2. Milwaukee Bucks @ Philadelphia 76ers – Thursday, October 20
There are two teams in the Eastern Conference that could potentially knock off the Boston Celtics during the playoffs. Assuming that Boston is going to pick up where they left off last season and assuming they can recover from the early-season injury bug, the C’s should be a favorite.
But the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are two teams that have the potential and star power to win the East.
The Bucks are no surprise. Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably the best player in the league and the Bucks have a really good supporting cast. The one big question, though, with Milwaukee is health. Khris Middleton will miss opening night and it’s not clear when he’ll be back.
The Philadelphia 76ers also have the talent to win the championship. But like many other teams, their chances are going to come down to health. When Joel Embiid is healthy, he’s arguably one of the best players in the league. The same could be said about James Harden. Although, I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a bit concerned about Harden with how he looked during the latter portion of last season.