The Milwaukee Bucks opening playoff series got a lot more complicated with the News Of Khris Middleton missing the opening round. It’s being reported that he will be “re-evaluated” in two weeks. Well, in the meantime, the Bucks need to take care of business and beat the Chicago Bulls. Here’s exactly why they will do just that.
They have the best player in the series
The Bucks have not only the best player in this series but the best player in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo. On the season he averages 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. He absolutely will finish in the top 3 MVP votes again this season and is already a two-time winner. Demar Derozan, Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, and Nikola Vucevic wish they had Giannis’s skill set and athleticism. If you have the best player on the court, you always should be the favorite.
Since 2018, Giannis Antetokounmpo is 14-0 straight up vs. the Chicago Bulls 😳 pic.twitter.com/7ZNrGTZy3o
— NBABet (@nbabet) April 18, 2022
They Have absolutely owned them
The Bucks have crushed the Bulls as of late. In their last 28 games, they have won 21 of them. In this regular season alone they are 4-0 against the Bulls with an average margin of victory of 14.75. NONE of those games, Khris Middleton was the leading scorer. In fact in the regular-season series, the only major stat that Middleton leads the Bucks in when they play the Bulls is free-throw shooting percentage. The Bulls were also winless against the top three eastern conference teams this season before game two when the Bucks lost both Khris Middleton in the fourth quarter and Bobby Portis in the second quarter.
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Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, and Pat Connaughton WILL step up
In the first two games of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Bobby Portis is averaging just six PPG, Jrue Holiday is averaging 15 PPG, and Pat Connaughton is averaging just three PPG. If you compare this with their 2021 playoff numbers the Bucks are due for them to play better than they have in the first two games. In the 2021 Playoffs Bobby averaged 8 PPG, Jrue averaged 17.3PPG, and Pat averaged 6.9PPG. If we take those averages into consideration the Bucks should be scoring another 8-10 points per game. Not to mention Grayson Allen has averaged 1.5 PPG in the series and on the season he averages 11.1 PPG. Expect these four players to take another step in games 3-5.
They have the experience
The Bucks are defending champions. They have the experience, Jrue and Giannis have been in these moments before and haven’t panicked. They went into overtime in Brooklyn, in game 7, and walked away with a win. This is Zach LaVine’s first playoff experience, Demar Derozan has never won a championship, and Nikola Vucevic has never been past round 1. The Bucks will not panic, they will play their game and win this series.
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