I have been a Bucks fan all of my life! After I fell in love with basketball in second grade they have been my NBA team to root for; I prefer the NBA over college basketball. Unfortunately, the Bucks haven’t been very good since I’ve been old enough to watch television and understand what’s going on with sports. I’ve been through the dark ages of Milwaukee basketball (2006-2014) when their best players in that entire span were Micheal Redd, Brandon Jennings, and Monta Ellis. However the past few years the Bucks have been on the rise, making improvements in their record each of the past four years and continuing to advance further into the playoffs.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been having a great year so far! They have the best record in the NBA with 48 wins and 8 losses and are on pace to be one of the favorites to win the title. They are lead by the reigning MVP of the league, Giannis Antetokoumpo, who at 6’11 and with long arms, is almost impossible to stop when going to the hoop. He’s the poster child of the Bucks franchise and the best player they’ve had since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 70’s. The body transformation of this guy from when he came into the league to now is absolutely astronomical! He has trained relentlessly to become one of the best players in the NBA and lead the Bucks to the position they’re now in. Their second best player, Kris Middleton, made the all star team for the first time this year and is one of the best up and coming shooting guards in the league. Other important rotational players they have include Pat Connaughton, Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe, and Wesley Matthews and they’re led by second year coach Mike Budenholzer.
I’m really excited for the playoffs this year! The Bucks are slated to play the Orlando Magic in the first round which they should easily be able to handle. The toughest opponent they will face in the East is probably the Boston Celtics, who are a well-rounded defensive based team that has given the Bucks problems in the past. They’re led by all stars Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, players who will be tough for them to guard. Another challenging foe for the Bucks may be the Lakers in the finals, who are carried by legends such as Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Both of these guys are genetic freaks of nature that make you wonder how humans can be so perfectly crafted to play the game of basketball. There is an emotional weight behind the Lakers journey this year with the death of Kobe and there will definitely be many NBA fans rooting for the Lakers so they can win one for Kobe. If the finals ends up being Bucks vs Lakers, I think we’ll have a very competitive series that will be one for the ages. I would be very happy if the Bucks made the finals! They haven’t been there since 1974 and it would be a monumental achievement.
Nick Pauli 