2000–01 Milwaukee Bucks season

The 2000–01 Milwaukee Bucks season was the 33rd season for the Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association.^[1] The Bucks had the 15th overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, and selected center Jason Collier out of Georgia Tech University, but soon traded him to the Houston Rockets in exchange for rookie center, and first-round draft pick Joel Przybilla from the University of Minnesota; the Bucks also drafted shooting guard Michael Redd out of Ohio State University with the 43rd overall pick.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Lindsey Hunter from the Detroit Pistons,^[5][6][7] acquired Jason Caffey from the Golden State Warriors in a three-team trade,^[8][9] and signed free agents Jerome Kersey and Mark Pope.^[10][11]

With the addition of Hunter, the Bucks got off to a rough start, losing nine of their first twelve games of the regular season, but then won 23 of their next 29 games while posting an eight-game winning streak in January, and holding a 29–18 record at the All-Star break.^[12] The Bucks finished in first place in the Central Division with a 52–30 record, and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference;^[13] it was the franchise's best record since the 1985–86 season.^[1]

Ray Allen averaged 22.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, led the Bucks with 202 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Glenn Robinson averaged 22.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, and Sam Cassell provided the team with 18.2 points and 7.6 assists per game. In addition, off the bench, sixth man Tim Thomas contributed 12.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, along with 107 three-point field goals, while Hunter provided with 10.1 points, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and also contributed 152 three-point field goals. On the defensive side, Caffey averaged 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Scott Williams contributed 6.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and Ervin Johnson provided with 3.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.^[14]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., Allen and Robinson were both selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was Robinson's second and final All-Star appearance.^[15][16][17] In addition, Allen also won the NBA Three-Point Shootout, in which he participated in for the second consecutive year.^[16][18] Allen finished tied in eleventh place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[19][20] while Thomas finished in second place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, behind Aaron McKie of the Philadelphia 76ers,^[21][20] and head coach George Karl finished tied in fifth place in Coach of the Year voting.^[22][20]

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, led by the trio of Allen, Robinson and Cassell, the Bucks faced off against the 7th–seeded Orlando Magic, a team that featured All-Star guard, and Most Improved Player of the Year, Tracy McGrady, Darrell Armstrong, and Rookie of the Year, Mike Miller. The Bucks won the first two games over the Magic at home at the Bradley Center, before losing Game 3 on the road in overtime, 121–116 at the TD Waterhouse Centre.^[23] The Bucks won Game 4 over the Magic on the road, 112–104 to win the series in four games; it was the first time the Bucks made it past the opening round of the NBA playoffs since the 1988–89 season.^[24][25][26]

In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 6th–seeded Charlotte Hornets, a team that featured Jamal Mashburn, David Wesley, and second-year star Baron Davis. The Bucks won the first two games over the Hornets at the Bradley Center, and took a 2–0 series lead. However, the team lost the next two games on the road at the Charlotte Coliseum, before losing Game 5 to the Hornets at the Bradley Center, 94–86, as the Hornets took a 3–2 series lead.^[27][28][29] The Bucks managed to win the next two games, which included a Game 7 win over the Hornets at the Bradley Center, 104–95 to win in a hard-fought seven-game series, and advance to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1986.^[30][31][32]

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bucks then faced off against the top–seeded, and Atlantic Division champion 76ers, who were led by All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Allen Iverson, All-Star center and Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo, and Sixth Man of the Year, McKie. The Bucks lost Game 1 to the 76ers on the road, 93–85 at the First Union Center, but managed to win the next two games, including a Game 3 home win over the 76ers at the Bradley Center, 80–74 to take a 2–1 series lead.^[33][34][35] The Bucks lost the next two games, but managed to win Game 6 over the 76ers at the Bradley Center, 110–100 to even the series; in Game 6, Allen scored 41 points and made 9 out of 13 three-point field-goal attempts.^[36][37][38] However, the Bucks lost Game 7 to the 76ers at the First Union Center, 108–91, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series.^[39][40][41] Williams, who had started every game during the Bucks' postseason run, was controversially suspended hours before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals series, when a flagrant one foul was upgraded to a flagrant two foul after the game had ended.^[42][43] The 76ers would advance to the 2001 NBA Finals, but would lose in five games to the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.^[44][45][46]

The Bucks finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 683,125 at the Bradley Center during the regular season.^[14][47] Following the season, Hunter was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers,^[48][49][50] while Williams was dealt to the Denver Nuggets,^[51][52] and Kersey retired. Until 2019, the 2000–01 season was the last time the Bucks won 50 games, made it past the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and reached the Eastern Conference Finals.^[1]