FANTASTIC bEASTS

Eastern Conference Finals

Bucks vs. Raptors

WOW. For the first time in over a decade, the Eastern Conference Finals will not have LeBron James playing in it. Since 2007, “The King” has made 11 consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances winning every single series since 2010.

This year’s Eastern Conference finals features two of the finest teams in the East. I am not surprised that both the Bucks and Raptors are going head to head in the conference finals with a trip to the promise land on the line. The Bucks are making their first Conference Finals appearance since the 1973-74 season and the Raptors are making their 2nd ever Conference Finals appearance in hopes to reach the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history. This matchup is looking like one we will remember for a long time so let’s get right to the good stuff!

Predicting the Series…

I said it once and I’ll say it again. The Bucks are the main team that can cause trouble for Toronto down the stretch as the Raptors have only won 1 of their 4 head to head matchups. The Bucks had one an easier path than the Raptors to get to the Conference finals, and in a series best of 7, things can get interesting. If the Raptors can hold Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks down to a one-possession game in crunch time, the Bucks offense could become one-dimensional and be forced to start shooting some mid-range shots/3 pointers… something that the Raptors have the upper hand in. The clear matchup to watch is “THE KLAW” against “THE GREEK FREAK”. Sounds like two superheroes battling it out and in all honesty, both Kawhi and Giannis are the superheroes of their team.

(Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Kawhi Leonard in his Raptors playoff run debut is racking up the stats. Through 12 playoff games, Leonard is averaging 31.8 PPG, 3.6 APG, 8.5 RPG, and 1.3 SPG. Hold on just a minute though. Through 9 games, Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.4 PPG, 5.1 APG, 13.1 RPG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.8 BPG. He is the Greek Freak for a reason…

“They put Deandre Jordan on me, they put Gobert, they put Joel, they put Jarret Allen. They just keep doing that sh*t, but it doesn’t work.”

It’s true, teams have tried and stopped Giannis but simply have found no answer. I expect the Bucks to wrap up this series in a span of no more than 6 games. I understand why many would believe this series goes to 7 games, however, to me it comes down to supporting cast. Giannis and Kawhi are going to have moments where they simply neutralize one another and the Bucks have guys like Middleton, Brogdon, and Bledsoe to step up. On the contrary, the Raptors do have breakout player, Pascal Siakam, however, he has stayed quiet over the last couple of games and Kyle Lowry is practically a no-show in these playoffs. I believe the Raptors are going to have a great defense throughout the series, but when it comes down to scoring the basket better (setting Giannis and Kawhi aside), I will take the Bucks AS A TEAM over the Raptors AS A TEAM. If the Raptors wants to have a chance to get a knack at the #1 seeded Bucks, they need to find an answer to stop Giannis and get Kawhi some help.