In the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the #3 seeded Toronto Raptors (51-31) will take on the #6 seeded Milwaukee Bucks (42-40). The Raptors won the regular season series 3-1. Game 1 will tip off on Saturday at 5:30 PM EST on ESPN.
The Raptors come into this series with a lot of momentum. They've won 4 straight games and 8 of their last 10 games. They are playing really good basketball with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry leading the charge. DeRozan is averaging 27.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while Lowry is averaging 22.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. Together, they form one of the more potent scoring duos in the NBA.
When looking at this Raptors team, the big question going into this post-season is whether or not trading Terrence Ross for Serge Ibaka will pay dividends for them. The Raptors have been in need of some sort of change or acquisition to elevate them into championship status and they are hoping that landing Serge Ibaka at the trade deadline will do just that.
So far, Ibaka has played well, averaging 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, but he hasn't exactly lived up the hype either. Given that the Raptors ended up with the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference instead of the #1 seed is disappointing for them in light of the Ibaka trade. They hoped that by landing him, they'd have home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs instead.
That all said, the Raptors are definitely a better team with Serge Ibaka on the floor. He is much more multidimensional than Terrence Ross due to his ability to control the paint and shoot from beyond the arc. I want to make it clear that the addition of Serge Ibaka has made the Raptors better. They just haven't done as well with him as they hoped.
In regards to the Milwaukee Bucks, this team begins and ends with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who commonly goes by his nickname "The Greek Freak." Antetokounmpo has had a fantastic season, averaging 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game. With Jabari Parker going down in the middle of the season due to a torn ACL, Antetokounmpo has had to lead this Bucks team and he has so far done an amazing job at doing so.
In addition to "The Greek Freak" playing like a superstar, the Bucks have gotten stellar production from a lot of their role players. Khris Middleton, Greg Monroe, Malcolm Brogdon, Tony Snell, and Michael Beasley have all done a really good job of taking the pressure off of Antetokounmpo and giving him the support that he needs. Without their production, the Bucks wouldn't have made the playoffs let alone finish sixth in the Eastern Conference. A lot of credit has to go to their head coach Jason Kidd for the way he has gotten his players to buy in and play as a team. The job he has done this season has been amazing and deserves to be mentioned.
The bottom line with this series is that on paper, the Toronto Raptors should win this series in five games. They have more weapons than the Bucks and while the Bucks do have Giannis Antetokounmpo and a solid supporting cast, there is a reason the Raptors have won 50+ games and the Bucks barely are above .500. The Raptors are the vastly superior team and smart money says they beat the Bucks rather convincingly in this series.
Usually, I go with smart money when I make predictions, but not this time. I do have the Raptors winning this series, but I think it goes the distance. The Raptors have had a history of underperforming in the playoffs and the Bucks on the flip side have nothing to lose. All the pressure will be on the Raptors to win this series quickly and I expect the pressure to get to them a bit. Milwaukee is not an easy place to play on the road and I expect the Bucks to be really tough when they are at home. Gianni Antetokounmpo will have a big series and his supporting cast will do a tremendous job at extending this series far longer than it really should.
What will decide this series in the end is home court advantage and the Raptors being the better team. I think that in a Game 7 in Toronto, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry will find a way to get the job done and put the Bucks away rather handily. I expect Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas to play big in the post and step up when they absolutely need to. That said, this will be a close series and the Bucks will put a good scare into the Raptors. Don't glaze over this series. I expect this to be a fun one.
The Raptors come into this series with a lot of momentum. They've won 4 straight games and 8 of their last 10 games. They are playing really good basketball with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry leading the charge. DeRozan is averaging 27.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while Lowry is averaging 22.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. Together, they form one of the more potent scoring duos in the NBA.
When looking at this Raptors team, the big question going into this post-season is whether or not trading Terrence Ross for Serge Ibaka will pay dividends for them. The Raptors have been in need of some sort of change or acquisition to elevate them into championship status and they are hoping that landing Serge Ibaka at the trade deadline will do just that.
So far, Ibaka has played well, averaging 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, but he hasn't exactly lived up the hype either. Given that the Raptors ended up with the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference instead of the #1 seed is disappointing for them in light of the Ibaka trade. They hoped that by landing him, they'd have home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs instead.
That all said, the Raptors are definitely a better team with Serge Ibaka on the floor. He is much more multidimensional than Terrence Ross due to his ability to control the paint and shoot from beyond the arc. I want to make it clear that the addition of Serge Ibaka has made the Raptors better. They just haven't done as well with him as they hoped.
In regards to the Milwaukee Bucks, this team begins and ends with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who commonly goes by his nickname "The Greek Freak." Antetokounmpo has had a fantastic season, averaging 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game. With Jabari Parker going down in the middle of the season due to a torn ACL, Antetokounmpo has had to lead this Bucks team and he has so far done an amazing job at doing so.
In addition to "The Greek Freak" playing like a superstar, the Bucks have gotten stellar production from a lot of their role players. Khris Middleton, Greg Monroe, Malcolm Brogdon, Tony Snell, and Michael Beasley have all done a really good job of taking the pressure off of Antetokounmpo and giving him the support that he needs. Without their production, the Bucks wouldn't have made the playoffs let alone finish sixth in the Eastern Conference. A lot of credit has to go to their head coach Jason Kidd for the way he has gotten his players to buy in and play as a team. The job he has done this season has been amazing and deserves to be mentioned.
The bottom line with this series is that on paper, the Toronto Raptors should win this series in five games. They have more weapons than the Bucks and while the Bucks do have Giannis Antetokounmpo and a solid supporting cast, there is a reason the Raptors have won 50+ games and the Bucks barely are above .500. The Raptors are the vastly superior team and smart money says they beat the Bucks rather convincingly in this series.
Usually, I go with smart money when I make predictions, but not this time. I do have the Raptors winning this series, but I think it goes the distance. The Raptors have had a history of underperforming in the playoffs and the Bucks on the flip side have nothing to lose. All the pressure will be on the Raptors to win this series quickly and I expect the pressure to get to them a bit. Milwaukee is not an easy place to play on the road and I expect the Bucks to be really tough when they are at home. Gianni Antetokounmpo will have a big series and his supporting cast will do a tremendous job at extending this series far longer than it really should.
What will decide this series in the end is home court advantage and the Raptors being the better team. I think that in a Game 7 in Toronto, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry will find a way to get the job done and put the Bucks away rather handily. I expect Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas to play big in the post and step up when they absolutely need to. That said, this will be a close series and the Bucks will put a good scare into the Raptors. Don't glaze over this series. I expect this to be a fun one.
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