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Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks got off to a torrid start to the 2021-22 NBA season. The reigning champions are currently 6-8 and out of the NBA Play-In positions. While we do not expect the situation to continue, as the team has had several games without some of its best players, it is definitely rare to see the reigning NBA champions fighting to win some regular-season matches.
The Milwaukee Bucks' current situation is obviously far from ideal, but Mike Budenholzer has had Khris Middleton in only six games of the year so far, while Jrue Holiday has played eight games and Brook López has only one appearance in the 2021-22 season so far.
Three recent regular seasons that saw the reigning NBA champions struggle
Right now, the Milwaukee Bucks rank 17th in terms of Offensive Rating and 21st in Defensive Rating. Overall, the team has a negative net rating (-1.9) and ranks 22nd in the entire NBA in that department.
Still, things should go smoother for the Bucks once the team gets completely healthy (if that's even possible in the NBA) and they should be looking at a Top three finish in the Eastern Conference, which would certainly be good for them going into the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
In this article, however, we will take a look at the three most recent instances in which the then reigning NBA champion struggled throughout the regular season.
Without further ado, let us take a look.
#3 2006-07 Miami Heat
The Miami Heat went on a great run to win the 2006 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal led a Miami team with lots of veterans to the promised land, with Wade putting up a great performance to win the NBA Finals MVP award.
However, the 2006-07 NBA season was not as good for Pat Riley's team. Injuries were obviously an issue for the 2006-07 Miami Heat, as O'Neal appeared in only 40 games throughout the year, with Wade playing in 51 games. With O'Neal, the team went 25-15, while they went 27-24 when Dwyane Wade was available.
The 2006-07 Heat had a 27-29 record through the first 56 games of the 2006-07 NBA regular season, before putting up a nine-game winning streak with O'Neal leading the way.
The Heat ended the 2006-07 regular season with a 44-39 record, the fifth-best in the East. In the NBA Playoffs, Ben Wallace's Chicago Bulls swept the Heat in the first round.
#2 2011-12 Dallas Mavericks
Coming off their big run to the 2011 NBA championship, Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks did not have a great season during the 2011-12 campaign. While the team put up a 57-25 regular season on their way to the 2011 title, the 2011-12 season saw Rick Carlisle's team go 36-30 in the lockout-shortened campaign.
The 36-30 record was good enough to make the NBA Playoffs, but the Dallas Mavericks only grabbed the seventh seed of the Western Conference. Dallas lost its first three games of the 2011-12 NBA campaign and was 4-5 before entering a decent run in the regular season.
Overall, the team ranked 14th in Net Rating in the league, with the eighth-best defense in the league, but with an offense that ranked only 22nd.
The Dallas Mavericks' season as the defending NBA champions lasted until the first round of the NBA Playoffs, when the OKC Thunder swept them.
#1 2020-21 LA Lakers
Again, part of success in the NBA is having a healthy team, and the 2020-21 LA Lakers definitely struggled in that regard while defending their 2020 NBA championship.
In the 2020-21 NBA regular season, LeBron James played only 45 of the team's 72 regular-season games. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis appeared in half of the regular season, and even found himself injured during the NBA Playoffs as well.
Injuries to both James and Davis were definitely lethal in what the LA Lakers could do in the regular season, despite the team posting the best Defensive Rating of the NBA.
The team finished the 2020-21 NBA regular season with a 42-30 record, but went from the top seed of the Western Conference in the 2019-20 campaign and the early weeks of the 2020-21 season to the seventh seed and the NBA Play-In tournament.
After clearing the Golden State Warriors in the Play-In stage, the LA Lakers lost in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns.
Also read: 3 reasons why James Harden and Kevin Durant are the most lethal pairing in the NBA
