Milwaukee Bucks NBA Playoff Prop Bets Roundtable

The Milwaukee Bucks are in the playoffs and we’re pretty fired up about it. We’ve been lifting twice a day and are loading up on complex carbs at the right times to maximize #CONTENT performance. We're hoping to provide you with quality pieces when the playoffs get started.

But we also need to have a little bit of fun before we lock in, roll up our sleeves, and [other hard work clichés]. With that in mind, the staff decided to kick around their opinions on some somewhat serious and some light-hearted prop bets for the Bucks-Raptors series.

Over/Under: 20 “and ones!” from Greg Monroe in the series.

Mitchell: This is a joke, right? I’m taking the “over” and not looking back. If Greg averages at least one “AND ONEEEEEEE!” per quarter (plus the random “AND ONEEEEEEE!” that happens whenever he blows a layup in a game), and the series goes to five games (which is my minimum expectation), he’s hitting 20 easily.

Eric B: 20 seems like a lot. It really does. But this is the playoffs, and I think Greg is going to come prepared. Go big or go home. Over.

Gabe: We’ve never seen Playoff Moose before. Playoff Moose is going to be very loud. Playoff Moose will be angry. I am absolutely taking the over.

Adam: Way over, Greg Monroe has literally spent his entire career waiting for the chance to shout deep into April. Also the Raptors foul quite a bit.

Y/N: Jason Kidd will have a beard for Game 1.

Mitchell: Playoff beards are a thing, right? And why would Kidd shave when the team is doing way better since that woeful January stretch? I’m betting “Yes.”

Eric B: I think wants to look sharp for the national TV audience, therefore I think he’ll come in to the playoffs clean. No beard yet. Also, he can use the shave as a teaching point. Come in to the playoffs with a blank slate, etc. etc. Coaching!

Gabe: Hmm, a tough one. I’ll go with Eric and say he’ll be clean shaven to begin. He was beardless for the 2015 playoffs, right? (I’m just recalling the infamous “Timeout. Timeout. TIMEOUT, JOEY! TIMEOUT! JOEY!”

Adam: No way. Kidd will want to inject this team with an air of professionalism going into the playoffs. Scraggly salt and pepper on his chin is not that.

Y/N: The series goes past 5 games.

Mitchell: This is a very hard proposition. Even if it was an over/under, where the O/U was 5.5, I wouldn’t know where to put my money. I am doubtful of the Bucks’ ability to contain the various matchup problems that the Raptors present, so I guess I’ll say “No” and hopefully regret it next week.

Gabe: Yes. I think it’s going to go either six or seven. I see it being similar to the Atlanta series back in 2010 in terms of how the games are going to go. Toronto takes the first two, Bucks even it up back home, steal Game 5 on the road and then hopefully will seal the deal in Game 6, something that the Fear the Deer team was unable to do.

Eric B: At first I thought saying yes was a slam dunk, but I think Toronto might be coming into this series a little underrated (if that’s possible). I also think the overall talent disparity is going to show as the series moves along and the Bucks are going to run out of steam. Please, please prove me wrong.

Adam: I don’t think so. Bucks fans should take solace in knowing I was entirely wrong about their win total for this season though too, so this prediction is probably the best thing for their chances.

Y/N: The Bucks will be the first team assessed a technical foul in the series.

Mitchell: No! DeMar DeRozan has 13 techs on the season (tied for 7th overall with Dwight Howard), P.J. Tucker has 11, and Kyle Lowry has 8. The first Buck on the list is Greg Monroe with seven.

...unless Jason Kidd needs a timeout. And I mean really needs a timeout.

Gabe: You know what, I could see it. Things crumble late in the fourth, Moose goes to the bucket, yells “And one!”, doesn’t get the call and stays back to argue with the refs. I actually seriously see that playing out. Greg Monroe will get a technical foul in Game One.

Eric B: I agree with Gabe on the subject of the technical, but I think Monroe will get it coming to Giannis’ defense if P.J. Tucker gets under his skin. [Insert joke about a Canadian fanbase booing a moose, collect awards for good joke].

Adam: Ya. Gabe’s excerpt from his crystal ball sounds about right.

O/U: Greg Monroe 11.5 ppg this series.

Mitchell: Over! Monroe is a bucket-getter, and Milwaukee’s collection of lanky forwards will pull Serge Ibaka out of the paint just enough for Moose to get loose.

Gabe: Over. Playoff Moose will score buckets.

Eric B: Over because I think the Bucks will feed him when the other areas of their offense are struggling, especially if the matchup is favorable.

Adam: Over, I think Monroe will start to get more run as the series goes on.

Y/N: Will you confuse Thon Maker for an actual velociraptor during the series?

Mitchell: Probably not, but that’s because I’ve seen him play live and know he’s not a terrifying predator from the Cretaceous Period.

Gabe: Well now I need to see an edited video of Thon yelling replaced with audio of a velociraptor sound.

Eric B: Probably not, but have you ever seen Thon and a velociraptor in the same room? Makes you think. This also has great photoshop potential.

Adam: I’ve always thought Chris Bosh was the most spitting image of a Velociraptor we’ve had to date. Thon is a worthy successor.

Y/N: Giannis/Middleton will average more than Lowry/DeRozan in the series:

Mitchell: I gotta say no on this one. Giannis will emerge as the next candidate to take the torch from LeBron James, and Middleton is always steady, but they simply don’t have the firepower to outscore Toronto’s backcourt duo.

Gabe: Nah. I think those two are going to be holding the spotlight for the majority of the series. Giannis will have his moments, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think he’ll average more than them throughout the games.

Eric B: I think this will be closer than people think because I don’t think this is going to be a high-scoring series, but I’ll give the edge to the Raptors duo based on experience of taking their game to another level. I won’t be surprised at all if Giannis and Khris go off, though. What’s there to lose?

Adam: No. DeRozan is a volume scorer, and neither Middleton or Giannis have that as instilled in their DNA. The Bucks’ stars will both have their moments, but I doubt their scoring averages will exceed that of Toronto’s stars over the course of the series.

Is “Playoff John Henson” going to make a comeback?

Eric B: I hope so, but...

I hope so.

Mitchell: [shrug emoji]

Adam: I’m sitting this one out.