Bucks vs. Nets: Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview

Milwaukee Bucks Versus Brooklyn Nets: Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview

The semifinal round of the NBA playoffs is starting to take form. Especially in the Eastern Conference. The first series of the East semifinals will feature the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Brooklyn Nets. Both teams had expectations of being in this situation before the season even started. Milwaukee has been knocking on the door ever since superstar player Giannis Antetokounmpo won his first Most Valuable Player Award in 2019.

Since then, Antetokuoumpo has won the award on multiple occasions. However, the Bucks have fallen short in the postseason despite being recognized as one of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams. As of lately, Milwaukee is performing like the best team in the playoffs.

They avenged last season’s playoff loss to the Miami Heat by sweeping them 4-0 in the tournament’s opening round. Compared to the previous year, the difference for Milwaukee is they have another viable option that can make things happen in guard Jrue Holiday.

The elite defender came over in trade between New Orleans and Milwaukee before the season started. Milwaukee had its ups and downs during the year, with Holiday a part of the lineup. But as for now, the team looks to be gelling at the right time.

As for Brooklyn Nets, they stocked arms as much as possible to get into the position they are in right now. The team already had two of the very best at their jobs in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, but as the famous quote from the hit film Ocean’s Eleven states, “You think we need one more? You think we need one more. All right, we’ll get one more.” The Nets did just that. Brooklyn added Blake Griffin and LeMarcus Aldridge to their already deep roster.

However, Aldridge would retire due to health concerns. The team managed to win 48 games and would finish the season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Nets dispatched the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the playoffs 4-0. Let’s look at the keys to victory for both teams and the predicted outcome of which club shall win this series.

Bucks Versus Nets Keys to Victory

Bucks

Except for game one versus the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks had no issue taking down last year’s NBA Finals representative from the Eastern Conference. They were able to take advantage of Miami’s inability to score consistently. But the semifinal round will be a more difficult challenge due to the Nets’ ability to score at will. Brooklyn’s roster features three upper-echelon players at their positions in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.

On the bright side, the Bucks have a 2-1 regular-season record against the Nets. But now the postseason is here, and teams take their game to another level. Milwaukee’s number one priority will be to minimize the number of opportunities that the Big Three of Durant, Harden, and Irving have regarding scoring points.

Khris Middleton will be needed to provide the spark that Milwaukee needs to match the scoring velocity that Brooklyn contains. “The Greek Freak” has to take advantage of the Nets’ inability to defend big men down in the post. If Milwaukee can remain consistent in those areas, they will have a significant chance to win this series.

Nets

For most of the entire year, many league experts stated that Brooklyn appears to be a team that does not have strong chemistry among its core players. However, in their first-round playoff series against Boston, they did not need it to win the contest with very little pushback from the Celtics.

The chemistry among their top players and personnel in important role positions is going to be greatly needed. Brooklyn cannot allow Antetokuoumpo to have his way throughout this series. Because if they do, the series will be over very fast.

Milwaukee is also capable of scoring effectively, especially behind the three-point line. They are not on the level of what Brooklyn can do in the scoring department, but they do not have to be proficient in those areas to win this series. The Nets are not a team known for its defensive prowess. According to teamrankings.com, Brooklyn is ranked 23rd in the league in defensive efficiency. To simply put it, stopping “The Greek Freak” will be Brooklyn’s key to success throughout this series.

Final Prediction

After all that has been said, Strike 7 Sports predicts that the Milwaukee Bucks shall advance to the Eastern Conference Finals after defeating the Brooklyn Nets in a seven game series. Brooklyn’s inept ability to defend Milwaukee’s main contributors will lead to their downfall in this matchup.

Bucks Win Series 4-3

[pickup_prop id=”7920″]

Photo courtesy of Cover the Spread 365.