Within the span of 24 hours, the NBA world was on the receiving end of a pair of Eastern Conference Game 7’s that both resulted in the lower seed winning by an average of 5.5 points. The result? The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks playing in the conference finals with a trip to the NBA finals on the line… just as we expected, right?
This series is all about these two squads embracing their underdog mentality in their own way. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have had their fair share of postseason woes through the years and for the first time in a while, Milwaukee seems equipt enough to roll past what looks like a favorable matchup against the Hawks.
But, we have to give credit where credit is due and the fact of the matter is that the Hawks are just as capable as any other team to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy. It all starts and ends with Trae Young.
He has been nothing short of phenomenal in his inaugural playoff run, averaging 29.1 points and 10.4 assists while shooting 41.3% from the field… but Milwaukee will rightfully pose a tougher task than the Knicks and Sixers. Atlanta was simply better than the Knicks and dominated them in a series that only saw five games, however against the Sixers, one can argue that the Hawks were in fact not the better team throughout the series.
The thing about the Hawks playoff run is that it seems like a too-good-to-be-true story (not trying to sound like a hater). Meanwhile, Milwaukee seems like a team that has paid its dues through the year’s and they have finally got past the Miami Heat and the long-favored title favorites in Brooklyn. Everything Trae Young and the Hawks are capable of doing offensively, the Bucks are just as good, if not better.
It comes by no surprise that Giannis Antetokounmpo is the most efficient scorer for Milwaukee followed by Khris Middleton and then Jrue Holiday. But more importantly, this Bucks trio has what it takes defensively to keep the Hawks in check. Young will likely have to take on Holiday in isolation but if he wants to hit those floaters that he covets so much, Middleton or Giannis will likely come closing in on those. It’s also worth noting that Young played in only one of three games this season and scored a mere 15 points while shooting an atrocious 17.6% from the field. It’s safe to assume both the Bucks defense and Young are walking into a matchup that the two sides have barely seen. Meanwhile, Brook Lopez is an overlooked name defensively, which deserves more credit. He will likely see a lot of matchups against Clint Capela and John Collins.
When it comes to the Hawks defensively game plan, it’s tough to see who is going to “shut down” the “Greek Freak.” When it comes to players like Antetokounmpo, Atlanta needs to learn how to do damage control. Through three games against the Hawks this season, Antetokounmpo had his way averaging 24.3 points and 11.0 rebounds while shooting 64.3% from the field. Expect the reigning MVP to continue to have his way against the Hawks, this time in the postseason.
Underlying Storylines…
Although all the attention is going to be on Antetkounmpo, Young, and the rest of the supporting case between the Hawks and Bucks, it’s tough to ignore what’s brewing on the sidelines of this series.
For the Bucks, it all starts and ends with head coach Mike Budenholzer, who spent five seasons with the Hawks prior to parting ways with the team in 2018. Interestingly enough, the last time the Hawks were in the Eastern Conference finals was in the 2014-15 season when Budenholzer led them to an NBA-best 60-22 record and won coach of the year. Fast forward seven-year down the stretch and the Hawks are taking on their former coach.
Meanwhile, Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic is another important piece to watch in this series. Bogdanovic is not only an important part of the Hawks’ success this season, but he is also what the Bucks wish they had…
Flashback to the last offseason, the Bucks were looking to surround Antetokounmpo with more talent and the two-time MVP wanted Bogdanovic to join him in Milwaukee. Milwaukee did what needed to be done and landed both Bogdanovic and Jrue Holiday within a span of hours. However, things took an unexpected turn and Bogdanovic ended up on the Atlanta Hawks. Here’s more from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report:
Bogdanovic was communicated as Antetokoumpo’s preferred addition all offseason.
When word arrived last week of the Bucks’ Monday night coup—agreeing in principle to acquire both Jrue Holiday and Bogdanovic in the waning hours of the league’s renewed transaction window—there was an overwhelming sense around the organization, and people with knowledge of Antetokounmpo’s thinking, that he would accept the Bucks’ supermax extension offer—the ultimate objective of the franchise’s 2020 offseason.
A week later, Bogdanovic plays for the Atlanta Hawks, not the Bucks. And there has since been a categorical step back in the Bucks’ confidence in getting a long-term commitment from their superstar, even if Antetokounmpo ultimately accepts the franchise’s offer of a five-year, $228 million supermax extension.
Ultimately, we know Antetokounmpo ended up signing the supermax and is now in his second career Eastern Conference Finals with the Bucks. This time around, Milwaukee seems like they have put together a supporting cast that will overshadow Young and a Hawks team that is not ready to don the title of “Conference Champs” just yet.
