1978 Milwaukee Bucks: The Rebuild Takes Hold
The 1978 Milwaukee Bucks were in rebuilding mode. The franchise won an NBA title in 1971 and returned to the Finals in 1974 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But Kareem was discontented in Milwaukee and the organization traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. After a brief stretch in the wilderness, Don Nelson was hired as head coach in 1978. Nelson led a bevy of young players back to the playoffs and set the stage for a decade of success.
BUILDING WITH YOUTH
If you wanted to rebuild an NBA roster in the late 1970s, there were few better places to start than UCLA and Indiana. The Bucks, armed with high draft picks both from their natural on-court struggles and trades, helped themselves to former Bruins and Hoosiers. Quinn Buckner in the backcourt and Kent Benson in the low post came from Indiana. Marques Johnson was drafted out of UCLA. Dave Meyers, another UCLA product, was a young player who came over in the Kareem deal with the Lakers.
Marques was the best of them all. In 1978, Johnson averaged 20 points/11 rebounds and was second in the Rookie of the Year voting. Meyers averaged 15 points/7 rebounds per game. Buckner played tough defense in the backcourt and averaged six assists as night.
While Benson, the first overall pick in the 1977 draft, never panned out in the pros, Nelson had enough to build on. He also had Brian Winters, a sharpshooting guard who came from Los Angeles in the Kareem deal and averaged 15 points/7 rebounds. Junior Bridgeman, a versatile wing player who could defend, was another fruit of the Laker trade. John Gianelli hit the boards.
In the NBA, there’s no real substitute for losing a star like Kareem. But the Bucks had made out awfully well on the deal and with their new head coach in place, it was time for that to start bearing some fruit.
SIGNS OF SOMETHING BETTER
Milwaukee sent an early message that they were improved. The Bucks opened the season with a 117-112 win over the Lakers. They beat the Seattle SuperSonics (today’s Oklahoma City Thunder) and Washington Bullets, each bound for the NBA Finals.
Success was still sporadic—the Bucks also dropped three early games to a good Denver Nuggets squad. But for a franchise trying to lift itself up, a 14-14 start that included some quality wins was enough to infuse hope.
Then Milwaukee ripped off four straight wins, including the scalps of two more contenders in the Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs. That led to a wild mid-December date with the playoff-bound New York Knicks. The Bucks and Knicks played three overtimes on a Friday night in Milwaukee. Marques and Meyers each played over 50 minutes. Meyers scored 21 points and passed for eight assists. Johnson was brilliant, with 27 points/15 rebounds and six blocked shots. The Bucks got a crazy 152-150 win.
By New Year’s, they were 20-17, with a one-game cushion for making the playoffs.
A VERY DIFFERENT NBA MAP
Milwaukee was chasing the Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bulls in the Midwest Division. Here is a good place to note two important differences in the NBA landscape of 1978. The Bucks—along with the Bulls and Detroit Pistons—were in the Western Conference, while San Antonio and the Houston Rockets were in the East. It would take three years for geographic sense to be implemented.
Furthermore, only six teams per conference made the playoffs and the division winners (two per conference) got byes into the second round. The other four teams would play a best-of-three mini-series.
Thus, the Bucks being in the playoff structure at the calendar pivot point was even more impressive than it would be today. But that 2 ½ game gap between them and the Nuggets was also more significant than it would be in today’s game.
WEATHERING THE WINTER
January was a slog. After nudging their record out to 26-22, the schedule called for a five-game road trip. Milwaukee lost all five and slipped under .500. But they responded to the adversity and won seven of the next nine. That stretch included a 136-135 affair against the Bullets, with Winters pouring in 29 while Marques added a 23/7 line.
By the end of February, the Bucks were 33-28. While they trailed the Nuggets by six games for the division title, the more realistic goal of the playoffs was still very much in sight. Milwaukee had a half-game lead on their old friend Kareem in Los Angeles for the final spot.
THE RACE GOES TO THE WIRE
The boat began to rock in early March. The Bucks not only lost five of seven, but one of those losses was against a terrible Buffalo Braves team (today’s Los Angeles Clippers) on St. Patrick’s Day.
