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After defeating the heavily favored Brooklyn Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years. Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. shocked the NBA world after sending Kevin Durant and his star-studded team home. The Bucks now have the golden opportunity to grab the NBA title as they are favored to win over all three teams left in the 2021 NBA playoffs.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has a shot at his first-ever NBA title and he must do whatever it takes to lead his team to the promised land. Mike Budenholzer, whose job was once considered in trouble, must now make the necessary adjustments to take on the next opponents.
Let's take a look at three reasons why the Milwaukee Bucks are now favored to win the NBA title.
#1 Milwaukee Bucks are the only relatively healthy team
Health has been a major storyline in the 2021 NBA playoffs. The playoffs have seen the most All-Stars injured in NBA history with a total of nine injuries. It has left fans and analysts upset and dissatisfied as we aren't able to see the matchups we want and our favorite teams are catching the injury bug. The LA Lakers were one of the most favored seventh-seeded teams ever, while the Brooklyn Nets were championship bound. Last year's finalists both exited in the first round.
It's basically a situation now where the last team left standing, i.e. healthiest team gets the nod as title favorites. The Milwaukee Bucks have been injury free and consistent the entirety of the 2021 NBA playoffs, while other teams were missing key stars or their stars were playing through injury.
Of the two Western teams left, the LA Clippers are without Kawhi Leonard and the Phoenix Suns are missing Chris Paul, the two best players on their respective teams. Kawhi Leonard's injury is suspected to be an ACL tear and even if it isn't one, he isn't expected to return anytime soon. Finally, Eastern rivals Atlanta Hawks' main star, Trae Young, is playing through a shoulder injury. He was, in fact, questionable to play Game 7 against the 76ers due to soreness but eventually laced up for his team.
#2 Milwaukee Bucks can beat all three remaining teams
Part of the reason could be health, but there are a variety of factors determining the Milwaukee Bucks' current favoritism to win the 2021 NBA title. The Bucks' system is far superior to that of the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers. Moreover, they are favored to take the championship despite the fact that Chris Paul might return in time for the NBA Finals, should his team make it to that stage.
The LA Clippers did a phenomenal job closing out the Utah Jazz but will certainly face a tough time against the Milwaukee Bucks. To begin with, the Clippers have no rim protection so Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will thrive in the paint. The LA Clippers will resort to jump shooting and three-point attempts to win the series. But the Bucks are in fact one of the best three-point shooting teams in the playoffs, so they're comfortable in that department as well. Several players can get hot from beyond the arc and the Bucks hold the record for most threes in a game.
OddsChecker.com is a service that aggregates numbers from several betting sites. OddsChecker's Kyle Newman said in a release,
"After knocking off the long-time favorites to win the NBA title, oddsmakers believe the Bucks are the team to take up the mantle"
The Bucks were given a -480 shot at winning against the Hawks, which is an implied win percentage of 82.8%. Trae Young and co. have been the underdogs their entire playoff run, including against the Knicks. The Bucks have size, shooting, strength, veteran leadership and defense all in their favor against the Hawks.
A healthy Phoenix Suns team is the only thing in their path to the title. Over the past 24 hours, Newman reported that 29.4% of all bets were in favor of the Bucks winning it all.
#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Out of the three remaining teams, only one has a former MVP and that team is the Milwaukee Bucks with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is by far the most capable and experienced player on every roster except Chris Paul. Although drafted before Giannis, Paul George is not capable of stopping Antetokounmpo himself and hasn't seen any postseason success.
One can easily make the case that Giannis Antetokounmpo can easily dominate Deandre Ayton and Ivica Zubac. Clippers' DeMarcus Cousins barely sees minutes and is also not a defensive big man. Clint Capela might cause slight issues for Giannis in the paint, but the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks roster is more than capable of going against the Hawks team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably one of the best power forwards in the game. With Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green and LeBron James all eliminated, there is simply no other player left who can match him at his position.
Guess the Lakers players!
