Eastern Conference Final Preview- Detroit Vs Milwaukee

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The Cinderella Bucks have done it and caused another shocking upset advancing to the Conference Finals! Awaiting them in the favourites position is once again, GM Sheed and his Bad Boys, the Pistons. Detroit are no stranger to this end of the season, they�ve been here before and they�ll no doubt be back again and again. Pistons culture looks as real as any in the NSL and they just keep getting better.

Newcomer GM Daz is one from one, first season, first conference finals. Is this his new normal? Contender status appears all but cemented as this young core gets better with each big game they play together. Once again, the Bucks will enter the series as underdogs and will need to keep their hot form up to rival the Conference Champs. They will need to counter the Pistons as GM Sheed will no doubt take a methodical approach as the series goes on. They are a boa constrictor and will try strangle their opposition in their quest to grind out 4 wins. The league will be watching on to see if the young Bucks can withstand the Detroit squeeze.

Conference Semis

The Bucks have continued to get better with every playoff appearance. After a shakey start against the Magic, they flexed to close out their young rivals in the first round 4-2. GM Daz�s boys entered the conference semis as underdogs against a seasoned playoff contender in Merencio�s Bulls. So heavily out favoured were the Bucks that 69% of the predictions were in favour of their opposition. The Bucks never looked back after thrashing the Bulls by 20 in game one. Game two and three saw further beltings of the Bulls as the series was heading for a sweep. A few adjustments from Merecio came too late as the Bucks swept the Bulls with a 3 point nail-biting win in game 4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the player of the series averaging 33 points per contest. God he is good.

 

GM Sheed did his thing as per this time of the year. He entered the Conference Semis as favourites against the Cinderella Cavs and sent them home from the ball with a ripped dress, missing shoe and broken dreams. The gallant Cavs put up a fight and made it a series, pushing the seasoned Finalists to 5 games but they simply could not match them at their own game. Remarkably, only one team scored 100 in a game during this series, meaning it was a double-digit slugfest where defence was the talking point. Surprising that only the die-hard fans were watching this series. The difference in the series was Irving on the offensive end, who was able to outplay point Wiggins on the way to propelling his squad to their second Conference Finals berth in as many years.

 

The GMS

GM Sheed is one of the best in the business, his work at the controls is top 3 in the league and his ability to roster build is about the same. He loves D, defence that is and knows how to structure a winning roster around a single offensive weapon. At his disposal, Sheed has scoring but most importantly switchability on the defensive end. He loves to move Bam onto prominent scoring wings or oversize point guards, and has Gobert to hold the paint. The best asset Sheed possesses when it comes to winning playoff games is big balls. When something needs to be changed up Sheed is never afraid to pull the trigger and his eye for the game usually makes his moves series altering, giving headaches to opposing GMs. He had one little hiccup against the Cavs, moved a few things around and that was the series. The guy is a pro.

GM Daz is a newcomer to the biggest stage and he�s out to prove to the world that this is where he belongs. A much-applauded off-season followed by a regular season of continued improvement has led Daz to this moment, a series away from a shot at it all. What do we know about the newcomer? He�s calculated and knows when to go and when to hold. He knows how to build an exciting young core but most importantly, put the right pieces around them to bring out their best. Daz has run the franchise in the right direction from the first moment he joined and what�s most impressive is his work at the controls. He�s proven, game adjust on the fly and understands how to exploit the 2k engine.

Matchups

Detoit Pistons

PG Kyrie Irving
SG Cole Anthony
SF Dillon Brookes
PF Bam Adebayu
C Rudy Gobert
Bench: Thompson, Schroder, Finney-Smith and Poeltl

Detroit will start the series wanting to maximise Kyrie�s usage and pick and roll play with Bam and Rudy. Sheed will want to harness his combo guard�s basketball IQ and playmaking which should bring the post beasts into the game early. The Pistons fans will expect a domination from the Detroit bigs against washed DJ and the smaller Precious, however they will be concerned with how their guards will fare when outsized by SGA and Miles. It�ll be interesting to see if Bam drops to SF at some point of the game and if Finney-Smith plays a lock down role on Bridges as the back up SG/SF.

Milwaukee Bucks

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG Miles Bridges
SF Evan Mobley
PF Precious Achiuwa
C DeAndre Jordan
Bench: Damian Jones, Thaddius Young, Duncan Robinson and Killian Hayes

Milwaukee will see an advantage in the backcourt with two-way prowess over the Pistons. SGA and Bridges are key for their success. If SGA can slow Irving and average his 30 points per, expect the Bucks to throw haymakers and floor the Division Champ. Thaddius Young might have a role to play in this series as another big who is mobile enough to stick with Bam. DJ will need to channel whatever he has left to keep up with Gobert at the rim. GM Daz will be praying for a Benjamin Button type show out from the washed but 2k useful big man.

 

Match Ups to Watch

Kyrie Vs SGA

These two stars are set to dance. One older and fading, the other shining bright like a supernova. Kyrie, still the more vetted and talented should be the one calling the shots but SGA has been one of the best playoff performers this post season. Kyrie seems unstoppable when it comes to scoring and playmaking but SGA has just enough defensive talent, size and athleticism to give the superstar problems. A lot of them. If SGA wins this match-up, the underdog Bucks could do it again but Irving has two of the best screen setters in the league ready to get him the looks he needs. It will require a full team effort to slow down Kyrie. 

Bam Vs Mobley?

Bam and Mobley probably won�t start on each other in the early stages of the series as both GMs will be wanting to open up their guys with mismatches against smaller opposition players. Bam will likely start PF while the SF experiment with Mobley should roll on as it�s seen nothing but success in previous series. If these two giants meet it will be a battle for the ages. Both play high end defence while Mobley extends the floor a little more. Whoever gets the edge in this match up will most likely decide the victor of each respective game.

 

Predictions

The Bucks keep surprising and seem to thrive when not given the respect they deserve. This will be their biggest task as they face a team with multiple options in every position but who prioritise stifling defence. For the Bucks to win, their young guns will have to show maturity and poise in withstanding the pressure from the reigning Conference Champions. This is no unfamiliar territory for the Pistons and through all the hardship of the 2021-22 season, they still find themselves here again on the big stage. They�re hungry for redemption and have one team in between them and another shot at the chip.

Pistons will be caught off guard early in the season with an early victory to the Bucks in the first two games. Sheed will get busy at the controls and move a few things around which will cause a cataclysm at the controls for the Bucks and melt their offense. It�ll nearly go the distance and look like either team will take the series out at some point in time.

Series Prediction- Detroit 4 Milwaukee 2

Series MVP- Kyrie Irving 28 points and 8 assists.

Good luck to both GMs in what is sure to be an incredible Conference Finals!