The Bucks
By Hernan Gutierrez
Ever since LeBron James joined the Lakers in July, basketball fans from Portland to Brooklyn have been speculating who will win the Eastern Conference. The last time an Eastern team without LeBron James represented the conference in the Finals was 2010.
Now, with LeBron in the West, the East is up for grabs. Looking at the numbers, Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo and his Bucks will be in the NBA Finals.
Milwaukee currently leads the East in points per game and second half scoring. This proves that not only can the Bucks score, they can close out games. On top of that, the Bucks are also tied for first in the East in 3-pointers made per game.
Defensively, the Bucks’ numbers still hold up. They lead the East in both rebounds and blocks. They stay out of foul trouble and limit opponent points from the line as they average 11.5 fouls per game, fifth lowest in the East.
In addition to success on the court, reports show that the Bucks’ locker room is pleasant and they continue to build chemistry. The team that gets along performs well deep into June.
So, thanks to some of the best offense and defense in the league, discipline and good team chemistry, the Milwaukee Bucks will be headed to their first NBA Finals since 1974.
The Warriors
By Mitchell Kaminski
What’s the forecast in Oakland this summer? It will be raining threes courtesy of the Splash Brothers. The Golden State Warriors will roll through the Western Conference like a hot knife slicing butter, bringing with them their fifth consecutive conference title and bump their NBA title streak up to three.
I could sit here and pretend like the East will be competitive like many of the fanboys in the NBA media would want you to believe. The truth is that there is no competition that can match up with the boys from the bay. The starters include the best shooter in NBA history, a five time all-star, the second best player on the planet in Kevin Durant and the newly added Demarcus Cousins. That is a pretty intimidating group. And their bench still retains players from past championships.
They have the best field goal percentage in the NBA plus they lead the league in assists and blocks. Not only are the Warriors extremely talented, the rest of the conference doesn’t really provide very much competition.
The Rockets are simply just a bearded ballhog carrying the team. James Harden scoring 30 unassisted points a night is not a winning formula, especially in the late rounds of the playoffs.
Every so called “competitive” team in the conference I did not mention would be lucky to sniff the second round, let alone challenge the Warriors.
Hernan says the Bucks will challenge them in the Finals, but he will see that the Warriors won’t falter for their fourth crown in five years.
