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April 30, 1971
Champions of the NBA
Posted on April 30, 2008 at 12:24 p.m.

Milwaukee was on top of the basketball world 37 years ago today. The Bucks completed a four-game sweep of the Baltimore Bullets to win the NBA championship in just their third season of existence – the fastest any expansion team has won a title in any sport. It was a dominating season all the way around for the Bucks.

The Bucks opened the season with two games on the road, a win at Atlanta on October 17, 1970, and a loss to their Midwest Division rival Detroit Pistons on October 20. They wouldn’t lose again until November 27. In the Process, the club won 16 consecutive games. It was an impressive accomplishment, but it wasn’t even the club’s longest winning-streak of the season.

On the season, Milwaukee would suffer just three “losing streaks.” Those streaks included two games to the Knicks in late November, three games (Chicago, New York and Phoenix) in mid-May and two games (Seattle and San Diego) to close out the regular season. Outside of those three instances, the Bucks didn’t drop consecutive games.

Milwaukee even set a then-NBA record of 20 consecutive wins beginning with a 111-85 triumph over the San Francisco Warriors on February 6, 1971. The streak continued through a 104-99 win over Seattle on March 8. During their winning-streak only two teams came within four points of defeating the Bucks – Detroit fell by one point (107-016) on February 9 while the Buffalo Braves finished within three (116-113) on March 4. Otherwise, all of the wins came with relative ease for Milwaukee.

At the end of the regular season, the Bucks were an NBA-best 66-16 (.805) with New York posting the next-highest win total at 52. Milwaukee led the NBA with 118.4 points per game and had the best margin in the league at +12.2 (their 106.2 points given up each contest was third in the NBA).

As good as the Bucks were in the regular season, they were ridiculously good in the postseason when the level of competition increased. They took their first round series 4-1 against the Warriors. San Francisco won the fourth game by only two points (106-104) and Milwaukee responded with a 136-86 victory to clinch the series.

Next up were the Pacific Division Champion Los Angeles Lakers (48-34). Milwaukee opened with two victories at home, 106-85 and 91-73 before suffering a 107-118 defeat in the third game at Los Angeles. Just as they responded in a big way to their loss to the Warriors, the Bucks came back for a 117-94 win at L.A. Their loss to the Lakers would be their last in the postseason as they cruised to six consecutive victories to finish with a 12-2 record (.857) in the playoffs.

In their 12 playoff victories, the average margin of the wins was 18.0 points – with only one win coming by fewer than 10 points (eight). The Bucks lost one game by two points and another by 11 for a total score of 1,527 to 1,324. Their foes only reached 100 points in four of 14 contests as the postseason averages were 109.1 points for the Bucks to 94.6 points for their foes.

Milwaukee’s 1970-71 season was truly remarkable and one of the best in NBA history. Oscar, Jonny Mac and Kareem helped to make the Bucks champions and begin a great basketball tradition in Milwaukee.

Numbers from the championship season:

28 – The number of wins the Bucks had by 20 or more points. 47 of the club’s 66 wins came by double-figures.

.577 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s field goal percentage. It was second-best in the NBA and Jon McGlocklin’s .535 mark was fourth in the league.

4 – The number of Bucks players who averaged 15.0 or more points per game (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 31.7, Oscar Robertson, 19.4, Bob Dandridge, 18.4, and Jon McGlocklin, 15.8). It was one of just two times Milwaukee has had four players (who played in at least half of the team’s games) average 15.0 or more, 1972-73 was the other.

31.7 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA-leading scoring average, the second-best mark in Bucks history.

52 – Milwaukee’s margin of victory against Baltimore on January 10, 1971 (151-99). It stood as the team’s record until 1978 and is currently the fourth-largest margin of victory in team history.

66 – The franchise’s record win total that season.

118.4 – The Bucks league-leading points per game average, the second-highest mark in franchise history (118.8, 1969-70).

203 – Total points Milwaukee outscored their opponents by in 14 playoff games, an average of 14.5.

March 26, 1937
Special birthday wishes to Wayne Embry
Posted on March 26, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.

Former Bucks player and General Manager Wayne Embry turns 71 today. Although he played just one season in a Bucks uniform, he had an immeasurable impact on the franchise as well as the sports world as he was the first African-American General Manager in professional sports.

