Milwaukee Bucks
Following their huge win over the Boston Celtics Wednesday night, the Bucks find themselves tied for the fifth seed back east. It’s been an amazing late-season turnabout for a team that stood eight games under .500 in mid February. Since then, Jason Kidd and Co. have put up a tremendous 17-6 mark.
Now, the Bucks have gone from potential playoff contender to a team that could do some serious damage in the first round. It really starts with do-it-all forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has taken his game to a while new level this season.
The still young 22-year-old is averaging 23.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting at a 53 percent clip from the field. If he were in a larger market, we would definitely have him in the MVP conversation right now.
Though, it must be noted that Milwaukee’s turnaround began around the same time Kris Middleton returned from an injury that cost him the first three-plus months of the season. Since his return, Milwaukee boasts a solid 17-8 record.
His presence has been much needed after fellow star wing Jabari Parker was lost for the season due to yet another torn ACL. While that surely hurt Milwaukee, Middleton’s average of 14.9 points has provided a major boost.
If Milwaukee were to somehow surpass Atlanta for the fifth seed back east, it would be looking at a likely first-round matchup with Toronto. The Raptors just saw their six-game winning streak snapped Wednesday and have posted a pedestrian 23-21 mark since late December. Needless to say, this isn’t a potential series our friends up north would be looking forward to. With the defending champion Cavaliers also struggling, that could be a very interesting first-round series as well.