NBA championship in 1989, the Detroit Pistons began the 1990 season by losing three out of their first six games. The most embarrassing of those losses came against the Miami Heat. This was the Heat’s second year in existence; their roster was comprised of inexperienced players and over-the-hill veterans who’d been banished to the expansion draft.
To say this was a humbling loss for the defending champions would be an understatement. However, the “Bad Boys” would regroup, ending the regular season with a record of 59 wins and 23 losses. More importantly, they would go on to repeat as NBA champions.
It’s an old cliché, but the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. How many times have we witnessed teams get off to an incredible start, only to slow down by the All-Star break and ultimately miss out on first place by the end of the season?
Milwaukee’s core group has been together for years; they understand the way this works. Their mindset is to get everyone healthy and have homecourt advantage in the first round. They’re just catching their breath right now, the final lap of the race is still a ways away.
Milwaukee Bucks</a> fans should not worry about their team this early in the season.</p>
<p>After fourteen regular-season games, the Bucks find themselves on a two-game losing streak with a six and eight record. Having lost seven of their last ten games, the team <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/11/17/milwaukee-bucks-worry-losses/2/"https://www.nba.com/standings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wouldn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament if the season ended today. </a></p>
<p>Under normal circumstances, a start this bad would have front office personnel considering a coaching change or a major trade to shake things up. However, the Bucks’ circumstances are anything but normal.</p>
<h2>Milwaukee Bucks fans should not worry about early-season losses</h2>
<p>Last season, Milwaukee was finally able to get over the hump and bring home the team’s first championship in 50 years. When you win a championship with a superstar who’s only 26 years old, your organization is definitely headed in the right direction. A drastic move less than twenty games into the season would do more to hurt the team’s big picture chances than help them. Fortunately for Bucks fans, nothing of the sort has happened yet.</p>
<p>Hall of Fame college basketball coach Dean Smith once said, “if you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times.” Coach Smith is right. In an 82-game marathon, wins and losses have to be put into perspective.</p>
<p>If the team’s core was inexperienced, a rough start may be a reason to hit the panic button. However, this team has earned the right to work through their problems. Let’s take a closer look at why it’s too soon for Milwaukee Bucks fans to be overly concerned by their teams’ early losses.</p>
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