Embry was born in Springfield, Ohio, and went on to play college basketball at Miami (Ohio) University. While in college he was a two-time Honorable Mention All-America selection and was the team’s captain, MVP and leading scorer in 1957 and 1958. His number 23 jersey was retired upon graduation as he earned a bachelor of science degree in education and a minor in business administration.

From college the next stop for Embry was the NBA’s Cincinnati Royals. He would play eight seasons there, including the final four as the team captain. His play earned him first-team All-NBA honors for five consecutive seasons before joining the Celtics for two seasons – including their 1968 championship season.

Following his championship campaign in Boston, Embry headed west to join the expansion Milwaukee Bucks. He was the squad’s first captain and averaged 13.1 points (fifth on the club) and 8.6 rebounds. Milwaukee was 27-55 in his final season as a player.

The Bucks fortunes turned in the off-season when they won a coin toss with Phoenix (for more info read below this post) to obtain the number one selection in the 1969 NBA Draft – when they selected Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor). As part of the Bucks staff, Embry was instrumental in the negotiations that brought his former teammate, Oscar Robertson, to Milwaukee in 1970. Robertson teamed with Abdul-Jabbar to win the NBA Championship in 1971.

Embry’s eight-year run as the Bucks General Manager began in 1972. The Bucks advanced to the postseason four times, including one NBA Finals appearance, and posted two seasons of 59 or more wins during his tenure.

Following his years with the Bucks, Embry went on to serve as the Vice President and General Manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made history again when he became the first African American NBA Team President and Chief Operating Officer. Currently, Embry is the Senior Basketball Advisor to the President with the Toronto Raptors.

“The Wall,” as Embry was known for his solid picks, has been a leader and pioneer throughout his life – whether it was as a captain during his playing days or the leadership he provided off the court as a General Manager and Team President. As impressive as his on-court achievements have been, his biggest accomplishments may have come off the floor, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 as a contributor to the game. We’re glad many of those contributions came in Milwaukee and hope he has a great 71st birthday.

March 19, 1969
Bucks win the biggest coin toss in their history
Posted on March 19, 2008 at 11:46 a.m.

39 years ago the Bucks won a historic coin toss. Then NBA Commissioner Walter Kennedy flipped a coin to determine whether the Milwaukee Bucks or Phoenix Suns would receive the first pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Both teams had just completed their inaugural season in the NBA with Milwaukee finishing 27-55 (last in the Eastern Division) and Phoenix at 16-66 (last in the Western Division). Both teams were looking for the first selection that would give them the right to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor), the 7-2 center out of UCLA.

The following season Milwaukee improved its record by 29 games – jumping to 56-26 and finishing second to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Division, just four games back. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks with 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds as a 22-year-old rookie. He received several honors that season, including Rookie of the Year, All-Defensive Team (second), NBA All-Star and finished third in the MVP Voting.

Meanwhile in Phoenix, the Suns jumped 23 victories to 39-43 as they selected 6-10 center Neal Walk out of the University of Florida. Walk averaged 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game as a rookie.

Walk played five seasons with the Suns and had scoring averages of 15.7, 20.2 and 16.8 points in his final three seasons in Phoenix. He also posted two seasons of double-figure rebounding.

It was a solid, if unspectacular, career for Walk who played 568 games for three teams in the NBA. He averaged 12.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists with a 45.9 field goal percentage over his career with Phoenix, New Orleans and New York.

Kareem, of course, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995 and played in 20 seasons with the Bucks and Lakers for a total of 1,560 games. He is the NBA’s leading point man with 38,387, a 19-time NBA All-Star, six-time MVP, 11-time All Defensive Team and 15-time All-NBA Team. In addition to being the league’s point king, his 1,560 games are second only to Robert Parish’s 1,611, he is third in NBA history with 17,440 rebounds and, as a big man who know how and when to pass, he has 5,660 assists – 33rd in NBA history – 27 more than Michael Jordan, just as a reference point.

Yes, March 19, 1969 was a big day for the Bucks. They earned the right to draft Kareem and in the fourth round of that same draft they selected Bob Dandridge with the second pick of the fourth round (45th overall) out of Norfolk State University. Dandridge is the author of 11,478 points in a Bucks uniform (fourth in franchise history) and 4,497 rebounds (second in Bucks history to Abdul-Jabbar). Dandridge, along with Abdul-Jabbar, was one of the cornerstones of the 1971 Championship team and is a franchise leader in nearly every statistical category.

