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Milwaukee Bucks · Franchise era 4 of 6

The Big Three: the Milwaukee Bucks story

Franchise era

1998–99—2003–04

The Big Three

Milwaukee Bucks

The story in one sentence

Allen, Cassell and Robinson formed one of the league's best offenses and came within one game of the 2001 Finals.

01

Shooting reaches the 2001 conference finals

02

Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for the search for a centerpiece.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 1998–99

    What came before

    Milwaukee cycled from veteran competitiveness into a talented young frontcourt without finding a stable contender.

  2. 2001

    Eastern Conference Semifinals: Milwaukee Bucks vs Charlotte Hornets

    Eastern ConferenceSemifinals
    2001
    MILWAUKEEBUCKS
    CHARLOTTEHORNETS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference Semifinals · 7 games

    Milwaukee Bucks vs Charlotte Hornets

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    Series finale · Game 7 · May 20, 2001Charlotte Hornets at Milwaukee Bucks →Closest game · Game 2 · May 8, 2001Charlotte Hornets at Milwaukee Bucks →

  3. 2001

    Eastern Conference Finals: Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers

    Eastern ConferenceFinals
    2001
    MILWAUKEEBUCKS
    PHILADELPHIA76ERS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference Finals · 7 games

    Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadelphia 76ers

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 7 · Jun 3, 2001Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers →Closest game · Game 5 · May 30, 2001Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers →

  4. 2003

    Eastern Conference First Round: Milwaukee Bucks vs New Jersey Nets

    Eastern ConferenceFirst Round
    2003
    MILWAUKEEBUCKS
    NEW JERSEYNETS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Eastern Conference First Round · 6 games

    Milwaukee Bucks vs New Jersey Nets

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 6 · May 1, 2003New Jersey Nets at Milwaukee Bucks →Closest game · Game 3 · Apr 24, 2003New Jersey Nets at Milwaukee Bucks →

  5. After 2003–04

    What came next

    Redd's scoring and several short-lived cores kept Milwaukee competitive without offering a championship path.

The core

Faces of the chapter

01Ray Allen→02Sam Cassell→03Glenn Robinson→
← Previous eraA decade in the middle1987–88—1997–98Next era →The search for a centerpiece2004–05—2012–13