The sprint, as Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd calls the final 29 games of the 2014-15 season, begins tonight as his squad returns to the BMO Harris Bradley Center court after a nine day all-star break.

Much has happened over the first 53 games of the season. The team has suffered through injury, took an extended trip overseas, and has seen young players develop. 

There have been plenty of good stories, and more are sure to come over these final 29 and the playoffs (in all likelihood). 

So, let's take a look at our five favorite storylines from the first "half" of this season.

1. Jason Kidd

It's interesting, to look back at how Jason Kidd came to Milwaukee. It began with a summer tempest out east with a failed power play, admittedly naive owners making moves without the knowledge of their basketball staff, and the awkward firing of one coach to trade for another. 

But sitting in the BMO Harris Bradley Center that afternoon when he was introduced, the consensus among the Milwaukee media on hand was this: if he wins, no one will remember this. Or, at the very least, care as much. 

That's been the case so far, especially once we learned that Kidd first caught the coaching bug way back in 2008 as a member of the U.S. Basketball "Redeem Team" that won gold in Beijing. Though he was still five years removed from retirement, it laid the groundwork for what we're seeing here in 2014-15.

2. 30 wins

Last year was one of the biggest disappointments in franchise history. While it's true that the 2012-13 team didn't exactly inspire confidence, despite a playoff berth, last year was supposed to build off that under first-year coach Larry Drew. The team was put together to make a return trip to the playoffs. In the end, it proved to be an "accidental tank." 

So now, here we are, just months later, and the Bucks have already doubled their win total from all of last year. It has never happened before in NBA history, and it's definitely worth appreciating. 

3. Jabari Parker

This is bittersweet, isn't it? The pain of last year resulted in the joy of Parker, the teenage phenom from Chicago, by way of Duke University, who was selected No. 2 overall at the end of June. He only got to play in 25 games before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, robbing the team of his talent and the city of his personality, at least for a year. 

While the Bucks will likely make the playoffs without him, and he'll be re-packaged/re-marketed as this year's lottery pick, we shouldn't forget that his introduction to Milwaukee and first months of his career were a lot of fun to watch. His stats weren't mind blowing, by any means, but his progress was notable and even today his teammates have told me they miss his ability to create offense on his own.

4. The Greyhound is honored

Well, this is technically "off the court" news, but I'll allow it because it concerns a former player. After all, when the team announced it was retiring its first number since the early 1990s by honoring Bobby Dandridge, dubbed "the Greyhound" by Eddie Doucette, Bucks fans past and present got pretty pumped.

The new ownership has made a concerted effort to re-connect, and frankly, re-introduce the franchise's storied history to the current fan base and this was a notable step in that process.

5. The buzz

^{Illustration: Jason McDowell}

The first four stories lead into this final one, which is the buzz surrounding this team. Is this an on-court story? Sure it is, because even the players and front office are noticing growing attendance at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, more gear out in the community, and attention from national outlets. 

And, it lets us have some fun, too. Like coming up with nicknames. We had GIF City. Jared Dudley dubbed his teammates the "Milwaukee Grinders." And then there's Doucette, who weighed in on a new nickname for young Giannis Antetokounmpo. Sure, it's kind of silly. But honestly, no one is doing this type of thing around a losing organization, or an organization no one wants to be part of. That, in itself, has been a good story so far.