A little over a year after they drafted Abdul-Jabbar and Dandridge, the Bucks added another big piece to their championship puzzle when they acquired Oscar Robertson from Cincinnati. In Robertson’s first season in Milwaukee and Abdul-Jabbar’s second, they became the NBA Champions with a 66-16 record in just their third season of existence.

It’s difficult to imagine what would’ve happened had the Bucks lost that coin toss – but with the win we know that a standard of excellence was set very early in the Bucks history.

January 24, 2007
The smallest guy on the floor plays big
Posted on January 24, 2008 at 3:15 p.m.

Just one year ago Earl Boykins played a big game. The Bucks were in Sacramento closing out a four-game west coast swing when Boykins connected on 13-20 field goals, 5-9 from three-point range and all five of his free throws for 36 points.

Boykins’ performance was huge because he became the shortest player (5’5”) to score that many points in one game. Although the Bucks ended up losing the game 106-114, it was a performance that many fans will remember for a long time. Boykins’ 36 points came in just 41 minutes and he also contributed four rebounds, five assists and one steal to Milwaukee’s cause that night.

For those of you who don’t know much about Earl Boykins, he was a 5’5”, 133 pound guard and the second-shortest player to put on an NBA jersey (Muggsy Bogues was 5’3”). By comparison, the two tallest players in NBA history (Manute Bol and Gheorge Muresan) had 26 inches on Boykins. The shortest player on Milwaukee’s roster this season is Mo Williams at 6’1”. Boykins would have to look up eight inches at Williams.

Boykins came to the Bucks from Denver along with Julius Hodge in exchange for Steve Blake on January 11, 2007. In 35 games with the Bucks, Boykins averaged 14.0 points (42.7 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three) to go along with 2.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Boykins was undrafted out of Eastern Michigan, but signed with the Nets for about a month on January 21, 1999. He bounced around to a few teams before getting semi-regular playing time with the Clippers in 2001-02 – appearing in 68 games. From 2003-04 to 2006-07 (all with Denver outside of the 35 games with Milwaukee last season) Boykins came into his own and averaged 10.2, 12.4, 12.6 and 14.6 points. Each season besting his previous career-high. Not bad for an undrafted player who had to look up to everyone else in the league.

January 22, 1968
The Bucks start here
Posted on January 22, 2008 at 7:07 p.m.

It all began 40 years ago today. The National Basketball Association awarded a franchise to a group of Milwaukee investors on January 22, 1968. The group was headed by Wesley D. Pavalon and Marvin L. Fishman, who were later named President and Executive Vice President, respectively, as the franchise was incorporated on February 5, 1968.

The NBA franchise (we’ll get to the name in a minute) was a return to the professional ranks for Milwaukee.

Here’s a look back at what was said in the Milwaukee Journal when Milwaukee was awarded a franchise:

“The NBA’s decision illustrates once again that we are a big league city. We will do everything possible to make the NBA and its stars feel at home in our city.”
-Henry W. Maier, Milwaukee Mayor.

“I’m happy about it, of course. Anything that will help Milwaukee in the sports field, I’m happy about, because I think Milwaukee is a sports city.”
-Eugene H. Grobschmidt – Chairman, County Board

“It is especially gratifying because it marks the city as a major league metropolitan area in this important sport. The addition of this sports activity will contribute to promoting a favorable image for Milwaukee in the sports world and will have far-reaching economic benefits. We congratulate the local individuals involved in obtaining the franchise.”
-Van W. Coddington – President, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
-John Duncan – Executive Vice President, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce

Following the celebration of a new team in town, things began to fall into place for the team. Larry Costello was named the team’s head coach on April 3, 1968. Costello promised a hard-working team that would be entertaining to watch. The Bucks name followed shortly thereafter (May 22, 1968) and it was chosen, among other reasons, because Bucks possess many of the same attributes that are good for a professional basketball player (fast, agile and good leapers).

