The Brooklyn Nets are set to face off against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. This is by far the most exciting matchup of this years’ playoffs and possibly even the finals. With Joel Embiid now questionable to return this post-season and even if he does – he won’t be anywhere near 100%… there are no other teams in the East that pose a threat to the Nets or Bucks.
During the regular season these two teams saw each other three times and they were all very close games.
Game One 123-125 (Nets) Game Two 114-117 (Bucks) Game Three 118-124 (Bucks)
The Nets and Bucks matchup well with their Big 3’s in Kyrie/Harden/KD and Jrue/Middleton/Giannis who all play the same position. Rounding out the Nets starting lineup is Joe Harris and Blake Griffin which comes as a bit of a surprise because that puts Blake Griffin at center guarding Brook Lopez, but that does provide Brooklyn with tons of floor spacers that can take 7 foot 1 Brook Lopez out of the paint. We saw Deandre Jordan guarding Giannis a lot in their previous matchups, but that didn’t seem to work, so it seems Steve Nash has decided to go with a different strategy here.
As for the Bucks, late season pickup PJ Tucker and Brook Lopez are the other two in the starting lineup. This was pretty much expected since Donte DiVincenzo went down with an injury. PJ Tucker can also cause Durant some problems, so even if Donte was still active, I could still see the Bucks rolling with this lineup.
While the Bucks have a key injury in Donte DiVincenzo, the Nets are down Jeff Green who will be able to make a huge difference if he’s able to return at some point.
The X Factor for the Nets
The X factor in this series for the Nets will be Kyrie Irving’s consistency. If Kyrie plays at the level that we all know he can, the Nets will win this series. In the first round versus the Celtics the Nets lost Game 3 and a big reason for that loss was because Kyrie had an off night. He played extremely well in all of the other games and they were ultimately able to win the series 4-1, but in the one game that they did lose, Kyrie had 16 points on 6/17 shooting. That goes to show that this team needs Kyrie to preform every single night if the Nets are going to beat a team like the Milwuakee Bucks. This Nets team has a ton of firepower, but most of the fuel offensively comes from their Big 3. Kevin Durant without question will put up 30+ every night, James Harden will be able to make plays for teammates and get his 25/10 every night, but the question will be whether or not Kyrie becomes the offensive juggernaut he can be.
The X factor for the Bucks
The X factor in this series for the Bucks will be Khris Middleton’s ability to close out games. The Bucks have a loaded roster, even with the loss of Donte DiVincenzo. Every player on this team is consistent and plays the role that they’re here for. The chemistry of this team is always there. I can see every one of these games coming down to the wire, so Khris Middleton’s play in crunch time will be vital to securing victories. While Giannis is the best player on the Bucks, Middleton is the closer for this team. He is the player that the Bucks will go to at the end of the game to get a bucket. He’s shown that in the past with a game winner in the 2019 playoffs versus the Celtics and then this year finishing the Heat in Game 2 with a game winner. The Bucks will be going to Khris in late game situations and if he is able to knock down tough shots, the Bucks will win this series.
Predictions
My prediction for this series barring any major injuries that happen is Brooklyn Nets in 7.
Series MVP: Kevin Durant
This is one of the greatest matchups in recent memory & in my opinion the team that wins this will win the NBA Championship… what are your predictions for this series?
