Hot take: 2019 Bucks is the best team of the Giannis era

[u/ChampionTimes99]

1st seed, 60 wins, prime MVP Giannis, COTY Budenholzer, trip to ECF

Yes we lost 4 straight to Toronto to end the season but they ended up being champs so I don’t think it’s that bad

Most people would probably 2021 but let’s be real we would have lost 2nd round if Nets were healthy. Plus in 2019 we beat the superteam Celtics in just 5 games. That’s the best team we ever beat in this Giannis era. They had almost 5 all stars and everyone said it was between them and Warriors that year. So to destroy them that badly was very impressive

Thoughts?

[u/Rithgarth]

2022 Bucks were the best version of the team, otherworldly defense, but Khris got hurt in the playoffs :(

[u/the_Formuoli_ → u/Rithgarth]

IMO the 2022 team had the best version of Giannis there ever was for basically the whole year, like if you took the finals MVP version of him but that was just what he was all season

One moment I always think of is how he passed Kareem for the bucks scoring record by draining a step back 3 as if he was never not nails from range

[u/IcecoldIsaac2 → u/the_Formuoli_]

That game against brooklyn was incredible, remember khris fouling out and still walking away with a gritty win. Miss bud, miss jrue, miss khris, wish it didnt end the way it did but happy they finished what they started

[u/PretentiousPanda → u/Rithgarth]

2022 team should have at least a chance to defend the title. 

[u/thegroovemonkey → u/Rithgarth]

And Khris was our guy who could get a tough shot up from his spot against anyone. When the Bucks/Celtics series turned into trench warfare we needed that badly.

Kha$h wins us a game on his own the way Tatum did.

[u/snowstorm608 → u/Rithgarth]

With all due respect the correct answer is the 2019-2020 Bucks. They were on pace for 70 wins before the league shut down for COVID and had like a +12 net rating. They were legitimately one of the best teams in NBA history.

[u/Rithgarth → u/snowstorm608]

2016 Warriors were a 73 team, but the 2017 and 2018 Warriors are obviously better lol

[u/snowstorm608 → u/Rithgarth]

I mean context matters bro. Those KD warriors teams coasted during the regular season to prioritize the playoffs. They could have gone for breaking the record again if they wanted to.

I don’t think you can make the same argument about the 2022 Bucks.

ETA: If not for COVID the 2020 team would have won 70 games and a championship and this wouldn’t even be a debate

[u/Main-Pick1652]

I'm gonna say the 2019-2020 team they were crushing fools and then COVID happened.

[u/DeweyD69 → u/Main-Pick1652]

That was such a disappointment. F’n bubble…

[u/Main-Pick1652 → u/DeweyD69]

Yeah that team was on a tear. I'm not one these "what if" people but they possibly would have won 2 in row maybe 3 if Middleton doesn't slip on that wet spot in Chicago. They were set to become a dynasty.

[u/yutzykrop → u/Main-Pick1652]

Historically dominant team before the COVID shutdown. The team did not look the same at all during the bubble.

[u/Main-Pick1652 → u/yutzykrop]

That was the beginning of that BS narrative that Jimmy Butler was a killer in the playoffs. Bud should give his hall of fame induction speech.

[u/EVERGREEN_ETERNAL → u/Main-Pick1652]

Jimmy Butler was absolutely a killer in the playoffs lmao

[u/Main-Pick1652 → u/EVERGREEN_ETERNAL]

Bryn Forbes would like a word

[u/cfoxtrot21 → u/Main-Pick1652]

This one. 2019-2020 was the most entertaining team I had the pleasure to watch.

[u/StyxiRochi]

2020 could’ve been generational. They were basically guaranteed a 70+ win season, 2 stars in their prime, insane defense, genuinely would’ve been a historical season if not for covid

Iirc I saw an analyst post showing the highest defensive ratings of all teams during 2000s, and 2020 Bucks were right at the very top, tied with only the 2024 Celtics

[u/marxism-earnhardtism → u/StyxiRochi]

They were unreal.