With that, much of the groundwork had been prepared for the team’s first season. Here’s a look at some the franchise facts from year 1 to the current season (current is followed by the 1968-69 response):

Home arena: Bradley Center (18,717)/Milwaukee Arena (11,138)
General manager: Larry Harris/John Erickson
Head coach: Larry Krystkowiak/Larry Costello
Number of assistant coaches: 5/1
Official scorer: Bob Wanek/Bob Wanek
Team employees: 80+/11

January 11, 1991
Streaking through the Bradley Center
Posted on January 11, 2008 at 10:50 a.m.

The 1990-91 season started with the Bucks breezing through their home schedule to the tune of 18 wins in their first 18 games at the Bradley Center. It’s the franchise record for consecutive home wins to start a season for Milwaukee.

That amazing run ended 17 years ago today when the Philadelphia 76ers came to town and emerged with a 120-105 victory. A glance at the box score shows that Philly’s 29 to 12 advantage in free throw attempts (they made 25 to Milwaukee’s 11) and 42-31 advantage on the glass probably made the difference in this one.

Milwaukee’s starting five that night was Jay Humphries, Alvin Robertson, Frank Brickowski, Fred Roberts and Jack Sikma. They matched up against Hersey Hawkins, Rickey Green, future Buck Armon Gilliam, Charles Barkley and Manute Bol. Many memorable names were involved in that game. Milwaukee’s bench included Jeff Grayer, Steve Henson, Frank Kornet, Brad Lohaus, Ricky Pierce and Danny Schayes.

If you’re wondering who was putting up the numbers for Milwaukee in those days, Ricky Pierce scored 25 points in 28 minutes on 10-18 field goals. Frank Brickowski had 24 points on 12-19 shooting and the starting backcourt of Jay Humphries and Alvin Robertson combined for 32 points (15-27 field goals), 11 rebounds, 19 assists, five steals and one block – not bad. Charles Barkley was big for the 76ers with 37 points, 12 boards, four assists, two steals and a block.

It was the end of a good run for Milwaukee, but they finished the season 48-34 to advance to the postseason for the 12th consecutive season. Their 33-8 home mark is impressive and marks the 10th time in 11 seasons that the Bucks win 30 or more games in Milwaukee.

The 76ers also swept the Bucks out of the first round of the playoffs that season. That season also marked some changes with the team as Ricky Pierce was traded and Greg “Cadillac” Anderson was also dealt.

January 9, 1972
The streak stops here
Posted on January 9, 2008 at 1:13 p.m.

36 years ago today, the Bucks stopped the NBA’s all-time longest winning at 33 games. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Bucks defeated the Lakers in convincing fashion (120-104) to end L.A.’s run. Abdul-Jabbar tallied 39 points in the effort for Milwaukee.

The Bucks and the Lakers had great teams that season as the Bucks won the Midwest Division with a 63-19 record and the Lakers won the Pacific Division with at 69-13 mark. Los Angeles topped the league with 121.0 points per game and Milwaukee had the second-best defense by allowing 103.5 points per game. They were the top two clubs in differential with Los Angeles at +12.3 and Milwaukee at +11.1 – the only teams in the NBA with double-figure marks in differential.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged a league-best 34.8 points, 16.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists on his way to the MVP award, along with being named to the All-NBA squad and the All-Star team. The Bucks were primed for a run at a second consecutive NBA Championship. Along with Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Dandridge (18.4 points), Oscar Robertson (17.4), Lucius Allen (13.5) and Jon McGlocklin (10.7) all averaged double-figures in points.

After dispatching Golden State in the Conference Semifinals 4-1, the Lakers and Bucks squared off for the Conference Championship. Milwaukee took the first contest in Los Angeles by a score of 93-72. The Lakers came back to tie the series and then take a 2-1 lead with two close victories (one and three points, respectively). Milwaukee evened the series at two with another big win (114-88) before the Lakers closed out the series with a win in L.A. and another in Milwaukee. Interestingly, the teams played three games that were decided by four points or less (all L.A. wins) and three decided by at least 25 points (two Milwaukee wins).

It was a tough ending to a great season for Milwaukee as they were at home while L.A. went on to win the championship. They did get a little revenge two seasons later, eliminating the Lakers 4-1 in the Conference Semifinals, but they were defeated in the finals, 4-3, by the Boston Celtics.

January 5, 2001
TT goes deep and others follow
Posted on January 5, 2008 at 2:01 p.m.

Six years ago today the Bucks dropped a contest to the Portland Trail Blazers 115-119. Milwaukee forward Tim Thomas has a career-high 39 points – including 8-10 shooting from downtown.

