Ranking The 3 Most Likely Knicks Playoff Opponents by Difficulty

The Knicks have a shot vs. The Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are the ideal top team to be the Knicks playoff opponents if the Knicks are at the bottom of the East. The Knicks won the season series against the Bucks 2-1, one in blowout fashion, 130-110. The Bucks responded, winning by 33 on March 11th before the Knicks got the last laugh in a 102-96 win.

The Knicks ‘ last win against the Bucks was without Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, but the Bucks were without every starter other than Brook Lopez. The record is not the only reason why The Bucks probably are the opponents they want to face.

The Bucks had the best record in the NBA last year and were expected to make the NBA Finals. They ended up losing in the second round to the eventual Finals runner-up in the Miami Heat.

Giannis Antetokounmpo usually catches the blame, as his 22 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists per game is a little worse than what most expect from him, even when he still shot 50% from the field. The worst stat Giannis had was 35 minutes per game. When you’re a freak athlete who is 25 years old and the back-to-back reigning MVP, you should play more.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer did not play Antetokounmpo or Khris Middleton over 40 minutes once in their first 3 games against Miami, all 3 of which they lost. If Giannis plays low minutes and Tom Thibodeau can deploy his team’s defensive power to expose the Greek Freak’s weak jump shot, possibly they could pull off a shocking upset.