Assessing the Milwaukee Bucks’ chances at the NBA Finals

With the best record in the NBA and the front-runner for MVP, the Milwaukee Bucks are playing the part of a team looking to make the Finals.

As the beginning of the 2018-19 NBA season neared, we knew the Milwaukee Bucks would take a step forward from their 44-win campaign the year prior. Reinforcements came in the form of new head coach Mike Budenholzer and newly minted sniper Brook Lopez.

This, coupled with the continued development of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as improved chemistry had many thinking a top-four seed wasn’t completely out of the question for the Bucks.

As the 2019 postseason nears with less than 30 games left to play, it’s safe to assume nobody predicted the onslaught that would come out of Milwaukee in the form of the best record in the NBA as a team on pace for over 60 wins.

The Bucks have always been one of the better defensive teams in the league, and the same is true of this season. They rank first in defensive rating and allow the fewest points in the paint. With so much size, length and versatility, Milwaukee can switch everything, clog the passing lanes and contest any and all shots.

Offensively is where this team has taken its greatest leap, thanks in large part to Budenholzer.

What was once a clunky out-of-place offense has been revitalized and ushered into a new era of play style, with four shooters stationed around the perimeter and the ball in the hands of the Greek Freak, leading to both the second most points per game and second most shots made from beyond the arc.

They have the highest point differential in the NBA. They are the only team in the league to rank inside the top five in both offensive and defensive rating and will likely have homecourt throughout the playoffs. There are plenty of other numbers one could use to make this point, but does this mean the Bucks have a guaranteed spot in the Finals? It may not be as easy as they’re making it look.

As talented as he is, it’s difficult to remember that Giannis has failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs so far in his career. He’s one of the favorites to win the MVP trophy, but to expect a giant leap into the championship round is a little farfetched, especially when considering the wealth of experience the other top teams in the Eastern Conference have.

Speaking of experience, while some on Milwaukee’s roster have encountered playoff success, a good amount of them haven’t. There’s Antetokounmpo, as mentioned before. Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon are two others.

General manager John Horst did a great job of acquiring veterans such as Lopez, George Hill and Nikola Mirotic, but at this team’s core are guys who just haven’t gone through the trenches before. Given how much they’re relied upon, the lack of playoff knowledge may come back to haunt them down the stretch of tight games.

Their play on both ends has been nothing short of spectacular, and they possess one of the top five players throughout the entire league who has no problem going toe-to-toe with some of the games best. However, this is a team that both haven’t learned how to win with expectations and gone through what it’s like when those expectations aren’t reached.

Giannis is built from all-time stuff, but due to a lack of shooting ability, defenses will likely force him to give up the ball and force others to beat them. Khris Middleton was an All-Star this year, but how much confidence does he invoke with the ball in his hands and a pivotal Game 5 hanging in the balance?

Assuming their core remains intact, the Bucks are set to dominate the East and possibly the rest of the league for the foreseeable future. They tell us to Fear the Deer up in Wisconsin, and that very well may be the case this season, resulting in their first Finals appearance since 1974.

It’s also possible, though, that their time just isn’t quite the present, and that failure may be the best teacher for them right now in order to obtain a true understanding of what it means to compete at the highest level.