Why the Bucks should be the favorite to win the 2023 NBA Finals

Fans around the world would agree that the Milwaukee Bucks are arguably the best team in basketball. With that being said, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and the rest of the team have a bigger target on their back. I believe that the Bucks have all of the necessary tools to be considered the favorites in not only the Eastern Conference but the entire league. Here are three reasons why.

Why the Bucks should be favorites to win the 2023 NBA Finals

Added Experience

With the oldest roster in the entire league, this year’s roster has the perfect mix of players in their prime form, with the support of seasoned veterans who are ready to contribute in their roles. Since the 2018–19 season, the team has shown potential to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy every season but only won once due to lack of experience. Now the team has been through just about every situation, whether it was a team building a wall to slow Giannis down, battling after being down a series, or losing a game seven. In addition, the team has added chippy players such as Joe Ingles and Jae Crowder, who have plenty of playoff experience.

Home Court Advantage

As we all know home court advantage does not guarantee a win in the postseason, but it certainly helps. Last season, we saw the Boston Celtics use their home crowd as additional fuel to win a crucial game seven and eliminate the Bucks. I am sure that the Fiserv home crowd igniting the team with “Go Bucks Go” and “Bobby” chants will add some extra motivation for the team.

The team is currently 1.5 games above the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference standings. With roughly two weeks in the regular season, it is a huge possibility that the Bucks will end the season as the first seed, meaning that each team will have to win at least one game in Milwaukee to eliminate the Bucks. In the 2021 playoff run, the Bucks were practically unbeatable at home, winning 10 of 11 games in Fiserv Forum. Assuming the Bucks play just as well at home this postseason, there is a huge possibility the team can win its second championship in three seasons.

Desire

After coming up short in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last year, the players are hungrier than ever to experience the same feeling they had after the 2021 season. There definitely has to be some additional motivation to prove that the 2021 season wasn’t a fluke. Even the new additions to the team such as Jae Crowder, Meyers Leonard, Goran Dragic, and Joe Ingles have fallen just short in the playoffs on numerous occasions, so they are itching to win their first championship.

There are numerous teams who are hungry to win the 2023 NBA Finals, but there aren’t many teams who actually have been through as much as this veteran-filled Bucks team. In the end, health will be a pivotal factor in the Bucks’ playoff success, but that is out of everyone’s control.

If the team continues to play at the high level they have been playing at all year, this Milwaukee Bucks team will be a very difficult matchup for any team and certainly should be the favorite to bring the trophy back to Milwaukee.