Who Will Win The ECF?

If you told me at the beginning of the season that the eastern conference finals would consist of the Bucks and the Hawks, I would ask what drugs are you on? Everyone knows that during the regular season the Bucks look like title contenders, or maybe even title favorites, but they always choke in the playoffs. So I could in a way understand what you are thinking for the Bucks, but for the Hawks? No way. The Hawks were the 14th seed in the east just one year ago, and their roster barely changed since then. I and any other rational person would think that the Hawks would be lucky to make the playoffs this season, but I guess I was dead wrong. Today I will be going over the strengths and weaknesses of each team, then give my prediction to who I think will win. 

As I said before, the Bucks always look like title contenders. They of course have a young, two time MVP in Giannis Antetokoumpo and a strong second and third option in Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton. But as I often say, who’s after that? The Bucks roster is so top heavy that it’s embarrassing just looking at the bench. They have a few outstanders like PJ Tucker and Brook Lopez, but that about covers it. 

In order for the Bucks to beat the Hawks, they need to abuse the three point line. The Bucks go to shot seems to always be in the paint. You almost never see Giannis attempt a three, and when he does, he usually misses. And for Khris Middleton, he always settles for mid ranges. It was a good move by the Bucks to bring PJ Tucker on to the team so they have a little bit of shooting, but that won’t matter unless Khris Middleton converts some mid ranges to threes.

The Hawks biggest problem is the same problem that the Bucks have, which is relying too much on their top players; but even more so. The Hawks two best players are Trae Young and John Collins, who play point guard and power forward. This is not ideal for the Hawks because Trae will be guarded by an excellent defender in Jrue Holiday, and Collins will be guarded by last year’s defensive player of the year, Giannis. Trae and Collins have been able to carry the steaming piece of garbage that are the Hawks on their back with no complaints for the last two series, but now they will have to play the second best defensive team in the league. With all this said, I believe the Milwaukee Bucks will defeat the Atlanta Hawks in five to six games.