Over the next two nights, playing three games in three days, Milwaukee turned back upward. They knocked off a bad Indiana Pacers team. Then they went to Washington D.C. With Winters hitting 22 points and dishing out an amazing 18 assists, the Bucks again beat the eventual champs, in a 117-106 win.
The win kickstarted a 6-2 stretch. At the end of March, Milwaukee was 41-36. They were assured of .500, already a significant move forward from where they had been. And while the Lakers had moved comfortably into the playoffs, the Bucks now clung to a one-game lead on the Golden State Warriors for the final berth.
MAKING THE PLAYOFFS
The decisive moments came over a Friday-Saturday stretch on April 7-8. It started at home against the Spurs, who were the 2-seed in the East. Winters poured in 30 points and led a 108-102 win. A fast turnaround on the road against a rebuilding Boston Celtics team saw Milwaukee badly outrebounded. But they made up for it defensively, forcing turnovers. Marques dropped 25 points/8 rebounds/5 assists. Bridgeman came off the bench and hit for 20. The Bucks got a 123-111 win in the Garden.
Milwaukee finished 44-38 and held off Golden State for the 6-seed in the Western Conference. The Bucks were going back to the playoffs.
UPSETTING THE SUNS
Phoenix had won 49 games. They were led by rookie Walter Davis, who averaged 24 points/6 rebounds and nipped Marques for Rookie of the Year honors. The 1-2 finishers in the ROY voting going head-to-head gave this mini-series some added juice. The Suns also had quality frontcourt players in Alvan Adams and Gar Heard, along with a first-team All-Defense guard in Don Buse.
The Bucks were down eight after three quarters in Game 1. This was no surprise. Surely, this plucky young team on the rise had made their statement and was ready to go quietly.
Not just yet. Milwaukee took over the fourth quarter on the road. Winters and Johnson sizzled in the desert. Winters hit 14-for-21 from the floor and scored 31 points. Marques was 11-for-17 shooting with 24 points/16 rebounds. The Bucks completely reversed that eight-point deficit and won 111-103.
In Game 2 at home, Milwaukee spotted Phoenix an eleven-point lead after a quarter and then began to crawl back. The Bucks played defense, limiting the Suns to 40 percent shooting from the floor. And they cleaned up the misses. A 53-38 rebounding edge was keyed by Meyers, Gianelli and Marques all hitting the boards.
A 94-90 win completed the upset and sent Milwaukee into the conference semi-finals.
PUSHING THE NUGGETS TO THE BRINK
Denver was one of the league’s marquee teams, with the dynamic David Thompson leading the way. Thompson was augmented by Dan Issel in the post and Bobby Jones, an all-time great defensive forward. The Nuggets were the 2-seed in the West and with top-seeded Portland having lost league MVP Bill Walton to injury, Denver was eyeing the Finals.
It was no surprise that Denver won three of the first four games, and they led by seven points going into the fourth quarter of Game 5. There was every reason to think this Milwaukee run had finally come to an end.
Not just yet. Playing on the road, the Bucks rallied behind 34 points/17 rebounds from Marques and pulled out a 117-112 win. They came back home in Game 6 and with a dominant defensive and rebounding effort, routed the Nuggets 119-91. Suddenly, this underdog story was set up for a Game 7 showdown in the Rocky Mountains.
Milwaukee trailed by the seventh game by 14 after three quarters. Again, they didn’t go quietly. But this time the deficit was too much. A 116-110 loss ended the season.
THE ROOTS OF A CONTENDER
1978 had been a breakthrough year for the Bucks. There would be a brief step back in 1979, when Meyers hurt his back and it led to a premature end of his career. But reinforcements were coming. Sidney Moncrief would be drafted soon after, join the core group Nelson had rolling and turn this franchise into a contender.
In a 1980s era that was ruled by the Celtics, 76ers and Lakers, the Bucks were always a step behind the elite. But they were a step ahead of everyone else. That run of success has its roots in 1978.