The Milwaukee Bucks have toiled in irrelevancy for years since the early 2000s when they featured Ray Allen, and they haven’t appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. The drafting of Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013 may have put them on the map, but it was the hiring of Mike Budenholzer that has given them direction.
The Bucks of Giannis and Bud come into San Antonio with the #1 ranked defense and the #4 ranked offense, both massive improvements from their respective ranks of 19th and 9th from last season. That jump on defense is the most impressive and is a huge reason why the Bucks are the best team in the NBA right now and are a favorite to come out of the East, but the offense has also proven to be more creative under Bud than it was at anytime under Jason Kidd.