Milwaukee Bucks: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season
2. The Bucks will host a playoff series — and win it
Last season the Milwaukee Bucks pushed the Toronto Raptors hard, taking 1-0 and 2-1 series leads in the playoffs before finally falling after a hard-fought Game 6 in Milwaukee. For much of the series the Bucks looked like the better team, but Toronto’s edge in experience won out in the end.
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This season, the entire roster (sans a few rookies) is playoff-tested, and this team has every reason to expect to be better than last season. If projections — and the previous bold projection on the Bucks’ win total — play out as expected, the Bucks should boast one of the top four records in the East by season’s end.
A first round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics would be a tall task, but it is unlikely Milwaukee would match up with either. If they face a team such as the Washington Wizards or Toronto, they should have confidence in its ability to win. If they get a lower-rung team such as the Miami Heat or Charlotte Hornets, the Bucks are close to a lock to move on.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is almost impossible to guard, and he is a two-way destroyer of worlds in the playoffs. With a roster around him that should be growing together in both continuity and execution level, the Bucks will win their first playoff series with Antetokounmpo and be well positioned to push a team hard in the second round.