Despite the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks already got a convincing upper hand to finish the regular season as the highest-ranked team in the East, Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t minding the momentum that they’ll potentially get as the top-seed finishers.
Following their Tuesday ripping against the Washington Wizards, Giannis and the Bucks (57-22) only need either one more win or another Boston Celtics loss to secure the top position of their conference heading to the playoffs. On the same day, the second-seeded C’s (54-25) took a step back after coming up short against the feasting Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in crunch time.
While a well-deserved home-court advantage for the entirety of Conference exploits will be awarded to the best squad that will stand, Antetokounmpo reiterated that ending the season atop the standings won’t entirely matter given their recent title history and the capabilities of their fellow title contenders in the east coast.
“I want the team to focus on ourselves, how we can win, get better, how we can play the best basketball possible,” Antetokounmpo said in postgame.
“I wasn’t focusing about number one spot, number two spot. The year we won the championship, we finished number third. But at the end of the day, Boston is a beast; Philly is a beast; Cleveland is a beast; New York is a beast.”
While the Bucks are truly one of the best teams in the NBA powered by the Greek superstar, they still remain vulnerable to elimination in front of other heavyweight teams in the East.
Their undisputed, structured basketball rival in Celtics still has, in their possession, the solid formula for slowing down Antetokounmpo. Bannered by one-two-punch star swingmen of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they humiliated Milwaukee on their home floor last week, registering an emphatic 140-99 road demolition.
The Philadelphia 76ers, current occupants of the third seed, are also hungry for success with that mighty title aspirations. Led by this season’s favorite for Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, Philly is determined to complete a deep playoff run with James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and P.J. Tucker poised to contend.
And lastly, the respective fourth and fifth placers Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are also a considerable threat to the NBA crown. Albeit young, they proved themselves as worthy opponents all year long, cementing their position atop the upper echelon of the conference.
Meanwhile, finishing at the apex of the East still sounds ideal for Antetokounmpo, most especially in a Game 7 scenario wherein the higher-ranked team will rely on the energy of their home crowd in hopes to advance.
“It’s a great feeling to play Game 7 at home. That doesn’t guarantee you’re going to win the game,” said Antetokounmpo. “Nothing is given, you have to earn every single thing, but playing a Game 7 at your house gives you better possibilities to be successful.
“And we worked all year long to have the best record in the league and have home court advantage against every team in the NBA. Hopefully we can take advantage of that when it comes to the playoffs.”
Giannis and the Bucks will aim to finally lock their helm at the top spot of the East this upcoming postseason as they are slated to face the Chicago Bulls this Wednesday.
