One inch. That was all that was standing in the way of the Bucks being eliminated, Bud being fired, and a likely soft rebuild. Instead look for them to enjoy this, and run back a very similar looking squad next year as the presumed favorites. Crazy game. Not sure why the Bucks would be the presumed favorites. I’m guessing that will be the Nets, for good reason. Will the Bucks even be a Top 3 favorite after all the dominos fall in the off season? Guessing LeBrons team will get a bunch of hype, per usual. I’m not taking anything away from this run, it was well deserved and they played great teams to hoist the trophy. BUT they don’t even make the conference finals if the Nets aren’t severely crippled. I mean they needed every ounce of fight and a big toe to survive that. The Suns took six games to eliminate the Leonard-less to make the finals. How would we have faired against the Clippers with Leonard taking the floor? My point is, those odds/perceived favorites will be determined imagining the sky is bright and injuries are washed away. Going into the season it will be back to imagining a healthy Big 3 and the return of LeBron. I’m glad Giannis and the Bucks were able to win it this year. With the NBA the way it is, who knows if we ever get such an opportunity again. It’s just not easy for a team like the Bucks.