The Toronto Raptors are playing the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2017 NBA playoffs.
With Atlanta’s win over Charlotte on Tuesday, the Bucks are now locked in to the sixth seed, while the Raptors are confirmed as the three-seed. That means Raptors-Bucks is a go, though we’ll still have to wait until late Wednesday to receive a schedule (I’d expect Games 1 and 2 to fall early Saturday and Tuesday).
Milwaukee is hardly a best-case scenario for the Raptors despite their 3-1 record against Jason Kidd’s squad this year. The Bucks are better now than in most of those meetings, and Kidd knows the Raptors well from his time coaching the Brooklyn Nets in 2013-14. Milwaukee can throw a ton of length at Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan in the pick-and-roll, trapping and blitzing aggressively to try to force the other Raptors to beat them. Toronto is better equipped to do that now, and DeRozan in particular has taken huge strides against such defensive coverages, but it’s still a difficult obstacle.
At the other end, Milwaukee doesn’t pose as many threats despite their offense out-ranking their defense on the year. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a masterful basketball unicorn, Malcolm Brogdon is potentially the rookie of the year, and Khris Middleton may be their best post scorer and spot-up threat, but the Raptors have the versatility and flexibility on defense to at least try to slow down what the Bucks want to do. That Milwaukee plays at a glacial pace and shoots only a moderate number of threes plays into Toronto’s preferred mode, and the Raptors should have a major advantage in the rebounding department to help make up for any slippage on defense or struggles on offense.
The Raptors, as currently constructed, were going to be a favorite against any first-round opponent. They are likely the second-best team in the East and the biggest threat to Cleveland’s return to the NBA Finals. That does not mean that they’re infallible or that their road is easy, though. The East has improved a great deal through the middle, and the upstart Bucks are a big part of that. Milwaukee may have the best all-around player in the series depending on how well Lowry and DeRozan play, they’re well-coached, and they bring a ton of energy the Raptors will have to match out of the gate. Toronto is the favorite, though, and should feel in control of their own fate if they can come out and play their game for 48 minutes each night. (Naturally, they’ll fall behind 1-0 to make things interesting and difficult.)
We’ll have plenty of playoff coverage for you over the next few days, so keep checking back for that.
