NBA-TV: NBA 1971-NBA Finals- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Baltimore Bullets: Highlights

Source:NBA-TV– the Bucks and Bullets for the 1971 NBA Championship.

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“The 1971 NBA Finals was the played at the conclusion of the NBA’s Silver Anniversary season of 1970-71. The Western Conference Champion Milwaukee Bucks, who were born just three years earlier, swept the Eastern Conference Champion Baltimore Bullets in four games. Baltimore had dethroned the 1969-70 NBA Champion New York Knicks to get to their only NBA Finals appearance (as a Baltimore based franchise). This would be the last time that both participants were playing in their first NBA Finals until the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat got together in the 2006 NBA Finals.”

From Ginoong Kamote

The Bullets never seemed to be able to get into sync either offensively or defensively against the Bucks in the whole 71 NBA Finals. The Bullets were either getting stopped and turning the ball over, or giving up big buckets to the Bucks.

The Bucks big three especially of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and Bob Dandridge and the only question about the Bucks would be, who was a bigger part of the big three: Kareem or Oscar. because you could make a good case they are the two best players who’ve ever played, as well as the best center and point guard of all-time.

The Bullets were really on defense all four games of this series. Because the Bucks were doing what they wanted to do really the whole time. They knew who get to the ball to and when on offense and who to stop on defense: “Let Oscar run the show and hit Kareem deep in the post.” Where the Bullets had no one who could handle him. And when the Bullets spend too much attention either trying to defend Kareem or Oscar, because there wasn’t really much they could do against, that opened up things for Dandridge.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on WordPress.

You can also see this post at FreeState MD, on Blogger.

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ABC Sports: NBA 1971-NBA Finals-Game 4-Milwaukee Bucks @ Baltimore Bullets: 2nd-Half

Source:NBA-TV– with a look back at the 1971 NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Baltimore Bullets.
“1971 NBA Finals Gm. 4 Bucks vs. Bullets (2nd Half)”

From Hal Greer

With both Kareem and Oscar on the Bucks team, the greatest center of all-time and arguably the greatest player and all around point guard of all-time in Oscar Robertson, that was too much to deal with for even a very good Bullets team. Especially with injuries that they were dealing with, like with key forward Gus Johnson.

The Bullets lost to a team that was better than them in the 1971 NBA Finals. The only time they made it to the NBA Finals in Baltimore. The Bucks weren’t a deeply talented team with a tone of great players in 71. But they had Kareem and Oscar and a very good supporting cast around them.

If anything the Bullets perhaps peaked too soon in 71. With the New York Knicks failing to get back to the Finals after winning the NBA Finals in 1970. The Boston Celtics were in somewhat of a transition in the early 1970s, transitioning from the Red Auerbach/Bill Russell era of the 1960s and transition back to being an NBA Finals contender in the mid-1970s, where they won the Finals in 1974 and 76. The Philadelphia 76ers were awful in the early 1970s. So that opened up the door for the Bullets in the Eastern Conference in 1971.

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