Milwaukee Bucks: Ranking Possible Eastern Conference playoff opponents

Eastern Conference Finals

If the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics wrap up the two and three seeds, the Bucks will likely play one of these teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs.  last year, the Bucks fell apart after having a 2-0 lead over the Raptors and home-court advantage. Players like Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe both came up short, and for the Bucks to take down either of these teams it will need to be a complete team effort.

1. Toronto Raptors

The Bucks had the Raptors right where they wanted them, but ended up folding after being up 2-0. Kawhi Leonard is gone but the Raptors have not fallen off a cliff, which is a testament to how good of a team they are. So far this year, the Bucks are 2-0 against the Raptors.

Even with Leonard now on the Clippers, the Raptors still have the players that gave the Bucks real trouble last year and were ultimately a big part of the reason the Raptors ended up beating the Bucks.

Pascal Siakam took a big step forward this season, and he will continue to be a tough matchup for the Bucks.  The Raptors struggled against Antetokounmpo this season, and last year will be on the minds of all the Bucks players who were there when it fell apart.

Overall, this matchup would not be easy for either team. The Raptors have players who can shoot well like Fred Van Vleet and Kyle Lowry. The Bucks will need to continue to play dominant defense against a team like the Raptors.

The Bucks match up better against the Raptors than they would the Celtics, and could make this a quicker series if they play their best basketball.

2. Boston Celtics

Last year, Paul Pierce declared the series was over after the Celtics beat the Bucks in game one in Milwaukee, but that is not even close to what happened.

With Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Marcus Morris out of Boston, people thought the Celtics were going to take a huge step back. However, the Celtics have improved from last year, but so have the Bucks. They have faced off twice this season, and both games were hard-fought close games.

A lot of the improvement for the Celtics comes from the huge step forward the younger players have taken. Jayson Tatum has made one of the biggest leaps of any player this season and has transformed into an All-Star and superstar in the NBA. Jaylen Brown has taken on a new role on the team and has thrived.

As far as matchups go, the Celtics matchup the best against the Bucks, especially on the outside after adding a player like Kemba Walker to an already strong roster. The Celtics are loaded with shooters, which have hurt the Bucks throughout the season. The Bucks can struggle to put away teams that shoot the lights out, so blowing out the Celtics will be no easy feat.

However, the Bucks have been dominant all season, and the Celtics will need to play the 4 best games of basketball they have played all season, and that will be an easy task.

A Milwaukee Bucks versus Boston Celtics series in the Eastern Conference Finals is a virtual lock to be six or seven games. These two teams always play hard against each other, and playoffs only add to the intensity. Each team’s strengths highlight the other team’s weaknesses.

The series will hinge on Giannis, Khris Middleton, and Eric Bledsoe playing at their best because if they don’t, the Celtics have players that could make it a long, long series for the Milwaukee Bucks.