The 2021 Eastern Conference Finals consists of one team returning after a one-year absence looking to advance to the championship round after coming so close two late springs back and falling short a season ago. Their opponent is one that is looking to continue their magical carpet ride in their first postseason appearance in four years and looking to reach The Finals for the first time since their last season in St. Louis, MO in 1961, where they won their lone title in 1958 over the guys from “Beantown.” This series will feature a two-time Finals MVP and perennial All-Star looking to add the one thing missing from his career resume, a championship. The other headline star of this series is a 22-year-old budding star who has taken the NBA by storm in his first playoff appearance in only his third NBA season. Here is the 2021 J-Speaks Eastern Conference Finals Preview.
After entering the last two postseasons
with the best record in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks have fallen short of
their goal of making the NBA Finals. Two years ago, their Finals run was derailed by the eventual NBA champion
Toronto Raptors in 2019, in six games, dropping the last four in succession after
starting the series 2-0. In the restart in Orlando, FL, the Bucks were taken
down by the eventual East representative in last year’s Finals the Miami Heat
in the 2020 East Semifinals in five games.
During the 2020-21 regular season, the third-year
head coach Mike Budenholzer’s squad
finished No. 3 in the East at 46-26, behind the No. 2 Seeded Brooklyn
Nets (48-24) and the No. 1 Seeded Philadelphia 76ers (49-23).
In the First Round of this year’s Playoffs,
the more equipped Bucks were more prepared for the rematch against their arch nemesis
in the in the Heat (40-32), the No. 6 Seed, sweeping them 4-0. In the closeout
Game 4, the Bucks overcame a 12-point first half deficit, outscoring the
defending Eastern Conference champions 63-39 in the second half.
In the East Semis against the Nets, the
Bucks overcame a 2-0 series lead, losing Game 2 at the Nets by 39 points
(125-86), their second largest margin of defeat in franchise postseason
history. They trailed in the blowout contest at one point by 49 points.
The Bucks bounced back to win Games 3
(86-83) and 4 (107-96) at home to tie the series 2-2 and facing elimination
after falling in Game 5 (114-108) after leading by as many as 17 points, the
Bucks won Game 6 at home 104-89 versus the Nets to force a winner take all Game
7.
In that winner take all Game 7, the Bucks
overcame a 10-point second quarter deficit and a Game 7 record of 48 points by
two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant, taking down the Nets 115-111 in overtime to
advance to the Conference Finals after a one-year absence.
The Bucks are four wins away from reaching
the NBA Finals because of their dynamic duo of two-time league MVP Giannis
Antetokounmpo, who has registered a double-double in the Bucks first 11 games
of the 2021 NBA Playoffs so far, and fellow All-Star Khris Middleton has shown to
be elite, especially in the clutch.
Middleton in Game 1 of the opening-round
versus Heat hit the eventual game-winning 19-foot jumper with 00.5 seconds left
to cap his 27-point performance with six boards and six assists on 10 for 22
shooting in the 109-107 win in overtime.
In the Game 4 clincher, a 120-103 by the
Bucks to complete the 4-0 sweep of the Heat, Antetokounmpo had his first career
playoff triple-double and just the third in Bucks’ playoff history with 20
points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists, and Middleton also had 20 points with 11
rebounds.
In Games 3 of the East Semis versus the
Nets, Middleton had 15 of his game-high 35 points to go along with a playoff
career-high 15 rebounds on 12 for 25 shooting, including 3 for 6 from
three-point range and 8 for 9 from the free throw line. Antetokounmpo had 33
points and 14 rebounds on 14 for 31 from the field.
Antetokounmpo led the way in the Game 4v
win with 34 points and 12 rebounds on 14 for 26 shooting and Middleton had 19
points and eight rebounds.
With their season on the line in Game 6 at
home, Middleton rose to the occasion with a playoff career-high 38 points, 10
rebounds, five assists and five steals on 11 for 16 shooting, including 5 for 8
from three-point range, while Antetokounmpo had 19 of his 30 points and 11 of
his 17 rebounds in the opening half.
In Game 7, Antetokounmpo rose to the
moment with 40 points, 13 rebounds and five assists on 15 for 24 from the
field, and after beginning the win-or-go-home thriller 1 for 5 from the charity
stripe, hit seven of his last eight at the foul line including some crucial
ones in the second half. He finished the series averaging 31.9 points and 12.9
rebounds on 57 percent from the field.
