Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: Early season reactions and predictions

Q6. Having seen how they’ve started the season, what are your updated expectations for the Bucks in the playoffs this year?

DB: The Bucks seem poised to finally make it out of the first round of the playoffs. They also have the skill to make a run for the conference finals. As the teams stand now, the Bucks have a chance to beat any Eastern Conference team in a seven-game series.

RC: Going into the season, I would have said that getting out of the first round would be a success, just to finally break the streak and get that monkey off the franchise’s back. Now, though, the Bucks are obviously better than we thought so that changes things.

If the Bucks are the two seed in the East, which I just predicted in the last question, they have to get to at least the Conference Finals, right? But since they’ve already exceeded expectations, would it be a failure to lose to the Celtics in the semi-finals in another seven game series?

Ultimately, it’ll depend on the matchups they get in the playoffs. Losing to the Celtics in the playoffs again would undoubtedly be painful, but there’s no shame in it considering the depth and talent in Boston. If they can avoid Boston or Toronto in the first two rounds a Conference Finals appearance is a very attainable goal.

AM: My expectations haven’t really changed. I like their chances to get to the Conference Finals, but at a minimum they’re finally going to win a series, health permitting. In a positive sense, nothing would surprise me, though. This Bucks team has certainly started the season well enough to make fans believe that a well-timed run and some good fortune could open all kinds of doors.

BP: We’re only a few weeks into the season, and my optimism about the Bucks has somehow improved. I think Toronto is the clear cut top team, and up to this point, the Bucks have clearly been the second best team. Boston and Philadelphia should eventually improve and challenge the Bucks and/or the Raptors, but their relative struggles might take a little longer to work through.

The Celtics’ offense is an absolute mess, and the quotes coming from some of their players aren’t exactly promising. Between the talent there and Brad Stevens, they will definitely figure it out at some point, but that time might come after the Bucks and Raptors have built a decent lead in the standings.

The Sixers will have a different type of adjustment. Jimmy Butler is an awesome talent, but his play style doesn’t mix perfectly with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. That is also completely ignoring his personality, which NBA fans just got to experience for about a month. If Markelle Fultz thinks he’s had a tough start to his career, just wait until Jimmy starts hurling insults at him after he air-balls a free throw.

The Bucks have played a pretty tough schedule to this point, so I expect this start to continue through the rest of the season. I think the top four seeds will shake out to be: Toronto, Milwaukee, Boston, and Philadelphia.

JT: As much as I continue to look forward, not backward and always twirling, twirling, twirling while reveling in the Bucks’ start to the season, I think my playoff expectations heading into the season are pretty much the same. In the words of the 40th president in the United States, Ronald Reagan, it’s time to tear down that playoff drought, Mr. Gorbachev. The Bucks’ strong play now and hopefully throughout the year will only increase the urgency of seeing that historic playoff series drought be a thing of the past.

JK: I don’t foresee the Celtics’ “slump” persisting much longer. I also would expect Butler’s transition to Philly to be a little bit rocky; outside of J.J. Redick, the presence of a three-point line in Philadelphia will only be a formality, an entity comparable in its obsolescence to today’s flip phone or the language of Latin.

The Raptors will continue to grow in terms of cohesion as time passes with Kawhi on the court. Accounting for all these things and the Bucks maintaining their elite play, here is how I see it playing out: 1) Raptors, 2) Bucks, 3) Celtics, 4) 76ers.

BR: To start the season, I was quite optimistic the Bucks would win their first playoff series since the Ray Allen era, but I did not expect them to adjust to Coach Bud’s new system this quickly and effectively.

Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and from there, who knows what could happen? In all likelihood, they would face either the Celtics or the Raptors should they advance that far, and I can confidently say that I agree with Dominique that the Bucks have the ability to beat any Eastern Conference team in a seven-game series.

My expectations for them are to advance past the first round and have at least a competitive second round series with whomever they face. From there, it’s a combination of luck and grit, but I believe this team has what it takes to go even further.