Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks fans boo Stephen A. Smith for overlooking Milwaukee as NBA title contender
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have established themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA. However, it seems like ESPN’s NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith doesn’t believe that the Bucks are one of the title favorites. Smith was recently booed by Bucks fans for overlooking the team as a contender for the championship this season.
Recently, Giannis Antetokounmpo joined his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo on his “Thanalysis” podcast. Thanasis asked Giannis to watch a video of Smith openly disregarding the Bucks as the title contenders. When Smith was asked if he wanted to be in Milwaukee for the NBA Finals, he said:
“I don’t believe I have ever rooted for Atlanta more in my life. I don’t believe I have done it.”
In the video, Giannis remarked:
“He basically said that we couldn’t win?”
Before Thanasis could answer, to everyone’s surprise, Smith appeared from the backstage and was greeted with boos from the crowd.
Given how dominant the Bucks have been late in the season, it would be negligent to count them out of the title contention. When the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard, they became an instant favorite to win the title; however, the team very quickly lost the title to the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets.
However, it can’t be looked over that the Bucks are the second-best team in the Eastern Conference with a 45-25 record. They have also improved their defensive as well as offensive ratings.
Can Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks win the title this season?
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks can make a fair case for being one of the title contenders this season. However, the answer is not as simple as it might look. The Bucks are ranked number two in the East; however, they do have a lot of areas where they have to make a lot of improvements.
Yes, the Bucks are one of the best teams in the league when it comes to offensive ratings. However, they are ranked 17th in the league in defensive ratings, which is certainly not the best character of a title contender team.
Moreover, when Doc Rivers joined the Bucks as a head coach, being a defensive-minded coach, the team was expected to make a big leap. However, it seems that they haven’t been able to fill Jrue Holiday’s shoes since he left for Boston.
Come playoff time, the Bucks would be expected to elevate their defense, which doesn’t seem that easy. Under Doc Rivers, they have lost 11 of their 24 games.
Before putting the Bucks into the title contenders picture, teams like the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers and the OKC Thunder should also be considered.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been in the MVP conversation this season; however, that doesn’t make the bigger picture easy for the Bucks, when they are fighting for the title.