All of Thomas’ three-pointers came in the second half, meaning Thomas had set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a half. It was a record-setting night in a great season for the Bucks. Milwaukee finished the season 52-30 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Thomas appeared in 76 games with 16 starts that season. He was one of the team’s weapons off the bench. Thomas and Lindsey Hunter scored 12.6 and 10.1 points, respectively, as reserves to be the team’s fourth and fifth leading scorers. It was one of Thomas’ best seasons as he averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 27.4 minutes per night. He also shot 41.2 percent from three-point land that season. Thomas made 107 of his 425 career threes with the Bucks – ranking him in fourth place in franchise history.

Interestingly, two of the men who would go on to tie Thomas’ record were in the building that day. It was Michael Redd’s rookie season and just more than a year later, on February 20, 2002, Redd played 20 minutes off the bench and connected on eight three-pointers in the fourth quarter! The former Buckeye set the NBA standard for three-pointers in a quarter along with tying Thomas’ mark for a half. Redd finished the game with 29 points in 20 minutes on 10-14 field goals and 9-13 thee-pointers. Redd’s big game came as the Bucks improved to 30-22 with a 115-76 triumph over the Houston Rockets.

The other man who would go on to hit eight threes in a half was Ray Allen. The Bucks defeated the Charlotte Hornets 98-91 on April 14, 2002 and Allen poured in 47 points, including a 10-14 night from three-point land. Like Thomas and Redd before him, Allen saved his three-point barrage for the second half. His 10 makes in a game are tied for fourth in NBA history.

Since the Bucks players set the standard for threes in a half, two more players have been added to the ranks. Kobe Bryant tallied eight in a half on March 28, 2003 against Washington and Tracy McGrady had eight when he played for the Magic at Cleveland on January 26, 2004. Thomas, Redd and Allen now share the record with Bryant and McGrady, but it will always be memorable that three teammates shared the record and accomplished it all in about 15 months time.

January 4, 1990
Bucks fans receive a 7-foot fan favorite
Posted on January 4, 2008 at 3:35 p.m.

On January 4, 1990, the Bucks were 16-14 and coming off a 110-96 victory at New Jersey on the 3rd. Milwaukee swung a deal swapping one native Minnesotan for another with the Timberwolves as Brad Lohaus (born in New Ulm, MN) came to the Bucks and Randy Breuer (born in Lake City, MN) was on his way to the Wolves.

Although Lohaus may not have put up the numbers that warrant mention in a “Remember When” article, he quickly became a fan favorite in Milwaukee. At 6’11” (we exaggerated just a bit in the headline), Lohaus wasn’t the typical post player of that era. The big man liked to go outside the three-point arc and take some long-distance shots. In fact, he connected on 267 threes in his time with the Bucks, placing him in fifth place in franchise history.

For his Bucks career, Lohaus averaged 6.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 350 career contests. He shot 43.9 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from downtown. In 1991-92 he had his best three-point percentage with the Bucks at 39.6.

Lohaus’ play on the hardwood earned many fans, but he might be recognized even more as one half of the Bucks duo on the videogame NBA Jam. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it was two-on-two basketball with players having exaggerated skills. Players would soar above the backboard for dunks and nearly any spot on the floor was reasonably within range.

The designers selected Brad Lohaus and Blue Edwards as Milwaukee’s duo for the game. Some of their rivals included Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant (Chicago), Dominique Wilkins and Stacey Augmon (Atlanta) and Dikembe Mutombo and LaPhonso Ellis (Denver). (It looks like Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning are the only two players from the original NBA Jam who have made it to the 2007-08 season).

Despite the seemingly strange pairing, Lohaus and Edwards complemented each other well and must have had good chemistry on the floor as they’re remembered by many from that game as one of the more underrated clubs. Edwards provided the dunks and Lohaus spotted up from long range.

If the two-man tournament game were created today, would the Bucks go with a small-ball strategy (Redd and Williams), twin towers (Bogut and Yi) or an inside-and-out combination? Whoever they put together, they’d have a lot to live up to with the original Lohaus/Edwards tandem.

December 20, 2006
Mo Williams logs first career triple-double
Posted on December 20, 2007 at 11:22 a.m.