“I’m really happy for this team. I’m
really happy for what we’ve got done. Really happy that we we’re able to write
No. 8 [playoff wins in 2021 playoffs] on the board. But the job is not done,”
Antetokounmpo, who became the fifth player with 40-plus points and 10-plus
rebounds in Game 7 in NBA Playoff history said in his Zoom postgame presser
after the series clinching win at the Nets. “We’ve got to keep believing in
ourselves. We’ve got to keep playing good basketball. And take it game-by-game.
The job is not done.”
Khris Middleton, while he struggled with his shot for much of the game going 9 for 26 from the field (2/7 from three-point range), he hit the go-ahead jumper with 40.1 seconds left in overtime to cap an effort of 23 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and another five steals.
The Bucks are in position to compete for
their second title in franchise history also because of the new ancillary
pieces in All-Star floor general Jrue Holiday, P.J. Tucker, who the Bucks
acquired at the Mar. 25 trade deadline from the Houston Rockets, Bobby Portis,
and Bryn Forbes, to go alongside the likes of Brook Lopez, and Pat Connaughton.
In Game 2 of the First-Round versus the
Heat, it was Forbes that was the sparked in the 132-98 win, scoring 14 of his
22 points in the first quarter going 4 for 5 from three-point range, finishing
the game 6 for 9 from distance. Holiday in the victory had 11 points, 15
assists, seven boards, and two steals, while Portis contributed 11 points and
five rebounds.
In the 113-84 blowout win at the Heat in
Game 3, Holiday had his second straight double-double of 19 points and 12
assists, while Portis and Forbes, who shot 3 for 7 from three-point range each
scored 11 points.
In the Game 4 clincher at the Heat, Lopez had
a game-high 25 points with eight rebounds and two block shots on 11 for 15
shooting. Portis had 13 points, going 3 for 7 from three-point range. Holiday
had 11 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and four steals.
While he struggled in Game 3 going 4 for
14 from the field, Holiday’s breakaway layup off a Nets miss put the Bucks up
84-83 and they eventually won the game as mentioned 86-83, finishing the
victory with nine points and five assists. The Bucks outside of Antetokounmpo
and Middleton combined for 18 points on 8 for 34 shooting and 0 for 3 from the
charity stripe.
The supporting cast of the Bucks got back
on track in the Game 4 win as Holiday had 14 points and nine assists, while
Tucker had his best game of this postseason with 13 points and seven rebounds hitting
3 for 4 from three-point range. The supporting cast combined for 54 points on
17 for 44 from the field, including 9 for 25 from three-point range and 6 for 7
from the foul line.
In Game 6 with the season hanging in the
balance, Holiday had 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals
even though he was going 8 for 21 shooting, including 1 for 10 from three-point
range.
Holiday struggled with his shot as well in
Game 7 at the Nets going just 5 for 23, including 2 for 9 from three-point
range. But that second made three-pointer put the Bucks up 104-101 late in the
fourth quarter, and in the final minute of overtime forced Durant into a
fadeaway three-pointer that ended up being an airball and that preserved the
lead of the Bucks at the time.
Lopez, who had 19 points and eight boards
against his former team in Game 7 had a huge block on Durant’s left-handed
layup attempt that kept the score tied 111-111 late in overtime.
In a game that featured a majority of the
scoring from the starters of the Bucks and Nets, reserve Pat Connaughton was
big for the visitors with nine points on 3 for 5 from three-point range off the
bench, representing the only scoring off the bench for either team.
The Bucks opponent for the right to
represent the East in the 2021 NBA Finals is the surprising Atlanta Hawks, who
at one point in the season were on the outside the playoff picture looking in.
They fired then head coach Lloyd Pierce at
the start of March when they were 14-20 and sinking fast in the East playoff
race, replacing him with assistant coach Nate McMillan on an interim basis. The
Hawks finished the regular season under interim Coach McMillan 27-11, earning
the No. 5 spot in the East and made the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Aside from being outscored 10-1 to close
Game 2 after being tied 91-91 to lose Game 2 101-92, the Hawks won their
First-Round series over the No. 4 Seeded New York Knicks 4-1, winning the
opener at the Knicks 107-105.
