October 20, 2026
October 20, 2026
2009-2010 Milwaukee Bucks: Fear the Deer
The Milwaukee Bucks had been a team in search of an identity for most of the 2000s, as they were one of the more underachieving teams in the NBA. Having to contend with teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division was a daunting enough task for the Bucks, but even against the rest of the Eastern Conference, the Bucks were unable to consistently get past their foes. At the end of the 2000s, the Bucks found something that generally worked.
The 2009-2010 Milwaukee Bucks went 46-36, finishing a whopping 17 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division, according to Basketball-Reference. The Bucks went 28-13 on their home court at the Bradley Center while going only 18-23 on the road. The Bucks went 10-6 in divisional play. With the exception of December, the Bucks played solid basketball through every month of the regular season, as they went 8-5 in November, 8-7 in January, 10-4 in February, 11-4 in March and 5-3 in April.
One player made Milwaukee’s offense go from the start of every play, and that was a point guard who had called Europe his basketball home. Taken with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft after previously playing for Lottomatica Roma in Italy, Brandon Jennings had learned how to keep up with an up-tempo style of basketball, and he applied what he learned in Europe to the NBA game. Jennings had 1,270 total points, 470 assists and 105 steals, making 145 of 388 3-point shots and 223 of 273 free throws.
Center Andrew Bogut had 1,095 points, 701 rebounds and 175 blocks, making 473 of 910 field goal attempts and 149 of 237 free throws. Point guard Luke Ridnour had 852 points and 324 assists, making 69 of 181 3-point shots and 127 of 140 free throws. Power forward Ersan Ilyasova had 840 points and 517 rebounds, making 81 of 241 3-point shots and 113 of 158 free throws. Small forward Carlos Delfino had 825 points, 202 assists and 80 steals, making 134 of 365 3-point shots and 93 of 119 free throws. Shooting guard John Salmons had 596 points, making 45 of 117 3-point shots and 137 of 158 free throws. Power forward Hakim Warrick had 490 points and made 125 of 172 free throws. Shooting guard Charlie Bell had 459 points, making 73 of 200 3-point shots and 43 of 67 free throws. Power forward Luc Mbah a Moute had 453 points and 400 rebounds, making 93 of 133 free throws.
The Milwaukee Bucks had a couple of 6-game winning streaks, which helped them achieve the regular season success they were seeking. Perhaps one motivating factor in the regular season for the Bucks was a catchy slogan that loyal Bucks fans came up with. The slogan had only three words: “Fear the Deer.” It was a simple slogan that described how tenacious a good Milwaukee Bucks team could be on the basketball court.
The first 6-game winning streak for the Bucks began with a 91-85 win over the Detroit Pistons on February 19, and it ended with a 94-71 win over the Miami Heat on February 27. Their second winning streak began with a 100-87 win over the Washington Wizards on March 3, and it ended with a 98-94 win over the Indiana Pacers on March 14.
A clear example of the Bucks showing their tenacity was a big win they pulled out on March 19, an exciting double-overtime contest against the Sacramento Kings that the Bucks won 114-108 at the Power Balance Pavilion. Sacramento’s breakout performance came from point guard and shooting guard Beno Udrih, who had 26 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals while making 2 of 3 3-point shots. Brandon Jennings had a great game for Milwaukee with 35 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists while making 8 of 13 3-point shots. John Salmons had 27 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists while making 3 of 5 3-point shots. Andrew Bogut had 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
What can be said about the 2009-2010 Milwaukee Bucks is that they did indeed show their tenacity in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. Though they took the Hawks the full 7-game distance, the Bucks fell to the Hawks 4 games to 3, exiting the playoffs early.
Down 2 games to none in the series, the Bucks rallied to win 3 straight games. In Game 3 on April 24 at the Bradley Center, the Bucks won 107-89. John Salmons had 22 points and 7 assists. Shooting guard and small forward Jerry Stackhouse, a reliable journeyman sharpshooter for most of his NBA career, stepped up off the bench and gave Milwaukee a boost with 16 points and 3 assists.
In Game 4 on April 26, the Bucks beat the Hawks 111-104. Brandon Jennings proved how valuable he was to his team with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Carlos Delfino had 22 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists while making 6 of 8 3-point shots. Salmons contributed again with 22 points and 3 rebounds.
In Game 5 on April 28 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, the Bucks beat the Hawks 91-87. Jennings had another good game with 25 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Salmons contributed once again with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Milwaukee Bucks would miss the playoffs for the next 2 seasons before returning in the 2012-2013 NBA season. The Bucks would make multiple changes to their roster during this span of 4 years.
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