Shaquille O'Neal anointed Milwaukee as his favorite win the 2023-23 NBA Championship on Tuesday night's TNT pregame show.
The Bucks, who own the third best record (14-6) in the Eastern Conference, are in search of their second NBA title in the last four seasons.
"This team right here is my favorite to win the championship," said O'Neal.
Led by two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Hall-of-Famer turned analyst believes the Bucks roster is built to win.
"This team is built for championships, you have a great big-man, you have a great closer—a guy who is a great free-throw shooter—and you have two others who can give you a high point games in Middleton and Lopez."
"I think Milwaukee should win and they should win easily. … This team right here is my favorite to win the championship."
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 6, 2023
Shaq on the Milwaukee @Bucks 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/38xaNPrkp8
O'Neal believes that the Bucks should start "sending messages" now by winning the league's NBA in-season tournament.
"They should start sending the messages now," said O'Neal. "If you can win the in-season tournament and then the Larry O'Brien that just shows everyone that you have really been focused all season. ... They have the perfect championship team."
The Bucks, who have won eight of their last 10 games, host the Knicks at Fiserv Forum in an NBA in-season tournament quarterfinal matchup.
