Who will win this series?

Part of me wants to say the Hawks will win this series because they are so fun to watch and seem like the ultimate “underdogs” and “cinderella team” of this year’s NBA playoffs, but it is hard to imagine that the Milwaukee Bucks will lose this series given how well they have been playing as of late. 

Offensively, the Bucks have struggled in the NBA playoffs, scoring just 107.6 points per game and shooting 31.2% from three-point range, but they have been one of the best defensive teams in the league during the playoffs. 

READ MORE: NBA Rumors: This Hawks-Pelicans trade lands Brandon Ingram in Atlanta

Granted, the Nets were without Kyrie Irving after Game 4 and pretty much without James Harden the entire series since he had a relatively major hamstring injury, the Bucks were still able to hold them to just 104.7 points per game, down significantly from their season average of 118.6 points per game. 

Milwaukee’s defense will be the deciding factor in this series and if they can contain the Hawks offense and force them out of rhythm, then Milwaukee will be able to open up a substantial lead in many games of this series. It is hard to imagine Clint Capela being much of a factor on the interior in this series, but John Collins will need to step up for the Hawks. 

READ MORE: NBA Rumors: This Bucks-Spurs offseason trade sends a young guard to Milwaukee

In their series against the 76ers, Collins averaged 15.1 points and 10.0 rebounds, giving the Hawks that tough-minded interior presence they needed. His ability to rebound in this series over the likes of Lopez and Antetokounmpo could be huge for the Hawks and will definitely be much needed if they are to steal some games on the road in Milwaukee. 

Atlanta definitely has a chance to surprise many and extend this series potentially to a Game 7, but in the end, the Bucks have been playing great basketball and it is hard to choose against Giannis Antetokounmpo right now. Game 1 of this series will definitely tell us a lot, but as seen in many of the previous series in these NBA playoffs, winning the first game or two of a series does not seem to matter!