The Milwaukee Bucks are in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, which start Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors.
The winner of the best of seven game series advances to the league finals, something the Bucks haven’t done since 1974.
The team is looking for its first NBA title since 1971.
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The Raptors defeated Philadelphia in their second-round playoff series, thanks to a shot at the buzzer in Game 7 from forward Kawhi Leonard.
Melissa Kim, sports anchor and reporter at News3Now TV in Madison, said Leonard is one of many reasons the top-seeded Bucks won’t be able to take Toronto lightly.
“Basketball is, of course, a team sport, it’s not about a single guy. But there is that one single guy that always is the catalyst for a team, and that’s Kawhi in this situation,” she said Wednesday. “How they contain him and limit his points is going to be the biggest difference tonight.”
The Bucks took four of five games from the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, thanks to dominant play from Giannis Antetokounmpo and key contributions from Bucks bench players like guards George Hill and Pat Connaughton.
“George Hill scored in double digits in the last four games, and those guys really stepping up has made a big difference, on points and defensively too,” Kim said. “Pat Connaughton has had some spectacular games on defense.”
Milwaukee has home court advantage in the series, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
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