We are locked and loaded to hit the hardwood in the NLL Eastern Conference Finals. This should be one for the history books and will likely be talked about for years to come. The oddsmakers are predicting this series between Milwaukee and Philadelphia going 7, and I tend to agree. Because of a catastrophe in the NLL Media Offices over the weekend, we now know that prior to this preview, the Philadelphia 76ers won a thriller in game 1, with veteran Rudy Gay hitting a game winner as time expired in Cream City. There’s a joke in there somewhere, but I’m going to leave it alone.

How we got here:

Milwaukee Bucks

Could this team beat the 2015 Dubs, or the 1995 Bulls? Not sure. But I can’t say I wouldn’t put money on them. There is no “This team went through a bunch of turmoil to get here” or “Wow! What a season for the Bucks!” If the Bucks don’t win the Finals, then the season is considered a bust. Or at least, that’s how I imagine Wolf is thinking. Dominating the NLL all year and coasting to the best record in the league is becoming the norm for Milwaukee, but they’ve still got work to do. The biggest differential in the league points to them being the most complete of the legitimate contenders, but we will find out. I still can’t fathom how a team has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jusuf Nurkic as their 4^th and 5^th best guys, but here we are. Fear the Deer, fo’ ‘sho!

Philadelphia 76ers

Speaking of Juggernauts… sheesh. Only two games back in the East, the ‘6ers were nearly as unstoppable, but with just a slight drop off in the defensive box score. It is worth nothing that these two squads met three times during the year. Philly won the first meeting by a large margin, so we’ll call that the anomaly. The other two were split between the two beasts in the East and were decided by a combined 11 points. Seems like a pretty even matchup to me. There is a common misconception that Milwaukee is clearly the deeper team between these two, and it got me at first too, but that’s just not true. SGA and Nurkic are an elite 4^th and 5^th man, but I’m not sure what you call Derrick Rose and Zion Williamson. These team is absolutely stacked, and has the same expectations for their season: TitlesOrBust.

Center Matchup:

Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Rudy Gobert

Is there a matchup in NBA history with more total wingspan? We have two pterodactyls out here, and not one single Jeff Goldblum. What a shame. I don’t think there’s any question that Giannis is the best player in this matchup, but not many teams have a formidable defensive weapon like Gobert that can try to slow GA down. Now, coming into the series I was of the opinion that Rudy was going to limit GA significantly. Antetokounmpo then reminded everyone of why he is so elite, and dropped 43 while gobbling up 24 boards. Unreal numbers against a player like Gobert. He just finds a way.

Advantage: Milwaukee

Power Forward Matchup:

Zion Williamson vs. Onyeka Okongwu

This is where Milwaukee is going to get in a little bit of trouble. In the regular season they tried the Chicago Bulls prodigal son Patrick Williams in this matchup, and it just didn’t work out well. In game one, Milwaukee decided to roll with Okongwu, and it was also tough sledding. I’m not sure there’s a lineup decision that will allow Milwaukee to have the advantage here due to Zion’s athleticism and glitch ability. Easy decision for me.

Advantage: Philadelphia

Small Forward Matchup:

Anthony Edwards vs. Rudy Gay

The prototypical young gun versus veteran battle will be a theme throughout these next three matchups, which is why Milwaukee is so highly regarded: because they are elite *and* young. That’s very hard to do. I think these two are about even in the amount that they effect the game, but I have to give a slight edge to the vet here because of his size, and his overall total of badges being a tad higher. (14 to 12). In a year, this matchup could be very different. But as it stands now, as we saw in game 1, Rudy Gay still belongs on the court in big games, despite his age. While also a little glitchy at this point in his career, Gay is an elite contributor for one of the leagues elite teams.

Advantage: Philadelphia

Shooting Guard Matchup:

James Harden vs. Zach Lavine

While Zach is obviously at the top of my list of favorite players, he’s just clearly not James Harden… yet. The 76ers have two legitimate MVP candidates in their backcourt, and James is the better of the two in my opinion. With unreal, literal video game numbers night in and night out, the ‘6ers go as Harden goes. Harden went for an uber efficient 37 in game one to drive this point home. While Zach is an ideal 2 guard in 2k for most teams and against most teams for that matter, this is one exception.

Advantage: Philadelphia

Point Guard Matchup:

Damian Lillard vs. Trae Young

Feel like I’ve typed this out before… Damian Lillard is just better than the Young gun.

Advantage: Philadelphia

Bench Matchup:

This boils down to two trios. Which group is better: Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and Kyle Anderson or Josh Richardson, Jusuf Nurkic and Patrick Williams…

I think this is a razor thin margin honestly, and as the theme goes, give me the Bucks trio for the long haul. However, I think the Philly trio is better positioned to help their team now, and it showed in game 1. Having the youngest MVP in NBA history come off the bench for you and legitimately contribute is a great luxury, and it’s the main reason I think the ‘6ers bench has the edge here.

Advantage: Philadelphia

Prediction:

I hinted at it earlier, but when I sat down to write this preview, I was very set on Bucks in 6 or something similar. Given, we had a preview of the series in game one which makes my prediction worthless, but my mind has been changed. I think Philly is clearly the better overall team in the present, and for that reason I’ve got the 76ers winning in 4.