The Hawks took down the Knicks both games
at home 105-94 in Game 3 and 113-96 in Game 4 and closed out the Knicks in
their house 103-89 to take the series in five games.
In the East Semis against the top seeded
76ers, the Hawks took homecourt advantage away immediately, leading by as many
as 26 points and holding on for a 128-124 win after a furious comeback by the
76ers that came up short.
After dropping Games 2 and 3 of the series
118-102 and 127-111, the Hawks bounced back overcoming an 18-point deficit with
1:43 left in second quarter to earn a 103-100 win in Game 4 to tie the series
2-2.
After falling behind by 26 points with
9:22 left third quarter and trailed 87-69 after three quarters, the Hawks
outscored the 76ers 40-19 in the fourth quarter winning Game 5 109-106.
After dropping Game 6 at home 104-99, the
Hawks rose to the moment in Game 7 going from trailing 28-25 after the first
quarter to outscoring the 76ers on their home floor 78-68 the final three
quarters and making the plays down the stretch to earn the 103-96 win, earning
their first Game 7 in of a best-of-seven series on the road in franchise
history.
In their previous 7 trips to the playoffs,
the Hawks compiled a 9-28 record. This postseason they have gone 8-4 and a big
reason for that has been the league’s breakout star of the 2021 Playoffs,
besides All-Star guard for the Phoenix Suns in floor general Trae Young, whose
looked or played nothing like a player in the postseason for the first time in
his career.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Young
in the 2021 Playoffs so far has registered five 30-point games which is tied
with four-time Kia MVP and three-time Finals MVP LeBron James and Hall of Famer
Rick Barry for the most in a player’s first postseason in NBA history. Young,
whose averaged 29.1 points and 10.4 assists through the first two rounds of the
2021 Playoffs is the sixth player in NBA Playoff history to average 25 points
and 10 assists entering the Conference Finals.
Young put his stamp on the 2021 Playoffs
right away with the eventual game-winning runner with 00.9 seconds left in the
Hawks take down at the Knicks in Game 1 of First Round.
In the Game 4 clincher, Young closed the
door on the Knicks season scoring 18 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter
with nine assists on 13 for 15 from the charity stripe. Young after going 5 for
20 from the field, including 1 for 9 from three-point range the first three
quarters went 5 for 8 shooting in the final period, including 2 for 4 from
three-point range and 6 for 7 from the free throw line.
Young joined Michael Jordan as the only
players with three consecutive 30-point games in the playoffs at Madison Square
Garden.
In the Hawks stunning win at the 76ers to
open the East Semis, Young had 35 points and 10 assists on 11 for 23 from the
field and 4 for 11 from three-point range, and 9 for 9 from the free throw
line.
In Game 4, Young struggled to score 25
points, going 8 for 26 from the field, including 3 for 11 from three-point
range but had 18 assists.
In Game 5, Young had a playoff career-high
39 points on 10 for 23 shooting and 17 for 19 from the free throw line.
Young in Games 4 and 5 was at his best in
the second half with 17 points and nine assists in Game 4 and had 25 points of
his 39 points and six assists of seven assists in the second half of Game 5.
In the Game 6 loss (104-99) that sent the
series back to Philadelphia, Young scored 14 of his game-high 34 points in the
second half to go with 12 assists, five boards and two steals on 13 for 30 shooting,
including 5 for 10 from three-point range.
Young began Game 7 with 9 points on just 1
for 12 from the field, including 1 for 7 from three-point range in the first
half and had just 11 points on 2 for 16 shooting, including 1 for 8 from
distance after three quarters. But had 10 points in the fourth quarter to
finish with 21 points and 10 assists in the victory.
While Young’s scoring has been the
headliner of the Hawks success, his passing that is a big reason why John
Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Lou Williams, Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, and Kevin
Huerter have scored at such as high clip.
The Hawks turnaround from being six games
under .500 at the start of March has also come from their ability to win close
games, something early that earlier in the season struggled to do.
Counting the playoffs so far, the Hawks
are 12-2 in games decided by five points or less under Coach McMillan since
March 2.
