As the first round of the NBA playoffs finish, the Bucks advanced to the second round after beating the Chicago Bulls. Many fans are excited to see how the Bucks perform in the rest of the playoffs. 

The matchup of the first round between the Bucks and the Bulls started a bit rocky, but turned into an easy matchup for the third seeded Bucks, who went 4-1 against the sixth seeded Bulls. Despite playing relatively shaky in the first two games of the series, the Bucks were able to come out ahead. “I knew we were going to beat the Bulls because we beat them last year, and we’ve grown as a team since then,” sophomore Giancarlo Lechuga said. The Bucks are now moving forward to play the Celtics. 

The Celtics are looking to be a team to be concerned about, however, as they went 4-0 against the Nets, despite the Nets being a strong team. Bucks fans believe they can move past them however, and have high hopes for the Bucks even though Khris Middleton sprained his MCL in the second game of the series against the Bulls and is  not expected to return at any point in the series against the Celtics.  “I think the Bucks will go into the championship game with the Suns, despite Middleton’s injury,” junior Matt Miksic said. The Suns, last season’s second place team, is also a team Bucks fans need to be worried about. The Suns, who went 64-18 in the regular season, are not only the highest ranking team in their division, but they have the best record of any team in the league. 

Though hopeful, some Bucks fans are worried about an inevitable matchup between the Bucks and the Suns. “I think the Bucks will lose to the Suns in game seven of the Championship Series,” said Miksic, “as the Suns are a very strong team, and Devin Booker is playing very well currently.” Devin Booker, the Suns all star player, has now suffered a hamstring injury and is predicted to be out for at least a few games but would be available should the Bucks meet them in the Finals. 

Every year, the NBA playoffs provide entertainment for all basketball fans. Everyone has a different team they are rooting for, and as of now, there isn’t one team that stands out as the favorite, so everyone is excited to see the outcome of every matchup.