The Bucks enter the playoffs as the top seed in the East, but at least one former player doesn’t believe Milwaukee will represent its conference in the NBA Finals.
Milwaukee is expected to coast through its first-round series against the Detroit Pistons, who managed to grab the No. 8 seed despite posting just a .500 record. The most likely second-round opponent for the Bucks would be the Boston Celtics, who should be able to get past a banged-up Indiana Pacers squad in Round 1.
If this matchup ends up coming to fruition, 11-year NBA veteran Ryan Hollins likes Boston’s chances of downing Milwaukee.
“No. Are you kidding me? The Bucks are not gonna make it out of the second round,” Hollins said Thursday when asked if the Bucks will win the East, as seen on ESPN’s “First Take.” “They gotta see the Boston Celtics in the second round. Do you understand that? When you look at Giannis (Antetokounmpo), I love him. MVP candidate, I get it. Amazing season. He’s gonna struggle in the playoffs, finishing in fourth quarters. Physicality and athleticism is not gonna be enough.
“We just raved about Luka Doncic. Why? Because he can shoot a deep three and finish from the outside. That’s how you finish games out. Collectively, good group, they defend, they play hard — great story. They’re not beating the Celtics.”
Hollins added: “The edge that I’m giving Boston is Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving is arguably the greatest closer in the NBA right now. The greatest closer. The series, I’m not just saying it’s gonna be a blowout. It’s gonna be a tight game. In the last two minutes of the game, I trust the basketball in the hands of Kyrie Irving than Giannis with no experience.”
There’s no denying Irving is the most proven postseason performer between the Celtics and Bucks, but Hollins might be casting a little too much doubt on the Greek Freak. While the Golden State Warriors make it seem otherwise, outside shooting isn’t the only way to win basketball games. Antetokounmpo is one of the most dominant interior forces in recent seasons, and even with the presences of Al Horford and Aron Baynes, the Celtics will have their work cut out for them in trying to slow down the MVP frontrunner.
Not to mention, Antetokounmpo won’t have to do it by himself. The Bucks feature a handful of capable shooters, including Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton and Nikola Mirotic, who’s hopeful to return for the start of the postseason. And with much of the attention being fixated on Antetokounmpo, the Celtics could end up opening the door for Milwaukee’s role players to make a big impact on the series. That unit certainly rose to the occasion last season when the Bucks nearly pulled off a first-round upset of the C’s before falling in Game 7.
Picking Boston to beat Milwaukee isn’t ludicrous by any stretch, but being so confident in an early exit for the Bucks seems foolish.
