Predicting Milwaukee Bucks' record through tough stretch to begin the season
By Rudy LB
With the NBA season almost here, it's time to look closer at the opponents and matchups out of the gate for the Milwaukee Bucks. With some recent news about Khris Middleton, Paul George and Joel Embiid coming out, it'll be an interesting opening game.
The first five games of the season look tough on the schedule, as they feature reasonably tough opponents. (Want to see an easy schedule? Check out Milwaukee’s Dec. 21 until Jan. 10 stretch! Wow! They could go 10-0!) Many teams in the NBA are “improved.” The teams the Bucks want to see (the Nets, Detroit, the Blazers and Hornets) don’t appear until mid-November.
Of course, the Bucks want to be able to go 5-0 to start the year, but it's also important to be realistic. While this team has had more time to gel, and it has been discussed quite a bit how the training camp trip to California has helped build stronger bonds, the NBA is still the NBA. Over an 82-game regular season, if a team can win 60 percent of their games, they're making the playoffs.
There is an interesting adage in sports - it can be hard to win a championship in the first month, but you can certainly lose one.
Unless Milwaukee faces some major injuries or just simply cannot get going, it is highly unlikely they'll lose the NBA championship in the first month. Let's take a closer look and give a brief overview and prediction for the first five games.
Game One - Bucks @ 76ers
Philadelphia star Joel Embiid has been in the news quite a bit lately, as the 30-year-old has decided that he will not play in back-to-back NBA games anymore. He'll also be out for game one.
When he plays, the 76ers are a much better team. It also is going to be a tough game for Milwaukee since it is on the road. I would expect there to be electric energy for Philadelphia, and it will be a tough one for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Last season, Milwaukee was able to win one to start the season in an almost exact opening scenario, meeting Philadelphia to kick things off. That means the Bucks could do it again, but don’t count on it. Philadelphia might be the Bucks' biggest competition this season. Even without both Paul George and Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey is in line for a big game. Andre Drummond is also a "sleeper" player to watch.
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