Milwaukee Bucks: What clinching home-court means for the playoffs
1. Home-court advantage no matter the opponent
The most obvious and meaningful advantage that having the best record affords is starting each series at home throughout the playoffs, and of course finishing them at home as well should the series reach seven games. The home team in a Game 7 is an overwhelming favorite historically to advance, and Milwaukee will have that advantage in every round.
Like most teams, the Bucks have been a better team at home than on the road, and for the Bucks the difference is stark. On the road they are a strong 27-14, a half-game behind the Golden State Warriors for the best road record in the league. At home, however, they are a truly dominant 32-6, the best mark in the league.
The Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers all have a losing record on the road; of the league’s 13 teams with a winning record, the San Antonio Spurs are the only other team for whom that is true. If the Bucks face any of those teams in the second and third rounds, they will have a massive advantage.
Milwaukee has also secured the best record over the Western Conference as well. The Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets are barely over .500 on the road despite strong overall records. The Utah Jazz have a similar disparity. No dark horse candidate from the West has distinguished itself on the road.
In fact, the only team in the West more than three games above .500 on the road is the Golden State Warriors. If the Bucks advance to the NBA Finals, they are likely to face the Warriors, who are the overwhelming favorite to win their conference and the title once again. Yet the Bucks will have home-court advantage, and to upset the champs they will need every bit of help they can get.
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The Milwaukee Bucks have just put up the best season this franchise has seen in 45 years, led by the best player this team has had since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. With the postseason just days away, they have put themselves in a position to survive and advance, and it’s becoming more and more possible this team could reach its goal of winning a championship.