As the NBA season enters the home stretch, two teams stand
atop the NBA title
odds. Milwaukee and Los Angeles are vastly different cities. But, on the court,
these teams are more similar than one would think. Ultimately, the Milwaukee
Bucks may be the only team capable of stopping a Los Angeles Lakers
renaissance.
Led by the indefensible Giannis Antentokoumpo, the Milwaukee
Bucks seem destined for an NBA Finals berth. Coach Mike Budenholzer oversees a
team that ranks first in points per game, defensive field goal percentage, and
defensive rebounding. Behind historically good depth shooting from its bench,
Milwaukee sits second in total field goal percentage. Every single number that
has anything to do with this Bucks team’s season so far, is telling you to bet
Milwaukee to win the NBA title.
Just How Good Are the Milwaukee Bucks?
Incredibly, those may not even be amongst the team’s most
extraordinary statistics. During the Toronto Raptors recent 15 game win streak,
the reigning champions gained just two and half games on the Bucks in the
Eastern Conference playoff race. Remarkably, the Bucks just clinched a playoff
spot (on February 23rd), quicker than any team in recent NBA history.
Also, behind the somehow improved play of the reigning MVP,
Milwaukee is on pace to win 70 games this season. Perhaps most impressively,
the Bucks have won an astonishing 33 (!) games by double digits. Betting on
this team at plus odds in any other year would be a no-brainer, yet a washed
King lies in wait in Southern California.
Los Angeles once again is at the centre of the basketball
universe. Lebron James leads a squad ranked in the league’s top ten in: field
goal percentage, steals, assists, true shooting percentage, offensive rating
and defensive rating. By any metric, the Lakers are back to being the Western
Conference’s dominant force.
Much like the Bucks are structured around the otherworldly
talents of Giannis, everything the Lakers do best starts with Lebron James. The
de-facto starting point guard is still in prime form, in this, his 17th NBA
campaign. Partnered by superstar Anthony Davis, and surrounded by a plethora of
“3 and D” wings, this is the best Lakers team in a decade. It seems a forgone
conclusion that this team will go deep into the NBA playoffs. Betting on the
Lakers at +275 to win the NBA title could still cash large, and is one of the
safest bets on the market. The only thing that could topple the King is a
younger, freakier, version of himself.
