Bucks Zone

The Milwaukee Bucks' fear factor in the East draws hot take from Charles Barkley

Despite featuring Giannis and Dame, Chuck still doesn't see Milwaukee as a scary team in the East.

Matthew Dugandzic

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At this critical stage of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks are already drawing significant regard as a legitimate championship heavyweight. Coming off a productive stretch in which they won six of their last seven games, the ball club is trending upward and continuing to solidify their championship rally with 19 games left before the postseason time hits the calendar.

But despite this, there is still a level of dubiousness about the team’s competitive capabilities. And recently, Charles Barkley dropped an intriguing take on how Milwaukee fares up in the Eastern Conference.

Bucks not a scary team in the East?

Chuck is a notable Bucks supporter, and his campaign on the team’s 2021 championship rally has been well documented and appreciated by the Milwaukee faithful. But this time around, the basketball legend appears to be skeptical about their place in the East this season as he believes that the Boston Celtics is the only group that strikes fear within the said conference.

“Other than the Celtics, there’s not a single team in the East that scares you,” he said during Thursday’s coverage of Inside the NBA.

Upon this bold declaration, Chuck drew instant reaction from co-hosts Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith as they questioned the Bucks’ exclusion. As such, Barkley dropped a bizarre reason why no one fears Milwaukee despite parading Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

“[The Bucks have] Giannis and Dame, but nobody fears them because they don't have a lot of athletic ability. So no. … The East is up for grabs, other than the Celtics.”

Watch them work

The Celtics boast a league-leading 48-15 record and hold a wide margin over the 41-win Bucks in win-differential (7.5 games). Amid this disparity, that doesn’t take away the fact that Milwaukee has the best shot to take them down amongst any other East teams.

Still, the Bucks wouldn’t escape the swirling doubts from the majority, considering their fluctuating progress when Adrian Griffin was the one calling the shots. But with Doc Rivers now sitting at the helm, they can only feel confident to conquer the odds and go to win it all.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.