There aren’t many teams that truly compete with the Golden State Warriors, but the Milwaukee Bucks might be one. Should the Dubs be concerned?
The Golden State Warriors, in the vast majority of minds, are still atop the league. While they may not have the best record, they’ve proven over the last few seasons to be impossible to beat when the spotlight is on them and their backs are against the wall.
Just two seasons ago, the Dubs went 16-1 in the postseason. Last season, they went 16-5. They’ve been absolutely dominant when it’s mattered the most. However, until now, they haven’t seen a team without LeBron come out of the East.
This will be the first time that in half a decade that both the Golden State Warriors and LeBron James won’t be in the playoffs. While there’s no LeBron, the East could produce a team just as good as many of LeBron’s Cavaliers.
That team could very well be the Milwaukee Bucks, and after their latest addition of Pau Gasol, the Warriors might want to start seeing them as the No. 1 threat. It’s obviously not just the addition of Gasol that makes them a force to be reckoned with.
With just 14 losses, the Bucks are the league’s only team not to have taken at least 15 losses. Against the Warriors, the Bucks are 1-1, winning one by an outstanding 23 points. The team has had success against the Warriors.
They’ve been able to succeed partially due to building their team with Giannis as the head honcho and shooters surrounding him. Making the league’s second most threes per game, the Bucks have transformed their roster with the additions of Brook Lopez and Nikola Mirotic.
Lopez was the most underrated addition of the offseason. A lengthy, 7-footer, Lopez is able to body with Cousins while also long enough to protect the rim at an elite rate.
Combine that with Giannis, an MVP candidate, and Khris Middleton, a 2019 Eastern Conference All-Star, and you have a roster capable of hanging with the best. Eric Bledsoe is the player that puts it all together, as we saw last night against the Lakers.
It’s not just a Giannis one-man show. He has numerous contributors that are all elite in certain categories.
That said, as the playoffs inch closer, we’ll dive much deeper into what a matchup in the NBA Finals between these two powerhouses might look like.