Hoops Habit
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Predicting The NBA’s Biggest Headlines In 2017

By Josh Cornelissen

January 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with forward Andre Iguodala (9) against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 4, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with forward Andre Iguodala (9) against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 21, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Lucky Sevens: LeBron James heads to seventh straight Finals appearance as Milwaukee falls short

The first part of this headline is a no-brainer; barring a blockbuster trade by the Toronto Raptors or Boston Celtics, everyone expects the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the Eastern Conference. That would send LeBron James (and James Jones) to their seventh straight NBA Finals.

The latter half declares the more tenuous and exciting prediction, that the Milwaukee Bucks will continue their ascension and reach the conference finals to face those Cleveland Cavaliers. Although their current standing suggests this to be a long shot, the elite potential of the Bucks speaks to great achievements in their future.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo is having an All-NBA season as he breaks into the league’s upper crust, running the point on offense and swatting shots away from the rim on defense. The “Greek Freak” is averaging 2.1 blocks and 1.9 steals per game; no other player is averaging as many as 1.5 in both categories.

When the first round of All-Star voting was revealed on Thursday, Antetokounmpo was second among Eastern Conference forwards behind only LeBron James. WIth game-winning shots and dunks beginning from impossible distances, the league’s best European player is taking over the national consciousness.

The development of third-year player Jabari Parker gives the Bucks two 20-point scorers, and the former Blue Devil has improved in nearly every facet of his game. Parker is hitting 40.3 percent of his three-pointers, shooting six times as many as a year ago. While he still struggles on defense, he is putting in full effort and coach Jason Kidd is deploying him on the wing as a sort of stopper in the absence of Khris Middleton.

Work in the emergence of rookie Malcolm Brogdon at the 2, the additions of Tony Snell and Matthew Dellavedova, and the bounce-back year for Greg Monroe and you have the makings of a very good team. Although they are currently only eighth in the conference, they rank in the top-10 in both offense and defense; no team in over 40 years has missed the playoffs with such rankings.

If they enter the playoffs as the sixth or seventh seed, an Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers is very possible. Perhaps a more reasonable outcome is a second round showdown with Cleveland from the fourth or fifth seed. Either way, Milwaukee will be flexing its muscles in preparation for next season when their young players take yet another step towards stardom.