One year ago today the Bucks were in Milwaukee and they defeated the Miami heat 121-95. If that doesn’t ring a bell, does it help that it was the second of what would become six consecutive victories? OK, the real reason it was a memorable game is that Mo Williams notched his first-career triple-double in that contest and despite Michael Redd and Williams’ best efforts this season, it stands as the last triple-double the Bucks have had.

Williams only needed 37 minutes to tally 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory. The fifth-year pro led the club in both rebounds and assists while Redd shouldered the scoring load with 28 points. Williams shoot 8-16 from the field that n night and also nailed both of the three-pointers he attempted.

The triple-double was the first since Charlie Bell had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists on March 28, 2006. Prior to Bell’s big game, Sam Cassell had the last triple-double – recorded on January 22, 2003. In Bucks franchise history there have been 44 triple-doubles with 15 players accounting for them.

With Williams recording the most recent of Milwaukee’s 43 triple-doubles, you may be wondering who recorded the franchise’s first triple-double and how long it took to accomplish it. Greg Smith was the man to put himself in the record books as the first Buck to notch a triple-double. He scored 17 points, grabbed 10 boards and handed out 10 assists as the Bucks defeated the Boston Celtics 124-114 to improve to 24-5 on the season. Smith’s game was backed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar registering 40 points in the win.

It’s fitting that the triple-double was accomplished in the franchise’s third season, also the season when the Bucks won their lone NBA Championship – the fastest any expansion franchise the history of major professional sports has won a title. Smith, a fourth round draft choice of the Bucks out of Western Kentucky in 1968, added another great storyline to the impressive 1970-71 championship season.

The list of players and the number of times they recorded a triple-double is as follows:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8), Paul Pressey (7), Sidney Moncrief (5), Alvin Robertson (5), Oscar Robertson (5), Marques Johnson (4), Sam Cassell (2), Ray Allen (1), Vin Baker (1), Charlie Bell (1), Terry Cummings (1), Sherman Douglas (1), Mickey Johnson (1), Greg Smith (1) and Mo Williams (1).

December 19, 1976
Nater shows a touch of glass
Posted on December 19, 2007 at 4:49 p.m.

On this date, 31 years ago, Swen Nater set a Bucks franchise record that has endured to this day. Nater snagged 33 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks on December 19, 1976. Milwaukee won that game 126-109 and Nater also poured in 30 points for an incredible 30-30 performance. It was a bright spot in a season where the Bucks went 30-52 and missed the postseason for just the third time in franchise history.

Nater spent just one season with the Bucks and averaged 13.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists-per-game. Following the 1976-77 season, Milwaukee sent Nater to Buffalo for the third overall selection in the 1977 NBA Draft. The Bucks used that pick to draft Marques Johnson. Coincidentally, both players came out of UCLA.

Following his time with the Bucks, Nater went on to play seven more seasons in the NBA in Buffalo, San Diego and the L.A. Lakers. He aveared 12.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his eight-year NBA career. According to basketball-reference.com’s “rebound rate” statistic, Nater was the second best rebounder (by percentage) in NBA history. He grabbed 20.9 percent of the rebounds that came off the rim while he was on the floor. Nater and Dennis Rodman are the only two players who have broken the 20.0 percent barrier. The man Nater backed up at UCLA, Bill Walton, is third on the list at 19.8.

Although Nater went on to have a successful career, Marques Johnson averaged 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in seven seasons with the Bucks. Johnson earned four All-Star selections while he played in a Milwaukee uniform and he currently sits in fifth place in franchise history with 10,980 points. Eventually, Johnson was dealt to the Clippers along with Junior Bridgeman, Harvey Catchings and financial considerations for Terry Cummings, Craig Hodges and Ricky Pierce.

The duration of Nater’s stay in Milwaukee wasn’t very long, but in several ways, he’s had a big impact on the franchise. He still holds a major record in franchise lore and he was also part of a deal that brought in a player who had much to do with the team’s success in the late 70s and early 80s – and that player (Johnson) was eventually involved in a deal that produced players to keep the team successful throughout the 80s. In a roundabout way, Nater has impacted the franchise than by just setting the single-game rebounding mark.

December 11, 2001
Remembering the man that made Milwaukee champs
Posted on December 11, 2007 at 1:35 p.m.

