The Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets will officially kick off their second round matchup in the NBA Playoffs today.
Anticipating has been building from the moment the matchup became official when Brooklyn concluded their gentleman’s sweep of the Boston Celtics this past Tuesday. On the other hand, Milwaukee has gotten some well-earned rest as it has been a week since they last played after completing the sweep against the Miami Heat last Saturday.
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The season series between these two teams had fans glued to their television screens as the sheer amount of star power was sharing the court was something to behold. With the overall point differential between those three games being just 11 total points, these games were as closely contested as they come.
Now, these two Eastern Conference juggernauts will face one another in what should be more must-see television in the second round. Before the opening tip later today, let us dive into a preview of everything happening before the series and what fans should expect heading in.
What analysts are saying about the Milwaukee Bucks versus the Brooklyn Nets
Despite just demolishing the reigning Eastern Conference Champions in round one, the Bucks will enter this second round set as the underdogs in the public eye.
The sheer amount of talent pieced together on Brooklyn’s roster has made them the betting title favorite for many all season, and that will remain the case heading into the series. One onlooker that perfectly summed up what to expect in the series was former player and two-time NBA champion Chris Bosh. Recently making an appearance on ESPN’s The Jump, Bosh highlighted where each team stands heading into the matchup:
"“It’s so fascinating watching the Bucks all year, I felt all year that they were in a position where nobody believes you can do it. You have to have that strong work ethic with the team because people are going to throw the dirt on you while you’re down but they got better and they seem to be peaking right now. With Brooklyn, we’re watching this experiment play out in real-time. I think if I’m not mistaken, the Big 3 have only played 13 games together. I think for them their challenge is going to be how they’re going to run their continuity on defense and on offense and how they’re going to play together.”"
Bosh hit the nail on the head when it comes to Milwaukee’s underdog status. Their past playoff failures even had some betting against them in the Miami series and that will only be heightened in this matchup with the betting favorite Brooklyn. Yet, the Bucks have embraced such an underdog mentality as they try to erase the painful memories from those previous postseasons and they like their current position.