MILWAUKEE — ESPN's Stephen A. Smith predicts the Milwaukee Bucks will defeat the Atlanta Hawks in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals, a win that would send the Bucks to the NBA finals.
After beating the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday and clinching the series 4-3, the Bucks are set to play the Hawks this Wednesday in Game 1 at Fiserv Forum.
"Bucks ain't losing the series," Smith said of the Bucks v. Hawks series on Monday. "Milwaukee Bucks are going to the NBA Finals. Matter a fact, I think they'll take Atlanta out in five games."
"I think this is the closest you have been since the days of Oscar Robinson with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar," said Smith.
And when it comes to how exactly he thinks the Bucks will beat the Hawks this round, he had four words: Giannis Antetokounmpo and P.J. Tucker.
"Giannis is going to be in attack mode and I've seen no one, absolutely no one on the Atlanta Hawks that are going to come close to being capable enough to stop him. The fact that P.J. Tucker is there, wearing the Milwaukee Bucks uniform, and more than willing to take on the elite defensive assignments that only the elite defenders are asked to do speaks volumes about him," said Smith.
Smith is a commentator with Max Kellerman on ESPN’s First Take. He also hosts SportsCenter with Stephen A. Smith.
