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Milwaukee Bucks fans are stoked. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday, May 8 after blowing out the Celtics. This site isn’t Brew Hoop so check out their recap for the ins and outs of that.
As you may know, there are some familiar names in Washington that spent time with the Bucks the last time they made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. The most notable of all of those folks? Mike Thibault, the Mystics’ General Manager and Head Coach.
Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks for advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. Last time they made the ECF, some swaggy dude named Mike Thibault was on the coaching staff.#TogetherDC #DCFamily #RunItBack
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) May 9, 2019
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Back in the 2000-01 season, Milwaukee had the best offensive rating in the NBA as they raced to a 52-30 record, good for the second seed in the East. They won their first round playoff series against the Magic, 3-1 and beat the Charlotte Hornets, 4-3 in the second round to make the Eastern Conference Finals. Once they made the Eastern Conference Finals, they lost 4-3 to a Philadelphia 76ers team that featured Allen Iverson coming off an MVP season.
It’s really cool to see that Thibault played a part in Milwaukee’s success back then. He had a chance to work with players like Ray Allen and Sam Cassell who would become one of the Wizards’ assistant coaches during John Wall’s early years. And now, he gets to pass that off that wisdom to players like Elena Delle Donne, Emma Meesseman and Kristi Toliver as he looks to win a WNBA championship in Washington this year.
Congratulations to the Bucks for their achievement. And to the Mystics, let’s #RunItBack!