2018-19 NBA Playoffs Preview: 5 reasons why Milwaukee Bucks will win the East
Having reigned in the East for eight straight years, James’ departure has no doubt left the door wide open for those who have been trying to get hold of the Eastern conference trophy and thereby, a shot at the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. The almost decade long dominance of LeBron James has not only broken a lot of hearts in the conference, but also shattered a handful of dreams.
And if there’s one team who is poised to become the first franchise to occupy the vacated throne, it has to be the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks. It may be too early to tell but what are the things that make the Bucks the potential 2018-2019 Eastern Conference champions?
#1 Ample Supporting Cast
Emerging as one of the legit MVP candidates, Giannis Antetokounmpo has managed to finally put his team on top, at least for the most part of the regular season, and their consistency has installed them as the early favorites to barge into the NBA finals.
It hasn’t been all Greek Freak show, however, as coach Mike Budenholzer has managed to mold solid back-ups, led by the duo of All-Star Khris Middleton and the resurgent Erik Bledsoe. The arrival of Nikola Mirotic gave the Bucks another scoring dimension. And with Pau Gasol joining the team after agreeing to a buy-out with San Antonio, the former Spur is definitely still capable of providing quality minutes off the bench. His tons of playoff experience and his locker-room presence will definitely boost their chances in the off-season.
#2 Troubled Celtics
Handpicked by many as the logical choice to be the next dominant team in the East, the Boston Celtics had started the season with a healthy duo of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, who despite not playing in the previous playoffs, had seen the Celtics almost dethroning LeBron and the Cavaliers last season.
However, as the season progressed, Boston have consistently languished in the shadows of Milwaukee, Toronto, and even Indiana, for various reasons. Their inconsistent performance saw them out of the lists of many basketball experts.
#3 Unfinished Process in Philly
The big boys of the East have got even bigger with the acquisition of Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic. The duo in their different ways have readily made sudden impact for their new team, more specially, Tobias Harris who has put up numbers he used to have as the chief gunner of Los Angeles Clippers. However, the Process in Philly may have to be extended a little as the superstar duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons will still have to get used to playing alongside Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, and the rest of their new teammates.
#4 Untested Raptors
They may have landed a heck of a two-way player in the person of Kawhi Leonard but Toronto will continue to have a dismal off-season despite the departure of LeBron James. Having been the perennial heartbreak kids of the East, the Raptors will fail to get past the Eastern Conference finals with the resurgence of LeBron heir apparent, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Not even the support of the vastly improved Pascal Siakam and the late additions of Jeremy Lin and Mark Gasol will help them go deeper in the playoffs.
#5 The Greek Freak
The biggest reason, no doubt, is the freak of nature, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is in his most dominating performance of his career so far. Touted by many as just a consistent outside shooting away from being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the Milwaukee superstar has been consistently putting up MVP numbers to catapult the Bucks to top of the NBA standings, even ahead of the two-time defending NBA champions, Golden State Warriors.