Milwaukee Bucks looking to clean up unfinished business
Predictions
It’s easy to knock the Milwaukee Bucks off of their pedestal as the best team in the league. They were a surprise team to ascend to the league’s best record a year ago, they were exposed to an extent in the conference finals against an impressive foe and they lost Malcolm Brogdon without directly replacing him this offseason.
They also have the league’s most dominant young player, the reigning MVP and a player who has returned each offseason and been better than before. Why wouldn’t he take yet another step forward this upcoming season?
Continuity is not a straight path to the NBA championship, but it does help a team win regular season games. If the Milwaukee Bucks can balance rest well they can secure the top record in the league again. Home-court advantage may be the swing factor for who will win a showdown between the Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers.
In the NBA Finals the Bucks will have some difficult opponents to face, whether one of the Los Angeles teams or another challenger. Against the Clippers, the Bucks would struggle to match up, especially with Kawhi Leonard present to slow down Antetokounmpo. Yet to expect the Greek Freak to not have stewed on that series and come up with some counter punches would be folly.
The Bucks are the most likely team in the league to make the NBA Finals and once there they should have a great chance to take home the title. The championship picture this year is wide open, and a lot of teams are good enough to challenge the Bucks. That also means there is no clear super-powered favorite.
In that context the Bucks are as good of a title favorite as any. They will come just short of 60 wins, but still with enough to secure home-court advantage. Antetokounmpo brings home a second consecutive MVP award, averaging 30 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists — as well as hitting 100 total 3-pointers.
Next. Predicting each team's 2019-20 record. dark
They steamroll through two rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs, beat the 76ers in a hard-fought seven games, and then defeat the Western Conference foe in the NBA Finals to take home the title.