With December 11, 2007 being the six-year anniversary of the passing of former Bucks Head Coach Larry Costello, Bucks.com pays tribute to the franchise’s first head coach and the man who guided the club to their only championship.

A six-time NBA All-Star in his 12 seasons as a player with the Philadelphia Warriors, Syracuse Nationals and Philadelphia 76ers, Costello was named the Head Coach of the expansion Milwaukee Bucks on April 3, 1968. He held that position for nine seasons and won .608 percent (410-264) of the games he coached with the Bucks. Perhaps more important than his regular season success was the fact that he guided the team to six postseason appearances in nine seasons and posted a 37-23 (.617) record in those playoff games.

Costello came to the Bucks shortly after retiring from an NBA career where he averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. His foundation as being a regular in the NBA postseason was set as a player when he advanced after the regular season 10 times and participated in 52 career playoff games, averaging 11.4 points.

While guiding an expansion club in 1968-69, Costello had the Bucks at 27-55 at season’s end. Milwaukee could hang its hat on a six-game winning-streak in February and they closed the season out with back-to-back road victories.

With the addition of the number one overall pick, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Bucks more than doubled their win total in their second season (56-26) and advanced to the playoffs. The following season Costello and the Bucks put the exclamation point on becoming one of the most successful expansion franchises in the history of sports by winning the NBA championship in just its third season of existence (1970-71) – running through the playoffs with a 12-2 record.

Costello’s resume is one of the most impressive in NBA history. The 66 wins he guided Milwaukee to in 1970-71 ranks 11th in NBA history for a single season, his 430 total wins (including one season in Chicago) is 30th in NBA history and only nine coaches above him on the victories list have a higher winning percentage. His percentage of .589 is 13th in NBA history. As for the playoffs, his 36 wins are 26th in the NBA and his .617 winning percentage is seventh. He accomplished all of those numbers without the decades of experience to pad his win totals and his success came in a relatively short period of time as far as coaching goes. (Costello’s rankings were based on numbers through the 2006-07 season)

Through the NBA Championship, playoff victories and regular season victories that Costello accumulated, perhaps the most important win he was a part of was winning over the Milwaukee fan base at a time when professional sports was just returning to the city. Costello and the teams he guided established an NBA presence in Milwaukee and helped to build a winning tradition that is among the NBA’s elite.

Larry Costello passed away on December 11, 2001, near Fort Myers, Florida, after fighting cancer for several years. He was 70 years old.

December 10, 1971
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores 55 against the Celtics
Posted on December 10, 2007 at 2:28 p.m.

Bucks fans who are more than 45-years-old may remember that on December 10, 1971 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tallied 55 points against the Boston Celtics to set the franchise’s single-game scoring record. Abdul-Jabbar broke his own record of 53, set twice before (November 4, 1970 and January 27, 1971).

Both the Bucks and the Celtics entered the game with three-game winning streaks on the line, but Abdul-Jabbar’s performance propelled Milwaukee to a 120-104 victory, the fourth consecutive win in what would become a nine-game streak. The Bucks would have eight winning-streaks of four or more games that season, including strings of nine and 10 games.

Milwaukee finished the season 63-19, but fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals, 4-2. Although the Bucks weren’t able to repeat as NBA champions that season, Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring performance against the Celtics stood as the franchise’s mark of excellence for nearly 35 seasons.

Abdul-Jabbar’s record fell on November 11, 2006 when Michael Redd poured in 57 points against the Utah Jazz at the Bradley Center. Although the Bucks lost the game 111-113, Milwaukee was treated to a great offensive performance where Redd shot 18-32 from the floor, 6-12 from long-distance and 15-17 from the three-point line. The bar had been raised just across the street from where Abdul-Jabbar had set it.

The Bucks franchise has seen 12 50-point efforts in its history and Abdul-Jabbar has 10 of them. Redd became the second player to break the 50-point barrier on November 11, 2006 and the first since Abdul-Jabbar had 50 on January 19, 1975, a span of more than 31 years. Redd added a second 50-point night to his resume on March 4, 2007 against the Chicago Bulls – Milwaukee fans got to see that game up close and personal as well.

Despite losing the record to Redd nearly 35 years after it was set, Bucks fans can always point to Abdul-Jabbar’s game in 1971 as one of the franchise’s most memorable moments in what was Abdul Jabbar’s second consecutive NBA MVP season.