After winning the NBA championship in 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks had a bit of a struggle last season, finishing third in the Eastern Conference and losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Right now, Milwaukee holds a 13-5 record after downing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, 117-102, and it is just 1.5 games behind the Boston Celtics for the best record in the East.
It has done so even without Khris Middleton, its second-best player who has been out all of this season with a wrist injury.
As well as the Celtics have been playing, could the Bucks, all things considered, still be the best team in the conference?
Two-Of-A-Kind Versus A Full House
The Celtics have one of the best star duos in the NBA in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and Tatum is playing the best ball of his life, as he’s averaging 30.5 points a game on 47.7 percent shooting this year.
Although new addition Malcolm Brogdon has helped beef up Boston’s bench, its main weakness has been a lack of offensive punch outside of Tatum and Brown.
Both stars are averaging over 25 points a contest, and the team has six players averaging double figures in scoring, but other than Tatum and Brown, no one is putting up as many as 14 points a game.
Milwaukee has five players averaging double figures in scoring, but it has better balance, as three of its players are above 15 points a game – and that’s even without Middleton, who routinely averages around 20 points.
In addition, the Bucks’ bench is more proven, thanks to contributors such as Bobby Portis, Grayson Allen, George Hill, Pat Connaughton and Serge Ibaka.
None of them are big scorers, but they can all pitch in offensively and collectively hurt opposing teams.
In addition, the Bucks have arguably the best player in basketball in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Giannis Takeover. 😤
38 PTS | 9 REB | 8 AST | pic.twitter.com/0ppY3yMDtk
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 26, 2022
Right now, Boston may have the best team in the East, but it’s all about who’s the best come May and June, and at this point, the safe bet may be the Bucks.