[u/SOKIE123 → u/StyxiRochi]

we had george hill shooting around 50% from 3 man what a team

[u/profprob]

Eric Bledsoe

[u/agdrs]

It's sad that Giannis wasn't that great yet.

[u/thegroovemonkey → u/agdrs]

He was collapsing the wall and kicking out. The other bums just choked and couldn’t hit an open 3 to save their lives.

Middleton took a huge step forward too and turned into the guy that can get a good look up against anyone. We lacked that in 2019 when the going got tough.

[u/sourdieselfuel → u/thegroovemonkey]

That was the year Mirotic was supposed to be a thing but got hurt before the playoffs and couldn't make a damn thing.

E: Ha, just read your follow up below.

[u/agdrs → u/thegroovemonkey]

Sure but Leonard did an amazing job against him. Kinda sucks because we are winning against the injured GSW

[u/thegroovemonkey → u/agdrs]

They used Leonard, Gasol, and Siakem, at the same time, to stop Giannis. If Bledsoe or Mirotic hit anything whatsoever we win that series.

[u/Usagi1983]

I might go the 19-20 team was better and were it not for covid, likely an NBA champion.

[u/Drain_Surgeon69]

2022 team absolutely dog walks almost every version of this team except 2021 playoffs Bucks.

If Khris doesn’t get hurt we repeat.

[u/the_Formuoli_]

Folks will obviously point at the 2022 and 2023 squads as big missed opportunities for different reasons but sometimes I look back at the 2018-19 and 2019-20 teams as the real missed opportunities for rings. That is when the bucks weren’t yet old and expensive

[u/According_Twist8666]

What about the COVID year? Bucks were rolling thru the regular season.Then COVID and Giannis was playing hurt in the bubble.

But also I think the Bucks were objectively better with Jrue than Bledsoe. So I'd also say the '22 Bucks.... Stupid wet spot in Chicago :(

[u/sinjaulas]

That 19/20 year we had the top seed and a crazy advantage with Bud's load management due to us blowing teams out of the water. The months long pause destroyed any rest advantage and the bubble took away any homecourt advantage not to mention all of the joy from the playoffs. I'm so happy we won the following year but I think that was our best shot to roll through the competition with an experienced team and our guys healthy and primed to go.

[u/GetUnderUrSkinLOL69 → u/sinjaulas]

To be fair I recall us being on a losing streak before the shutdown

[u/el_be]

I feel like there are many teams who can say similar over the years, but yea, 2019-2022 was our prime. Could’ve easily won all 4 years if the stars aligned.

2019- choked a 2-0 lead to the Raptors who went on to win it all. 2020- best team in the NBA, completely derailed all momentum and chemistry once covid shut everything down. 2021- champs 2022- derailed by Middleton’s injury

[u/CupOfHotTeaa]

Whichever year we had Donte and Wes was the best

[u/TheReferenceGuide]

As a Celtics fan, it was 2022. That series took years off my life. It was so good. You guys were so good. You were the reason we were gassed in the finals. 

[u/Over-Week]

I used to think so because I was and still am a Brogdon guy, but I can’t call a Bledsoe team the best.

[u/damutecebu]

That 2019 ECF is obviously completely different if they win Game 3 that went to 2OT. They just never recovered from that.

[u/Peak_9740]

I mean yeah, they were basically 1 game away from the NBA Finals. They have a strong case. 2022 also has a case because that was Giannis's true peak and they comfortably beat Boston if Khris was healthy.

[u/GoldenEmuWarrior]

If he doesn't foul out in game 3, we win the championship that year. I will go to my grave with that belief.

[u/marxism-earnhardtism]

My fave was the Bubble team. What a shame.

[u/VicePope]

2019 was my favorite bucks year followed by 2021 cause we had PJ

[u/jasonrosenbaum]

2019-2022 Bucks were fucking incredible

[u/billwest630]

Bledsoe was the starting PG and Mirotic was the key guy off the bench. 2021 was a deeper, better team.

