Two Eastern Conference powerhouses collide in the first round of the NBA playoffs, as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Chicago Bulls.
Hedgeout.net Team previews the series and picks the winner, as Game 1 takes place at Fiserv Forum on Sunday.
Yiannis Bouranis
The Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls will face each other in the postseason for the first time since 2015. Chicago had won the series 4-2, but the Bulls now enter the series as the underdog.
With just eight wins in the last 23 regular season games, the Bulls know they have to play better on both ends to avoid elimination.
With Lonzo Ball out with a season-ending knee injury, Chicago loses significant power in the backcourt. Chicago went just 24-23 with the young guard out. Fortunately for the team, Alex Caruso (bruised back) will suit up for Game 1.
The trio of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine will determine how competitive the Bulls will be in the series.
If they combine for more than 65 points in each game, then Chicago will have a chance to dethrone the defending champions.
On the other hand, Milwaukee aims for a second straight trip to the NBA Finals. The Bucks closed the regular season winning 14 of their last 20 games.
They know that Giannis Antetokounmpo could lead them to the Finals once again. If the two-time NBA MVP remains healthy, Milwaukee is a prime candidate to win the championship.
The Bucks swept the season series (4-0), However, the playoffs are a different story and I expect the Bulls to be more competitive and stretch the series to six games. I would pick Bucks in 6 (4-2).
Alexandros Tsakos
The Bucks begin their title defense against the ambitious Chicago Bulls and I expect them to make it through the first round in five games (4-1).
Milwaukee has turned out to be a team that can win even when they do not play well, and Chicago went 0-16 against the Top-3 teams in both conferences.
The Bucks seem to be more assertive as a team after winning the 2021 NBA championship, with Giannis getting even better as a finisher.
The Bucks have outscored opponents by 15.9 points per 100 possessions in clutch time, ranked second in the NBA behind the unstoppable Phoenix Suns.
Moreover, Milwaukee swept the regular season series against DeRozan and Co with four asserting victories (4-0).
Filippos Kassotis
Chicago Bulls (46-33) vs Milwaukee Bucks (51-31) is a highly anticipated matchup. On the one hand, the Bulls return to the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2017, where they got swept by the Boston Celtics.
This is the first time since Derrick Rose’s era that the Bulls can look all their opponents in the eye.
Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan have created a superstar duo, the Bulls are in a win now mode this year and everyone in the franchise is determined and motivated to go all the way.
On the other hand, we have the reigning champions, the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the undisputed superstar of the team while enjoying an equal assistance from Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
Milwaukee is among the most dominant teams at home, so the home-court advantage gives them the edge over the Bulls.
I can see this as one of the closest series in the East. If the Greek Freak plays as he did in the 2021 NBA Finals, then the Bucks will get to the semifinals (4-2).
Dimitris Georgiopoulos
Milwaukee Bucks (51-31, 3rd in East Division) are defending their title against the Chicago Bulls (46-36).
Giannis Antetokounmpo (averaging 29.9 points and 11.6 rebounds) has been unstoppable throughout the season. The team’s core remained the same in the offseason.
Therefore, they are a strong candidate for the 2021-2022 championship as well. For their part, the Chicago Bulls return to the playoffs after the 2017 season.
However, they struggled in their last 15 games, having won only five. In addition, the Bucks swept the regular season series (4-0).
Despite the talent in players like DeMar DeRozan (averaging 27.9 points) and Zach LaVine (averaging 24.4 points), this Bulls team lacks playoff experience.
Therefore, I’m predicting that Mike Budenholzer’s guys will either sweep this series as well or just lose one away game (4-0 or 4-1).
Aggelos Nikolopoulos
The defending champions begin their playoffs journey with a neighboring derby, as they are facing the Chicago Bulls in the first round.
The Bulls clinched a playoff spot after five years. During the season, they created many expectations as they were even in the first spot.
But, after the All – Star Game, the franchise had an unexplained fall and their performance dropped really much.
The result was the sixth spot of the regular season. Fortunately for them, the slump stopped there and they avoided the play – in tournament.
To be honest, I expected something better from Chicago, because they have really built a very good team.
DeRozan, LaVine, Vucevic, Ball and co. is a truly promising project. But, for the future, as now they have to face Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Their mission is extremely difficult.
The reigning aim to reach the Finals and make the repeat. Nothing less. Giannis, the “Greek Freak”, who indeed is in a freaky mode, wants to guide the franchise back to last year’s success.
Who can stand in his way? He is the second scorer of the regular season, behind Joel Embiid, and an MVP candidate.
Bulls can’t stand in his way, for sure. I don’t expect to see the Bucks having difficultis in this series.
The 4-0 of the season series, proves that. Milwaukee will have an easy series, getting ready for the Semis, where they’ll face a really tough opponent, either Celtics or Nets.
For sure they won’t lose at home, an option that we can find in an odd near 1.57. Now, the score, probably will be a 4-1 for Bucks.
The Bulls can’t stay without a single win, after 8-9 clashes in the season against their opponent.
