Minnesota Sports Forum

I'm among the majority who believe the NBA champion will probably be the Lakers or Nets. That speculation is based on the fact that both teams are loaded with talent.

However, I think it's worth noting that the Milwaukee Bucks should not be summarily dismissed as a title contender. I think there are many who overlook the fact that they have an immensely talented roster;

1. Giannis - Obviously a superstar
2. Middleton All star in 2019 and 2020
3. Jrue Holiday - former all-star and 2-time all-defensive first team
4. Brook Lopez - former all-star and all-defensive 2nd team in 2020
5. Jeff Teague - Former perennial starting PG with lots of playoff experience
6. PJ Tucker - Tough defensive competitor with lots of playoff experience

Not bad.

They lost Divencenzo for the playoffs last night, so that isn't going to help. The Nets have the most talent, no question about it. But it will be fun to see if the Bucks can get in their heads with the great individual defenders they have. Looking forward to see what happens in that series.

One thing that's kinda fun about this series is that it's a matchup of teams that have stars that weren't top 10 picks. Each team has a key player on it that was a 2nd round pick.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:They lost Divencenzo for the playoffs last night, so that isn't going to help. The Nets have the most talent, no question about it. But it will be fun to see if the Bucks can get in their heads with the great individual defenders they have. Looking forward to see what happens in that series.

Losing Divencenzo is a big deal. They'll still get past Miami, but it will hurt their chances of advancing and ultimately beating the Nets. Hard to bet against the Nets coming out of the East, but the Bucks and Sixers both have enough talent to have a legitimate shot at beating the Nets in a series. I'm still hoping for an NBA finals that doesn't include the Nets or Lakers.

lipoli390 wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:They lost Divencenzo for the playoffs last night, so that isn't going to help. The Nets have the most talent, no question about it. But it will be fun to see if the Bucks can get in their heads with the great individual defenders they have. Looking forward to see what happens in that series.

Losing Divencenzo is a big deal. They'll still get past Miami, but it will hurt their chances of advancing and ultimately beating the Nets. Hard to bet against the Nets coming out of the East, but the Bucks and Sixers both have enough talent to have a legitimate shot at beating the Nets in a series. I'm still hoping for an NBA finals that doesn't include the Nets or Lakers.

Donte being out means an opportunity for someone else to step up. There are some players in line for more minutes that may have enough ability to have a run of games in the playoffs and possibly make themselves a decent next contract. Donte will be hard to replace though obviously.

Jimmy Butler got locked down the entire series, giannis, holiday, tucker, is a terrifying defensive wave of to try to score on

I'm rooting for the Bucks myself. They seem to be more than the sum of its parts becuz of Giannis energy. Reminds me a bit of Kgs Wolves of the 03-04 season.