“I felt they were built for this moment
tonight. To win this game” Coach McMillan, whose team has gone 5-2 on the road
so far in the 2021 Playoffs said in his Zoom postgame presser after the Game 7
win. “They have shown this type of play really all season for us. Finishing a
game, finishing the fourth quarter, and I just really felt confident that we
were going to play a big game tonight, and give ourselves a chance to
win.”
The eventual game-winning runner by Young does
not take place if not for the fourth made three-pointer by Bogdanovic that tied
the game 103-103 with 55 seconds left in regulation of.
Bogdanovic hit a key triple in Game 1 of
the East Semis to hold off the 76ers furious comeback in Game 1 of the East
Semis, and his three-pointer to open the fourth quarter of Game 4 as part of
his 22-point, five-rebound night on 4 for 13 from three-point range put the
Hawks up for the first time in the second half.
After missing 25 games during the regular
season because of a knee issue, Bogdanovic has been solid with averages of 16.4
points on 43.8 percent from three-point range to averaging 13.8 points and five
boards.
In the early part of the Hawks rebuilding
stage back in 2017, the team was built around John Collins. As Young as
ascended to being the face of the Hawks and the supporting cast has gotten
better, Collins has played more of a secondary role during the regular season
and has made the necessary adjustments to fit in that with a very talented and
now solid basketball team.
In Game 4 and 5, Collins registered
consecutive double-doubles of 14 points and 12 rebounds in Game 4 and 19 points
and 11 rebounds in Game 5, his first back-to-back doubles since Mar. 14 and 16.
In the East Semis, the Hawks had to deal
with runner-up for Kia MVP this past regular season in Joel Embiid, and while
he had a solid series numbers wise, Capela more than held his own, which he has
done all season long.
He averaged very quietly 10 points and 13.4
rebounds in the First-Round against the Knicks, registering a double-double in
all five games. Capela followed that up with averages of 10.6 points and 10.3
rebounds in the Semis against the 76ers, registering three double-doubles in
the series.
When one of the Hawks best young players
De’Andre Hunter was lost for the rest of the playoffs after having knee
surgery, someone had to step up and replace the production that was lost,
especially shooting wise, where Hunter averaged 10.8 points on 37.5 percent
from three-point range. They got that production from Kevin Huerter and
veterans Williams and Gallinari.
In Game 1 of the East Semifinals at the
76ers, Huerter had 15 points, five rebounds on 3 for 6 from three-point range.
He had 20 points on 8 for 10 from the field, including 3 for 5 from three-point
range in the 118-102 loss in Game 2. After totaling just 13 points on 3 for 14
shooting in Games 3, 4 and 5, Huerter had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the
aforementioned Game 6 loss.
Huerter saved his best for last with a
playoff career-high 27 points and seven boards on 10 for 18 shooting and
hitting three crucial free throws in the final minutes of the Game 7 clincher
of East Semis at 76ers, going 5 for 7 from the charity stripe on the evening.
“This team is special, man,” Huerter, whose
squad is now 5-2 on the road in the 2021 NBA Playoffs said after the Game 7
clincher with NBA on TNT’s Stephanie Ready on Sunday. “Everybody’s counted us
out all year. For us to make it this far and win in this building in Game 7
that’s huge for us.”
“We’ve got a young locker room but we’re a
little naive. We’re always believing. We always know we can win, and we just
got to keep it going.”
When the Hawks traded for Lou Williams at
the Mar. 25 trade deadline, he contemplated retirement because he was dealt
from a championship caliber team in the Los Angeles Clippers. After taking some
time, the Atlanta native decided to report to the team and the Hawks are
thankful he did, especially in Game 5 where all 15 of his points in the second
half, including 13 points in the fourth quarter. Williams was also huge in the
Game 1 of the First-Round at the Knicks scoring 13 points off the bench.
The Hawks have also gotten solid play from
Gallinari, who put his up-and-down regular season, where he missed 21 games
because of injury behind him and has been solid.
He closed the Semis with scoring outputs
of 16, 16 and 17 points respectably in Games 5, 6 and 7. Gallinari’s breakaway
dunk off a steal of the 76ers Embiid put the Hawks up 98-92 as they finished
the game on a 7-4 run.
During the regular season, the Bucks took
two of the three meeting against the Hawks (129-115 win at home Jan. 24;
120-109 win at Hawks Apr. 25) averaging 117.7 points on 51 percent shooting and
outrebounding them by an average of 48 to 36.7 (+11.3 rebounds).
