All-Time Tournament: Day 5

Our fourth day of the All-Time Tournament featured three nail-biters as well as our first overtime game. Day 5 featured much of the same, but was capped with a visit from an unsightly familiar face.

Here are the trio of games that took place:

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Game 13

Day 5 got started with a showing from rookie Glenn Robinson, who was more of a “Big Puppy” than a “Big Dog,” going up against another solid, yet overlooked 80s team. Did the overlookee avoid becoming the overlooker?

They sure did! The 87/88 team was led by double-double efforts from Terry Cummings (19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists) and Jack Sikma (15 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists). The duo sparked a second half comeback to punch their ticket to the Round of 32. So, how did our Big Pup do? Well, he scored 14 points and grabbed 20, yes 20(!), rebounds. Woo doggie. The 87/88 team will match-up with fellow 80s squad, the seventh seeded 84/85 Bucks.

Game 14

In a match-up that is one of the clearest lines of demarcation between “good Bucks” and “bad Bucks,” 90 percent of people polled thought that the 1990/91 Bucks would roll on through the 1991/92 Bucks and into the Round of 32. So, how smart are our pollsters?

Pretty smart! The 90/91 Bucks had a second half comeback largely led by Alvin Robertson’s 20 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while converting on two three-pointers. Ricky Pierce chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds of his own to anchor the bench unit. The 91/92 team was led by their savvy veteran, Moses Malone, and his 20 points and 12 rebounds, however, it was not enough. The 90/91 Bucks will take on the fan favorite 2000/01 Bucks in the Round of 32.

Game 15

Day 5’s finale featured Jason Kidd’s best coached squad as underdogs against the 2005/06 Bucks. So, could the surprising 2014/15 Bucks continue to surprise here in the All-Time Tournament?

Oh you betcha! A wire-to-wire upset for the 14/15 Bucks will see them through to the Round of 32 where they face the 1980/81 Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 14 points and 10 rebounds in the victory and was joined in the double-double department by John Henson, who tallied 10 points and corralled 15 rebounds. Michael Redd scored a game high 24 points and shot 3/5 from beyond the arc in the losing effort for the 05/06 Bucks.

Here is a look at the updated slice of the bracket now that we know who will be advancing to the Round of 32:

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Looking Ahead to Day 6

The final set of games from the Play-in Round will take place on the tournament’s sixth day. Five of the teams in action are from 1997 and beyond, but we do get our first look at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the tournament.

Here are the last three Play-in Round games:

Game 16

The 2006/07 Bucks were mired by injuries to key contributors, smack-dab-in-his-prime Michael Redd (26.7 PTS/3.7 REB/2.3 AST) played in 53 games and Mo Williams (17.3/4.8/6.1) played 68 games. Andrew Bogut (12.3/8.8/3.0) continued to struggle with injuries as he featured in 66 games. Charlie Bell (13.5/2.9/3.0) and Ruben Patterson (14.7/5.4/2.9) were the only players to play more than 68 games as they checked into 82 and 81 games respectively. The roster inconsistency led to a disappointing 28-54 record.

The 1999/2000 season was the first season that featured a fully stocked Big 3 as well as the budding role players for the 2000/01 season. Both Ray Allen (22.1/4.4/3.8) and Glenn Robinson (20.9/6.0/2.4) made their first All-Star teams. Allen converted on 42.3 percent of his three-pointer while averaging just over 5 per game. For his part, Robinson made just under half of his shots inside the three-point arc. The scoring efficiency was starting to show as these Bucks finished 42-40 and were bounced from the playoffs in five games by the Indiana Pacers.

Can the 06/07 Bucks hobble their way to the Round of 32 and pull off the upset?

Game 17

One of the most surprising tidbits from the 1997/98 Bucks is that a second-year Ray Allen (19.5/4.9/4.3) started all 82 games and averaged 40 minutes a game. Not to be outdone, Glenn Robinson (23.4/5.5/2.8) started in all 56 games he played in while averaging 41 minutes a game. The minute distribution showed how reliant these Bucks were on their young duo and how they would be the ones to lift the franchise out of the 90s doldrums. This would not be the year, however, as they finished 36-46 and missed the playoffs.

The 1974/75 Bucks are infamously known for being the last time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30.0/14.0/4.1) played for the franchise, it is also the only time an Abdul-Jabbar-led Bucks team missed the playoffs. After winning the Western Conference and losing The Finals in seven games the previous season, the 74/75 team finished 38-44. Bob Dandridge (19.9/6.9/3.0) did his part, but with Abdul-Jabbar requesting a trade in October of 1974, the tension surrounding the team was too much to overcome.

Will Abdul-Jabbar lead what is probably the most under-seeded team in the tournament past the baby-faced Bucks stars?

Game 18

Once again, we have a team carried by Michael Redd (23.0/4.2/2.3) that is seeded as an underdog here in the Play-in Round. The 2004/05 Bucks just could not string together much of anything as Redd and Desmond Mason (17.2/3.9/2.7) did their darndest to lift the squad to a winning record. Unfortunately, this unit finished 30-52 and featured Dan Gadzuric (7.3/8.3/0.4) in the starting lineup 81 times. The real feat is that Gadzuric managed to average less than half an assist per game despite playing a full season.

Of course, the last team featured here in the Play-in Round is a Jason Kidd team, it just had to be. The 2016/17 Bucks were led by first time All-Star, Giannis Antetokounmpo (22.9/8.8/5.4), and half a season of Jabari Parker (20.1/6.2/2.8). As we all know, Parker tore his ACL for the second time on the same night that Khris Middleton (14.7/4.2/3.4) returned to the lineup after tearing his hamstring completely off the bone. Malcolm Brogdon (10.2/2.8/4.2) won Rookie of the Year and #OwnTheFuture never looked more promising as it did following this season.

Who wins the Play-in Round finale to claim the last spot in the Round of 32?