1985-86: Can the Milwaukee Mavericks / Dallas Bucks reach the Finals and even challenge the Celtics?

[-Luke-]

Let's assume we merge the 85-86 Bucks and the 85-86 Mavericks.

Roster (just a suggestion, not necessarily the starting five/bench):

Sidney Moncrief / Derek Harper / Brad Davis
Rolando Blackman / Craig Hodges / Ricky Pierce
Mark Aguirre / Paul Pressey
Terry Cummings / Sam Perkins
James Donaldson / Randy Breuer

Coach: Don Nelson, Lead Assistant: Dick Motta

They replace the Dallas Mavericks and play in the West.

Does this team beat the Lakers and Rockets and can win the West? If so, do they even have a chance to win the title against one of the GOAT level teams, the 85-86 Boston Celtics?

[kcktiny]

The 1985-86 Milwaukee Bucks were a heckuva team by themselves. The last thing that team needed was an all-offense no-defense scoring SF like Mark Aguirre. And Donaldson wasn't the defender Lister was (just fouled a helluva lot less).

The Bucks that year had an average per game point differential of +9.0 pts/g. Not only was that the 2nd best point differential in the league that year (to the Celtics +9.4 diff), it was the 3rd highest in the decade of the 1980s, and indicative of a team that wins something like 65 games in a season (vs. the 57 they actually won). That Bucks team was really good.

You can replay that year's ECFs and I don't think Boston sweeps Milwaukee again, and I think Milwaukee could beat them in a rematch.

Heck the Lakers that year were a much better team than the Rockets yet lost to them 4 games to 1 in the WCFs.

[penbeast0]

I'd want Pressey starting but not sure if either Aguirre or Blackman would accept a reserve roll. A kcktny said, there's wing scoring and to spare. Defense is more valuable, especially combined with Pressey's playmaking since Moncrief wasn't the playmaker Derek Harper was.

With Nelson, Perkins might end up getting the lions share of C minutes too as he was one of the early advocates of smallball.

[-Luke-]

I definitely see your guys points about Aguirre and Pressey. Also, throwing ten starters into one team and thinking five of them would accept a bench role without locker room issues was a bit of a naive assumption. If we make it a bit more realistic, maybe take the Bucks roster as the basis and replace three guys with Blackman, Harper, and Perkins (and maybe Rookie Schrempf). Take Aguirre out of the equation.

kcktiny makes a good point about how strong the Bucks were that season. If they play in the West, they may go to the finals and meet the Celtics there.

A little more realistic approach to combine the teams may be:
Harper / Hodges / Pierce
Moncrief / Blackman / Pierce
Pressey / Schrempf or a Bucks reserve
Cummings / Lister
Perkins / Lister / Breuer

[penbeast0]

Although Lister can play next to Perkins, he doesn't play next to Breuer so you might put Detlef at PF or bring in Jay Vincent from Dallas as well; Pierce can back up the 2-3 (you don't want him at point where Pressey can provide extra depth).

And yes, they have a real shot at a title run.

[-Luke-]

Hmm, I don't know why I missed Vincent. Good catch.

[homecourtloss]

The 1985-86 Milwaukee Bucks were a heckuva team by themselves. The last thing that team needed was an all-offense no-defense scoring SF like Mark Aguirre. And Donaldson wasn't the defender Lister was (just fouled a helluva lot less).

The Bucks that year had an average per game point differential of +9.0 pts/g. Not only was that the 2nd best point differential in the league that year (to the Celtics +9.4 diff), it was the 3rd highest in the decade of the 1980s, and indicative of a team that wins something like 65 games in a season (vs. the 57 they actually won). That Bucks team was really good.

You can replay that year's ECFs and I don't think Boston sweeps Milwaukee again, and I think Milwaukee could beat them in a rematch.

Heck the Lakers that year were a much better team than the Rockets yet lost to them 4 games to 1 in the WCFs.

That Milwaukee team really was good and that eastern conference finals would’ve been a lot better if Sidney Moncrief hadn’t been injured, but I don’t really see a path to victory for that Milwaukee team. I think they if they played it again 10 times, and Moncrief was not injured, I do agree that it’s doubtful that the Celtics would sweep them in any one of those 10 series (I don’t think that the Celtics shoot, as well as they did in that series again), but I can’t see the bucks winning more than two games. Then again, the Celtics did beat them all five times in the regular season as well.