To further illustrate this point, the
Bucks were a +21 (43-22) in second chance points in the season series against
the Hawks.
The Hawks 7.3 average of second chance
points against the Bucks was their lowest average versus any opponent during the
regular season.
The Hawks, while they averaged 111.7
points against the Bucks during the regular season, they managed to outshoot
their next playoff opponent 38 percent to 33 percent from three-point range,
with a differential of +21 in points from three-point range over the Bucks
(123-102).
One of the reason’s that the Bucks
acquired Holiday from the Pelicans this past offseason was to take on
exceptional guards like Young, who only played in one of the three regular
season tilts against the Bucks.
“Every team since he’s stepped into the
NBA has gone in and played the Atlanta Hawks trying to stop Trae Young, and
nobody’s seemed to have figured it out yet,” Huerter said.
The Bucks will need for Holiday to try to
slow down Young in this series, which means he might have the kind of offensive
production he had in the Semis against the Nets where he shot just 36 percent
from the floor and just 26 percent from three-point range.
One area to look to see if Holiday is
keeping Young under wraps is his free throw attempts. In two wins against the 76ers
in the Semis, Young attempted 19 and 11 free throws in two of the wins.
In the lone game Young played against versus
Bucks on Apr. 15, Young had just 15 points on 3 for 17 shooting, including 0
for 3 from three-point range with six turnovers. When Young’s primary defender was
Holiday, he held him to zero made shots in eight tries. While Young was 9 for 9
from the charity stripe in the loss, he attempt zero free throws when Holiday
was guarding him.
“What he can do for his size. The way he
can get down the lane and get everybody involved. Look for his own shot. Create
for his own self, it’s unbelievable,” Antetokounmpo, who is 5-0 in head-to-head
tilts with Young in his career, said of the Hawks floor general’s skill set
offensively. “It’s unbelievable, and I think it’s his second year, third year
in the league. Yeah, like what he’s done in a three-year span is unbelievable.”
So far this postseason, the Bucks have
allowed just 43.3 percent shooting to their opponent’s, No. 2 in the 2021 NBA
Playoffs.
The Hawks hope that Bogdanovic, who
averaged 30 points per game in playing two of the three tilts against the Hawks
in the regular season going 12 for 23 from three-point range against the Bucks
can be that lethal floor spacer that can take some pressure off Young to have
to be supremely productive. They also hope that Huerter can also strike a
consistent match from the perimeter.
Another key for the Hawks is getting off
to a good start unlike in the point differential of -39 they had against the Bucks
in the opening half of the three meetings in the regular season Though the
Hawks had a point differential in the second half of +21 in those first three
meetings.
The Hawks so far in the 2021 Playoffs have
gone 5-2 when leading by double-digits, and a 5-2 mark in clutch time (games
that were within five points in the last five minutes of regulation or overtime).
The Bucks however have gone 6-1 when
leading by double-digits (only loss Game 5 of Semis at Nets) and are the only
with a winning record (3-2) after trailing by double-digits. They also have compiled
a 3-1 mark in clutch games so far this postseason.
With Holiday more than likely having to sacrifice
his offensive to have enough energy to tangle with Young, that means
Antetokounmpo, Lopez, Forbes, Connaughton, and Portis will have to step up
their offensive production.
“They really stretch your defense with
their ability to have a number of playmakers out there on the floor,” Coach
McMillan said of the Bucks offensive execution.
For Antetokounmpo, he has been solid this
entire postseason, averaging 28.8 points and 13.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists so
far this postseason. During the regular season against the Hawks of 24.3
points, 11 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 64.3 percent from field.
In the final two games of the Semis against
the Nets, Antetokounmpo cut his three-point attempts to just six, all in Game
7, taking none in Game 6. For the series, he shot just 19.1 percent (8 for 31),
and has gone 9 for 47 (19.2 percent) from three-point range so far in the 2021
NBA Playoffs.
Antetokounmpo has made his money in the
paint this postseason, averaging 19.6 points in the paint, and is the leader in
dunks this postseason with 38. His 154 total paint points in the Semis against
the Nets is the most in a playoff series since Shaquille O’Neal for the Lakers
in the 2000 Finals against the Pacers.
In the season series against the Hawks,
the Bucks outscored them 160-120 in the paint in the three meetings.