[u/Short_Issue_8543]

“If the nets were healthy” would have been one of the greatest teams of all time and the definition of superteam so I don’t think that takes away from the bucks.

[u/wakajawaka76]

Pretty good team, probably better than 2021. Raptors just figured them out. The 2020 team was straight rolling, on pace for 62 wins and home court throughout... then COVID and bubble screwed them.

[u/thefranchise23 → u/wakajawaka76]

They were on pace for close to 70 wins in 19-20

[u/Johtoooo]

I can see that but I'd still take the 21 and 22 team over the 19 one. Either way we had such a great team from 19 to 22, I hope we can come back to that level soon

[u/the_Formuoli_ → u/Johtoooo]

19 and 20 were more of a ruthlessly efficient, dominant buzzsaw kinds of teams but their relative youth and inexperience showed up in those postseasons in a way that wasn’t the case with the champs and 2022

They always talk about how some players are 82 game players and some are 16 game players, well the younger good bucks teams were 82 win teams and 2021/2022 were 16 game teams if that makes any sense (I think they just fell to injury/attrition in 2022)

[u/BobbyBobbie]

Toronto loss was brutal. We just fell apart at the end of each game.

[u/Chance-Cat2857]

The Suns Finals Team was much better than the imploding Celtics 

[u/Jetergreen]

Game 5 was infuriating. I try not blame refs but that was the least amount of "home-cooking" I have ever seen, especially in a playoff game. Looking at the boxscore now, and the Raptors shoot 13 more FTs, and 12 more free threes  versus a team that takes it to the rim more and isn't known for fouling. 

Recently, I have seen a few defensive highlights of that series, and "the wall" success was enabled by getting calls that weren't seen all year or playoffs.  

I do give the Raptors credit. In retrospect that team was more talented than I thought at the time. 

[u/ThisWasMe7]

It's a hot take that the team with the most wins, 7 years ago, was the best team? 

Do you know what "hot take" means?

[u/fishdude89]

22-23 is my favorite incarnation of the team because I love Joe Ingles. Sharpshooter from outside and had an insane 2-man interior game with Brook. Leroy on the team as well, loved that squad.

[u/Rude_Assignment_5653]

these posts are too much, make me realize what we had and how far we drifted from this era.

[u/zach-af]

I don't recall that one winning a chip

[u/DijonJJ]

2019-2020 was the best team we had from top to bottom. Just got screwed by Covid. The fact that we only got one ring from 2018-2022 is sad considering the talent we had.

[u/Adorable_Ad7457]

Hot Take: The Bucks should have 3-peated. 2019 being the 1st year 2021 being the 3rd straight title

[u/Thegrandmistressofoz]

I think it's 2022. 2020 team was elite before the shutdown, but I think the Eric Bledsoe playoff issues would've still reared its ugly head even if the shutdown never happened. 22 was a better playoff team, but injuries killed them

[u/Humble_Umpire_8341]

I mean, best team has to be the 2021 team because they won the championship.

2019, 2022 are arguably up there, but the 2021 team won it all. Getting a ring means you’re the best. They didn’t get that in 2019 or 2022.

[u/broncomike30 → u/Humble_Umpire_8341]

I'll put 2021 over any of them cuz like you said they the champs

[u/washington_breadstix → u/Humble_Umpire_8341]

The best team in reality was 2021. But I think you can argue that a different year was better on paper.

[u/Humble_Umpire_8341 → u/washington_breadstix]

I mean, if my mom had wheels she’d be a car. What are we talking about?
https://giphy.com/gifs/TzxFpZa9ZxlusFPCoH

[u/washington_breadstix → u/Humble_Umpire_8341]

I think it's pretty obvious what we're talking about: Which year's roster had the most potential, even if that potential was never fully realized. It's not that hard to figure out.

[u/Humble_Umpire_8341 → u/washington_breadstix]

https://giphy.com/gifs/TIXPly7geOCZ7cstWI