Ranking 3 biggest contenders to Milwaukee Bucks in Eastern Conference

Not only has it been a very interesting NBA season for the Milwaukee Bucks thus far, but the Eastern Conference as a whole.

Traditionally over the past 20 years at least, the West has been seen as the big brother to their Eastern Conference counterparts. But this year, the tables have turned due to a multitude of reasons, like injuries to top stars in the West such as Kawhi Leonard and Damian Lillard, and also teams who were formerly rebuilding in the East have emerged as playoff teams such as the Hornets, Cavaliers, and Bulls.

Also, there hasn’t been a falloff in last year’s contenders in the East excluding the Hawks, as the 76ers, Heat, and Nets all find themselves vying for the top seed as well. All of these factors have contributed to the Eastern Conference becoming a true powerhouse, and in turn, making the Bucks’ path to their second straight finals appearance even murkier than it was last year. Here, I will be ranking the top three contenders as of right now to the Bucks’ crown in the East.

No. 3 threat to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference – Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have come out of nowhere this year out of a rebuild to skyrocket to contention in the Eastern Conference. After averaging 20 wins per season over the past 3 years, they have surpassed that total by 10 wins, and it isn’t even the all-star break yet.

This team is legit. Led by emerging star Darius Garland, potential Rookie of the Year Evan Mobley, and an elite rebounder and shot-blocker in Jarrett Allen, this team is built to contend not just this year, but years to come. They showcased their elite potential in a 115-99 blowout win over the Bucks on January 26th, where they bombarded Milwaukee from outside the arc with 19 threes. Giannis knows the Bucks have to respect the Cavs’ ability in a potential playoff series, as shown by his postgame comments.

So how do the Bucks match up with the Cavs in a playoff series? How the series goes will be determined by how well the Bucks’ role players space the floor, as the Cavs have the personnel to build the wall effectively just like the Raptors did in 2019, as Allen and Mobley are elite defenders at their positions. Giannis has improved drastically from a passing and basketball IQ standpoint from that 2019 series, but his teammates will still have to help him out when he is inevitably swarmed in the paint.

On the other side of the floor, the Bucks would have to contain potential all-star point guard Darius Garland, as he is an elite 3-point shooter and playmaker out of the pick and roll. The Bucks do have the personnel to slow down Garland though, with Jrue Holiday and Wesley Matthews both being elite perimeter defenders in their own rights.

The other concern on the defensive side of the floor for the Bucks would be rebounding. You would hope to have Brook Lopez back for this series, but if not, the Bucks would be at a serious size disadvantage, as the Cavs like to start 3 seven-footers. This would require Giannis and Bobby Portis to really box out to prevent extra possessions. Overall the Bucks have more talent, and I think they win this series in five or six games. But it would be no cakewalk.