Attempting to slow down the Bucks two-time
league MVP will be Collins and Capela, and at times Gallinari.
“They’re multifaceted. It’s not just Young
and Capela in the pick-and-roll,” Coach Budenholzer said of the Hawks. “They do
a lot of things at a high level. They’re really good. So, obviously Jrue and
Brook, they always take a major workload defensively.”
The Bucks will also need the two-time Kia
MVP to tighten up his free throw stroke, which came into full focus for the
Nets fans and the referees in the Semis. He shot 48 percent at the foul line in
the Semis against the Nets and has shot 53.8 percent so far in the 2021
Playoffs.
“He gets downhill. He always finds an
angle. He gets everybody else going and they’ve got a lot of really good
players around him,” Huerter said of Antetokounmpo offensively. “We got to
protect the paint.”
There are a couple of undertone stories in
this upcoming East Finals series. The Hawks will be facing their former head
coach in the aforementioned Mike Budenholzer, who guided the then No. 1 Seeded
Hawks to the Conference Finals in 2015, where they were swept by the then
LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0.
When the two teams meet in Game 1 of the
series on Wednesday night on TNT, it will be the first game for Bogdanovic at
the Bucks, having missed the January meeting in the regular season because of
the aforementioned knee injury.
The Bucks back in the summer of 2020 were
trying to acquire Bogdanovic, a restricted free agent then via a sign-and-trade
with the Sacramento Kings. Bogdanovic decided to enter unrestricted free agency
which killed the deal and the Bucks got penalized for what technically was
tampering, and it cost them a Second-Round draft pick and the chance to land
one of the NBA’s top shooters.
The Bucks because of that trade going
south were able to months later acquire Tucker at the previously mentioned
March 25 trade deadline.
The one guarantee when this series is
over, there will be new blood representing the Eastern Conference in the 2021
NBA Finals.
The Bucks have not reached The Finals
since 1974, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. They won
their lone title in 1971 led by then Lew Alcindor, now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who
earned the first of his six Kia MVPs and one of his two Finals MVPs.
The Atlanta Hawks have not been to the NBA
championship round since losing to the Celtics in back-to-back trips to The
Finals in seven and five games when they were based in St. Louis, MO in 1960
and 1961, dropping the four out of five meetings against the Celtics in The Finals.
Three years prior, they took down the boys from “Beantown” in the 1958 Finals
in six games led by Kia MVP and Hall of Famer Bob Pettit.
The Hawks have come a long way since the
start of this season going from being 14-20 at the start of March to being four
wins away from playing in The Finals. Their star floor general Trae, Young who
not only did not make the All-Star team this past regular season but did not
even make the All-NBA team. In fact, the Atlanta Hawks along with the 1994
Indiana Pacers are the only two teams to reach the Conference Finals under the
current 16-team format that has been in place since 1984 to not have a player
be in the unofficial mid-season classic.
To put this into perspective, this will be
the first Conference Finals with one All-Star player in Bucks’ Antetokounmpo
since the 1975 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Chicago
Bulls.
“We’re happy we’ve made it to the Eastern
Conference Finals. But we’re not satisfied,” Young said in his Zoom presser on
Tuesday. “We’ve had that chip on our shoulder all year, having that underdog
mentality.”
The Hawks, who made the postseason for the
first time since 2017 are way ahead of schedule in building themselves into a
perennial title contender. They are going up against a very motivated, hungry,
and talented opponent in the Bucks, who have the edge in playoff experience, a
two-time Kia MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who along with his teammates and
head coach Mike Budenholzer see this as their best chance to reach The Finals
with the likes of the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat out of
the picture. They also have homecourt advantage.
Simply put, the Bucks have no more
excuses. This series and essentially, the NBA title is theirs to lose.
“We’ve worked extremely hard to be in this
moment. But the jobs not done,” Antetokounmpo said. “We believe in who we are.
No matter the pressure, we are built for this.”
“It’s not going to be easy. Like it’s
going to be hard. We’ve got to play for 48 minutes. We’ve got to trust one
another. We’ve got to make it as tough as possible for them [Hawks]. But we
know they’re a great team and a very dangerous team.”
“No matter the pressure, we’re going to go
out there and compete.”
Prediction:
Bucks in six games.
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