Stinar For 3: Can The Milwaukee Bucks Repeat As NBA Champions?
The Milwaukee Bucks led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo beat the Phoenix Suns in six games to win 2021 NBA Championship.
Antetokounmpo won Finals MVP and won his first championship, but can he and the Bucks repeat in 2021-22?
What the odds are saying:
According to the SI Sportsbook, the Bucks have the third best odds at +800 win to the title this season. At FanDuel they also have the third best odds, but are +650 to win the title.
The two teams who have better odds at both sportsbooks are the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Are the Nets and Lakers truly better?
The Los Angeles Lakers have a veteran led team with LeBron James at the helm, and while they are indeed an old group, they on paper are better than the Bucks.
The more interesting case is the Brooklyn Nets.
During the 2021 NBA Playoffs, the Bucks beat the Nets in seven games and won Game 7 on the road.
However, the Nets did not have Kyrie Irving for that game and several games before.
This upcoming season, Irving is healthy, but there is a possibility that he does not play for the Nets this season.
Therefore, the Bucks could still beat the Nets just like they did last season.
Was last season a fluke?
The Milwaukee Bucks surely are not pretenders, but they definitely had a unique trip to the NBA Finals.
The season was one of the most unique in NBA history with COVID-19 protocols, limited to no fans at points and lots of injuries.
The Bucks earned their title fair and square, but for them to silence any doubters about how last season went down, they will need to make a deep post-season run once again.
