Rarely has the NBA seen a player take over in a season like Michael Jordan did in 1986-87. Only one player in NBA history has averaged more points per game in a season, Wilt Chamberlain, who broke all sorts of scoring records in the NBA. However, in a season where someone is so dominant, how do you stop them?
On this day 37 years ago, the Milwaukee Bucks found a way.
The 86-87 Bucks
In the 1986-87 NBA season, the Bucks finished 4th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 50-32. The team was led by two future Hall of Famers, Jack Sikma and Sidney Moncrief, while featuring a number of solid rotational players like Craig Hodges, Terry Cummings, and Paul Pressey.
The team certainly had playoff potential and stayed above .500 for the entirety of the season. However, with how top-heavy the NBA was then, the Bucks needed just a little more firepower. Nevertheless, the Bucks were a solid defensive team, and they proved it against one of their showings against the Chicago Bulls.
Frequent Scraps
Two seasons prior, Milwaukee faced Chicago in the NBA playoffs, where the Bucks took the series 3-1, eliminating Jordan’s Bulls. Two-way greats Sidney Moncrief and Paul Pressey combined for 47 points and 14 assists, leading the Bucks past an unproven Bulls team.
Being in the same division, the two teams faced each other often and would continue to do so in the upcoming seasons.
Just the night before their December 13th matchup in 1986, the Bulls and Bucks faced off in Milwaukee, where Chicago won, and MJ extended his streak of 40+ points in a game to 9 games in a row. However, the next day, Coach Don Nelson made a change.
Moving Paul Pressey from forward to guard proved to be the difference, as Pressey held the red-hot Jordan to 3-17 shooting, ending his 9-game streak of 40+ points per contest. The supporting cast in Chicago didn’t help much either, shooting a combined 31.5% from the field.
37 years ago, when the teams faced, the defensive prowess of Milwaukee proved to be too much for Chicago. Two days ago, when the teams faced off, the Bucks again bested the Bulls thanks to another great two-way player, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Hopefully, the rivalry can continue to provide some thrilling matchups, where Milwaukee’s defense will ultimately keep getting the better of the Bulls.
