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NBA: Milwaukee Bucks On Verge Of Rare Feat

By Phil Watson

Mar 30, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd talks with forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 101-88. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd talks with forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 101-88. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 30, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd talks with forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 101-88. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd talks with forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 101-88. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

The Milwaukee Bucks can clinch a playoff berth on Sunday with either a victory over the Brooklyn Nets or a loss by either the Boston Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Indiana Pacers to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Assuming the Bucks won’t melt down completely over their final three games against the Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Celtics, they would join a small club—teams to reach the playoffs one year removed from finishing with the NBA’s worst record.

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Yes, Milwaukee was a 15-67 tire fire in 2013-14, but under new coach Jason Kidd, the Bucks have navigated the 2014-15 campaign to the tune of a near .500 record (39-40 at this writing) despite:

  • 2 overall pick Jabari Parker being lost for the season to an ACL tear in mid-December.
  • Larry Sanders going from “worth four years and $44 million” to “gonna go back to the block and toke up until I’m blind” in less than 18 months.
  • Trading leading scorer Brandon Knight to the Phoenix Suns at the Feb. 19 deadline and bringing in reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams from the Sixers.
  • Kidd inexplicably benching Giannis Antetokounmpo for a key home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

When they clinch, Milwaukee will become just the ninth team in NBA history to make the leap from worst in the association to playoff team in one season.

But the Bucks would be just the second in the lottery era to do so, joining the 2008-09 Miami Heat, who climbed from 15-67 in 2007-08 to 43-39 and a seven-game first-round exit against the Atlanta Hawks.

So on the precipice of this unexpected accomplishment by the franchise that brought us “Fear The Deer,” let’s take a look at how each of the teams on the list made the leap.

Next: Bucks Restart Here