Milwaukee Bucks: Sizing up East standings after wins over Brooklyn Nets
By Dalton Sell
Starting off tremendously slow, the Milwaukee Bucks have occupied the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings for a large portion of this season.
The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers have been going back and forth between the top two spots during that span, ultimately seeming like the Bucks would finish in third. However, Milwaukee has gained significant ground over the past few weeks as they have handled their business against both of those teams.
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After defeating them during the first meeting in March, the Bucks completed the three-game season series against the 76ers with a 3-0 sweep after a two-game miniseries late last month.
Milwaukee’s next big test came this week as they were set to square off against the Nets in another two-game slate. After losing their first meeting of the season in January, winning both of these would be pivotal in their pursuit of higher seeding, which they managed to pull off.
Following the Bucks’ 124-118 win over the Nets Tuesday night, they move to 41-24 on the year. That places them just a game-and-a-half behind the Nets (43-23) for second and three games behind 76ers (44-21) for the top spot.
The Milwaukee Bucks still have a chance to secure a higher seeding before the regular season ends
With seven games left on the schedule until the playoffs roll around, the top three spots in the Eastern Conference are still wide open. Although it seems like a tough task with the small window of games left, getting that top seed would be a massive boost for Milwaukee.
As it currently stands, the Bucks would have a challenging road to the NBA Finals that would potentially consist of the Miami Heat in the first round, followed by potential matchups with the Nets and then the 76ers if the playoffs began today. Although the Bucks are a combined 6-2 against these three this season, they certainly would not mind getting an easier path than one consisting of the team that knocked them out last year and the two top seeds.
Still, trying to decipher how the final stands will play out at this point is like trying to guess the lottery numbers. The New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics are all separated by just three games in the East right now, meaning that any of the four could potentially be a likely matchup for Milwaukee in the first round if they were to stay planted in that third spot.
Things get even more complicated with the current state of the NBA’s play-in format, which involves seeds 7-10 competing for the final two playoff spots. The sixth-seeded Heat lead the Celtics by just a half-game in that category as they continue to switch around on a nightly basis. The Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards are all involved in the play-in conversation, signaling that just who will occupy those final spots will be a mystery until the tournament itself takes place.
Meanwhile, the top three seeds appear sealed, just not the order they will finish in. The Bucks will have to close out the regular season strong if they will surpass those two in the standings and they have a golden opportunity ahead to do that. According to Tankathon, Milwaukee has the second-easiest strength of schedule remaining in the association. If they can close the season strong down the final stretch, it will help their cause.
However, the 76ers and Nets also have relatively advantageous schedules remaining on their plates. In fact, Philadelphia has the easiest remaining schedule in the league while Brooklyn has the 10th-easiest, meaning the Bucks will need some luck from opposing teams to knock off either of them. There are undoubtedly a hefty amount of “what ifs?” for the Bucks and the rest of the conference as the final positioning has yet to take any shape.
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Whichever way the standings eventually pan out, the Bucks did their part by sweeping the 76ers and taking the tiebreaker against the Nets. Both of those factors will play key roles in the final standings once the regular season concludes, particularly if Milwaukee can indeed close with a spirited finish over their last seven upcoming opponents this regular season.