Milwaukee Bucks: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 schedule release
Someone wants to watch the Bucks
Last season the Milwaukee Bucks were coming off yet another down season, the latest in a series of yo-yo results that saw the Bucks slip in-and-out of the playoffs. Giannis Antetokounmpo was an endearing player with potential, but this was not a marquee team to watch.
While they aren’t suddenly the Lakers, the Bucks have proven themselves to be a team worth watching. They made the playoffs last season, pushing the favored Toronto Raptors to six games in the first round. Antetokounmpo went from good to great, earning All-NBA honors and leading his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
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Not only did Milwaukee’s success invigorate the Bucks’ fan base, but it spread to basketball fans all across the world. Television networks have caught on, as Milwaukee’s number of nationally televised games doubled. Last season when the schedule was released the Bucks were in line for just nine nationally televised contests, fourth-fewest in the league.
This year the Bucks are scheduled for 18 games on national television, including a robust 10 games on ESPN and TNT. All four of Milwaukee’s contests with the Cleveland Cavaliers will be televised, as will both showdowns with the Golden State Warriors — a team the Bucks have pushed harder than most over the last two seasons.
In all the Milwaukee Bucks have earned the right to play on the screens of NBA fans, and with a rising star in Giannis Antetokounmpo, this could be a change that continues into next season and beyond.