the favorite

I don't think that series between Boston and the Bucks was as close as people make it out to be. Yeah, it went seven games, but the Celtics figured them out by the end of the series and completely blew them out the last two games.

In those games Celtics targeted Grayson Allen play after play and they just abused him. Pat Connaughton was not much better. They forced Brook Lopez into the perimeter and abused him as well. I think if they played that series over, Boston wins pretty easily.

I know that the going narrative is that if Middleton had played, that the Bucks win that series and that might be true. It's possible that the Bucks put the Celtics away before they get to the point by game six where they had figured out how to abuse the bucks' weaknesses. But once the Celtics figured out how to attack those weaknesses, the series turned in a big way toward the Celtics. Once that happened, I'm not sure Middleton is enough to turn the series in the Bucks favor.

Middleton is fine. He's a borderline all star. He makes his shots when he gets them, but he's not putting pressure on the great defenses in the NBA. Nor is Holliday. The only guy on the Bucks that can really pressure a defense like the Clippers, Celtics, or Warriors is Giannis, and he gets so much of the responsibility that he is exhausted by the final few minutes.

Sure Giannis will get his dunks and his offensive rebounds and his two point shots, I just think Celtics, Warriors, and Clippers will figure out ways to attack Allen and Lopez and expose them--just like the Celtics did in games six and seven. Once they do that, there is no one left to take the rope. They are a much thinner team then they were when they played the Suns, and I don't know how the Bucks will counter that with their current roster.

Giannis can cover more ground than anyone, but he's not going to cover the entire court when the warriors are running all over the place, the Clippers are playing five guys that can handle the ball and create their own shot, or the Jays are hunting down the two weak links in the defense that will always be on the court.