Top 10 Plays and Moments from Milwaukee Bucks 2014-15 NBA Season

By now, most people know about the remarkable turnaround the Milwaukee Bucks have accomplished during the 2014-15 season after winning just 15 games a year ago. However, without any national appearances, words can only do so much when trying to describe just how fun this team was to watch.

From Khris Middleton developing a propensity for late-game heroics to the jaw-dropping athleticism of Giannis Antetokounmpo, there certainly isn't a shortage of highlight-reel worthy plays over the season's duration.

And while they may not have been one of the league's top teams, the Bucks almost always managed to compete, finishing with a 41-41 record and as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Looking forward to the playoffs is an exciting prospect for any fan, but first, let's count down the best plays and moments from a season that has been nothing short of surprising.

It's a long season, so feel free to share your favorite plays or moments if they've been omitted.

10. Kenyon Martin Finishes an O.J. Mayo Alley-Oop

Appearing in just 11 games, Kenyon Martin's tenure with the team certainly wasn't a lengthy one. But the veteran made his presence known on several occasions, including here in a 98-84 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 9.

With O.J. Mayo penetrating and drawing the defense's attention, the 37-year-old Martin cuts to the rim from the three-point line and finishes the beautiful pass.

As you can discern, the Bucks were ahead handily at the time, so the Timberwolves defense may not have been completely engaged. Nonetheless, it's a nice finish for someone of Martin's age.

Martin was waived by the team with the acquisition of Michael Carter-Williams, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis, but he managed to have a positive impact during the short time he was in Milwaukee. 

9. Jabari Parker Finishes on the Fast Break

Jabari Parker's season may have been derailed by a devastating knee injury in mid-December, but that didn't stop the rookie from putting together a decent collection of highlights.

Here, Parker makes sure he runs the court and is trailing the play when Mayo drops off a bounce pass. From there, Parker goes up and throws down a simple, yet powerful two-handed dunk. This play shows Parker's willingness to get up and down the court, and his awareness—both important traits to have on a team that will likely be running quite a bit in the future.

Certainly, we're all awaiting Parker's return. But for now, plays like this will have to tide us over.

8. O.J. Mayo's Clutch Three Sends It to Overtime

From a statistical standpoint, Mayo hasn't exactly rebounded from a poor 2013-14 season. However, he is no longer expected to be the team's go-to scoring option and has seemingly embraced his role as sixth man.

In early February, with a four-game winning streak on the line, the Bucks trailed the Los Angeles Lakers at home by three points with seven seconds left.

After inbounding the ball to Middleton, Brandon Knight then runs to the top of the key to set the first of two screens for Mayo to come off. The Lakers counter this move by attempting to switch, but that leaves Carlos Boozer on the Bucks' guard. Middleton hands the ball off to Mayo, who, seemingly, is headed into no-man's land in the corner.

The rest? Well, the video tells the tale. 

Mayo buries the three with two hands in his face and sends the game to overtime. The Bucks would end up winning 113-105 and extending their winning streak to five games—the longest of the season.

7. Jabari Parker Takes Kevin Love Baseline for the Reverse Slam

If Parker's athleticism was ever in question, this is one play that should indicate he's plenty athletic.

While Kevin Love certainly isn't the quickest or the best defensively, these are the kind of matchups Parker will be able to exploit during his career. Bigger, slower defenders just won't be able to stay in front of him as he drives to the rim.

Again, despite not appearing in a whole lot of action, Parker made his presence known during the games he did play in. There's nothing stopping him from fully recovering and coming back to continue finishing plays like this.

6. Giannis Antetokounmpo Owns Chris Bosh

This one doesn't need a whole lot of explanation.

With the Bucks on a fast break, the Greek Freak sneaks toward the baseline and is rewarded with a great pass from Parker. After that, Chris Bosh probably wishes the rest of the video didn't exist.

Antetokounmpo posterizes the veteran who, for some reason, thought it might be a good idea to challenge the youngster at the rim.

It didn't turn out well.

5. The Greek Freak Hustles Back on Defense

It seems like for every great play the Greek Freak makes on the offensive end, he matches with an equally impressive one defensively.

Here, Evan Turner of the Boston Celtics makes a nice defensive play and takes off down the floor for what he probably thought would be an easy bucket. However, I don't think he realized Antetokounmpo was stalking him from behind, like he always does.

As Turner goes up, Antetokounmpo sweeps in from behind and makes it look easy.

The fact that the Greek Freak always hustles back on defense and tries to get a stop instead of lollygagging is always a refreshing sight.

4. Zaza Pachulia Does His Best Magic Johnson Impersonation

Watching Zaza Pachulia pass is a thing of beauty.

No, really. It is.

Pachulia is arguably one of the best passing big men there is, and he shows it on this play. After stepping in on the ball, the veteran streaks up the court and finds himself on the receiving end of a Mayo pass. However, instead of attempting a difficult, contested layup, Pachulia makes a no-look, behind-the-back pass to a trailing Jerryd Bayless, who finishes it off with a slam.

There's just something about watching a center make a great pass...

3. Giannis Responds to Being Benched in Thunderous Fashion

There are so many great things about this play that it's hard to decide where to begin.

When the Bucks hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 8, head coach Jason Kidd curiously benched rookie Antetokounmpo and didn't provide much explanation as to why.

Regardless of why it occurred—and we may never know—the Greek Freak didn't seem to take too kindly to it. Take a look at the above highlight from the team's very next game, a 99-91 victory, against the New York Knicks.

Antetokounmpo blocks the shot of Tim Hardaway Jr., grabs the ball and takes off down the floor. After going behind his back to get by Lance Thomas, it's clear sailing, if only because Cole Aldrich didn't feel like ending up on a poster.

So, what's the best part of the play? The defense? The ball-handling skills? The emphatic one-handed slam?

None of the above.

Take a look at the Greek Freak's reaction to the nasty play he just finished. Tell me that doesn't bring a smile to your face.

2. That's a Big Windmill

My apologies if you're tired from all of the Greek Freak. But, let's be honest, these are all worthy of spots in the top 10. The guy just makes spectacular plays on a regular basis.

This dunk, during a January 31, 95-88, win against the Portland Trail Blazers, was no exception.

We've all seen windmill dunks before, but we've never quite seen them like this. With his mind-boggling length, the Greek Freak gets as fully extended as a human could possibly get and completes a full windmill, slamming it down with authority.

And he makes it look so effortless.

If these are the kind of dunks he's throwing down in his second season, one can only imagine what he'll pull out of his bag of tricks in the future.

1. The Bucks Give Jason Kidd a Great Birthday Gift

Crazy finishes have become a bit of a common occurrence for the 2014-15 Bucks.

And one guy who seems to find himself in the midst of those is Middleton.

In December, against the Phoenix Suns, Middleton banked in a three at the buzzer to give his team a thrilling victory. On March 24 against the Miami Heat, he felt like he had to one-up himself. And boy did he ever.

Truthfully, though, this play was a team effort in every sense.

Down by two, Bayless wins the jump ball—against the much bigger Michael Beasley nonetheless—and subsequently attacks the rim. After missing a high-arching layup attempt, the ball is knocked around before Pachulia—Mr. Hustle himself—makes a tremendous save to Middleton, who...well, just watch.

To make it even better, the Bucks had been losers of six straight before that shot. If this play doesn't happen and give the Bucks a 89-88 win, it would have been another loss and their streak of poor play may have continued, possibly resulting in them missing the postseason.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a crazier sequence of events throughout the league this season, so this one certainly tops the list of best Bucks plays of 2014-15.