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Bucks, Brewers are both legit

I was recently listening to one of those late night sports shows when I heard something that really surprised me.

Now, I don’t normally pay much attention to these so-called “shock jocks.” They almost always originate from the West or East Coast — where they assume the only real sports are in their backyard.

On this night, the subject was the NBA playoffs and the rude (as always) host was certain the Kyrie Irving-led Celtics and Kawhi Leonard-led Raptors were going to the league’s Eastern Conference championship game.

He dismissed the Milwaukee Bucks as a “one-season wonder” and downplayed the Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokopumnpo.

The “Greek Freak” may be a lot of things: the second coming of Dr. J. (Julius Erving); or the best player to come out of Africa.

But you can’t downplay his skills on a basketball floor.

He already does things Dr. J. was doing and he’s just in his third season in the league. And his first step to the basket is hard to believe.

A 6-foot-11 guy who can bring the ball up the floor, play defense, shoot three-pointers and rebound doesn’t come along every day.

The Bucks also have a nice supporting cast for Giannis, including guards who can shoot from distance and tall frontcourt players.

You only had to watch Milwaukee completely dismantle the Detroit Pistons and Celtics in the playoffs to see how good they really are.

Can the Bucks beat Golden State for the title, some people are asking. Most assuredly so.

In the same town the Bucks are doing their things, the Brewers are also under appreciated by the national media.

Maybe they didn’t see that the “Brew Crew” missed making the World Series by one game in 2018.

And like their counterparts just up the street, the Brewers probably have the finest player in the big leagues in Christian Yelich, who hits .338 and leads his team in homers and RBIs.

Yelich may be the most valuable player to his team, with apologies to Mike Trout of the Angels, who never seem to contend.

But he also has solid hitters like Ryan Braun, Mike Moustakas and Travis Shaw to protect him in the lineup.

The Brewers face season-long tough battles with division rivals St. Louis and the Chicago Cubs. But if their starting pitching can hold up and the relievers stay solid, the Brewers could host the World Series this fall in Miller Park.

Speaking of Miller Park, I believe it’s the finest place to play ball in America. And having that retractable roof means there are never any rainouts to worry about.

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