In the East, A Rested Bucks Team Awaits Kawhi The Hero And The Raptors

Quick, when was the last time the Bucks were in the Eastern Conference Finals? 

Some hints: We were watching our first Harry Potter movie, Monica and Chandler were just getting married, and Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson were lighting it up under George Karl. 

Yes, it was way back in 2001, when the Bucks lost in seven games to league MVP Allen Iverson and the Sixers.

But 18 years later, things are different. It’s the Bucks who have the MVP-in-waiting in Giannis Antetokoumpo, not to mention the league’s best record, and the best defensive team both in the regular season and the playoffs. Can they take the next step to the Finals, where they haven’t been since (we’ll skip the quiz for this one) 1974, in the days of Kareem and Oscar Robertson?

Let’s break down the series.

Star Versus Star

With Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokoumpo, this series features two of the best players in the league, and statistically,the two best players in the players in this year’s playoffs. How good are they?

• Kawhi is averaging 31.8 points per game, while Giannis isn’t far behind at 27.4. 
• Giannis is averaging 11.3 rebounds to Kawhi’s 8.5.
• Giannis is averaging 4.4 assists per game to Kawhi’s 3.6.
• They’re both averaging almost 2 steals per game as well, with two-time Defensive Player of the Year Leonard and the possible first time winner Giannis playing just as strong a game on the defensive end of the court.

Hopefully, neither of them will pull a Durant and get injured, which would automatically alter the series (as well as the betting lines!) While both teams have depth, more than both remaining teams in the West, they’ve definitely relied on one individual to carry them to where they are. So who are the supporting casts?

Not Giannis or Kawhi

We know CJ McCollum and Steph are there for Golden State and Portland when KD and Lillard are having an off night, but with Toronto and Milwaukee, who’s left to pick up the slack when, God forbid, Kawhi and Giannis struggle?

For the Bucks, Khris Middleton has been the next man up, averaging 19 points and 4.6 assists in the postseason. Eric Bledsoe and George Hill have combined to average 28 points while pairing with Brook Lopez to ramp u the Bucks always active D.

On the other side of the court, Kyle Lowry is a reliable plan B, but Pascal Siakam has come on strong in this third year in the league, and especially in these playoff, averaging almost 21 points alongside 7 rebounds and 3 assists. The Raptors have tons of playoff experience in  Danny Green, Serge Ibaka, and Marc Gasol, all of whom know what it takes when you get this deep into the playoffs.

How Oddsmakers See It

Before tip-off of Game One, the Bucks are the favorite to take the series at -265 to the Raptors +215. (Even at that, people are still sold on the Warriors to win it all, with the Bucks at +240 and the Raptors at +650 to hold the trophy.)

This is going to be a tight evenly matched series, with most seeing a Bucks win in either five (+300), six (+425) or seven (+330).

If Kawhi can conjure the same magic he’s summoned previously in the playoffs, there’s great money to be found in series wins bets, or in simply taking the Raptors in the series or individual games.