Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. (Getty Images)

Giannis Antetokounmpo is well aware he’s far from being a finished product.

Sounds ridiculous to even suggest that the reigning NBA MVP, who averaged 27.7 points per game, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, shot 58 percent from the field and led his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference during the 2018-19 season, still has plenty of room for improvement. But that is the case with the 24-year-old Greek Freak, who is only scratching the surface of his prodigious talent.

“I always think that I can improve,” Giannis told NBA TV. “That’s the one thing I have been doing, and I’m gonna keep doing it. There are going to be times that I’m not going to improve anymore. But as long as I keep working hard, keep believing in myself, I think I will keep getting better.”

“I can tell you right off the top of my head five things I could do better,” he added. “I could shoot more threes, catch and shoot threes so I can help my teammates space the floor better. I could be able to playmake more. I could improve my handles. Make my handles more tight. There’s a lot of things I can improve.”

Milwaukee is among the favorites to win the NBA championship. But first things first. The Bucks need to learn from last year’s disappointing finish in the playoffs.

“We try to get better each day. We try to compete at practice and create a habit that can carry over to the game,” Giannis said. “We know teams are going to come and try to win games against us. But we gotta be ready. We gotta do what we did last year. Defend together. Move the ball offensively. If we keep doing that we’re gonna be fine.”

OneManFastBreak.net predicts the eight teams that’ll make the playoffs out of the Eastern Conference.

1-Milwaukee Bucks (60-22) – Giannis said losing in the conference finals “stinks.” The Bucks had the Toronto Raptors down 2-0 and could have gone up 3-0 in the series. But it didn’t happen. The Raptors rallied and won the next four games and captured the franchise’ first NBA championship. This season’s theme for Giannis and the Bucks is finish. They must finish the job, and they could have the squad to get over the hump. The addition of Wes Matthews gives them another wing 3-pointer shooter to go with Khris Middleton and Kyle Korver. The key is point guard Eric Bledsoe. Can Bledsoe play big when the Bucks need him most? That’s a question that won’t be answered until April.

2-Philadelphia 76ers (57-25) – The last time when saw Joel Embiid, he was crying as he left the court after a devastating loss in Game 7. Embiid’s raw emotion was telling. His desire to win is greater than we thought. Embiid will be highly motivated to push the Sixers deep in the playoffs. If you believe the videos on social media, Ben Simmons has a 3-point shot now. Simmons has been flashing his brand-new jumper during pickup games but we won’t know for sure how confident he is with his wetter until the regular season begins. Simmons’ growth as a shooter could be the leap the 76ers need to be able to move past the Bucks and advance to the franchise’s first NBA Finals since the Allen Iverson era.

3-Toronto Raptors (49-33) – The Raptors gave forward Pascal Siakam a huge vote of confidence by signing him to a four-year, $130 million max contract extension. The move signals that the Raptors believe Siakam, 25, can become the cornerstone of the franchise. He had a breakout season in 2018-19, averaging 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists en route to winning the Most Improved Player award. His improvement on offense and defense were major reasons why the Raptors defeated Golden State in the NBA Finals. With Kawhi Leonard now with the L.A. Clippers, Siakam will have plenty of shots to prove he’s worth the money.

4-Boston Celtics (48-34) – The Celtics are hitting the reset button this season after the failed Kyrie Irving experiment. Kemba Walker was the team’s big free-agent acquisition and he’ll assume point guard duties for a squad in desperate need of a backcourt leader. Losing Al Horford to the 76ers will hurt more than most people think. Horford was the anchor of the C’s defense and spaced the floor on offense with his ability to pick and pop. Coach Brad Stevens is hoping forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can regain the magic they showed in the playoffs two years ago.

5-Miami Heat (47-35) – After barely missing the playoffs last season, the Heat are back with Jimmy Butler leading the way. Butler reportedly turned down a five-year, max contract offer from the 76ers to move to South Beach and become the new face of the Miami Heat as Dwyane Wade heads into retirement. Jimmy Buckets gives the Heat something they’ve sorely lacked the past couple of years — a bonafide All-Star wing who can close games.

6-Brooklyn Nets (46-36) – Nets fans will have to wait a year before they see Kevin Durant, who is recovering from a devastating Achilles tear. In the meantime, the Nets will lean on newly acquired point god Kyrie Irving along with some solid role players. Young big man Jarrett Allen showed a lot of promise as the team’s stretch 4, who can also play some center. Caris LeVert has the ability to create his own shot, while Joe Harris led the league in 3-point shooting percentage last season.

7-Orlando Magic (44-38) – The Magic were a playoff team a year ago, and this year they’ll be slightly better. Big man Nikola Vucevic agreed to stay with the team by signing a four-year, $100 million deal last June. Vucevic has been overlooked for much of his pro career, but stats show he’s a top-10 center. The 28-year-old center averaged 20.8 points and 12 rebounds last season, both career highs. The growth of the Magic depends on forward Aaron Gordon. If Gordon can make an All-Star leap, the Magic could challenge for homecourt advantage in the first round.

8-Indiana Pacers (43-39) – Indiana Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard expects star guard Victor Oladipo to be out of the lineup until at least December as he recovers from a ruptured quad. “I’m hopeful he’ll be back December or January,” Pritchard said. Oladipo suffered the injury in January and has been progressing slowly. Until Oladipo returns, it’s hard to give the Pacers a full evaluation. With Oladipo, the Pacers are a definite playoff squad. Without him, they’re struggling to stay above .500.

Last teams out: Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards

Joakim Noah and the Bulls have the best record in the East. Is that enough to carry them to the NBA Finals? (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Home-court advantage and the No. 1 seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs have not resulted in a championship the past two seasons. Just ask LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James powered the Cavaliers to 66 and 61 wins and the No. 1 seeding in the East two years in a row, but a great regular season turned into a nightmare in the postseason. Last year was the most painful one, as the Celtics eliminated the Cavs in the conference semifinals and LeBron walked off the TD Garden floor with his head down, took off his Cavaliers uniform for the last time and bolted for South Beach.

This year, Derrick Rose has powered the Chicago Bulls to 62 wins and the No. 1 seeding in the East. Even though the Bulls have clearly been the best team in the East this season, the playoffs are a totally different challenge. Can these upstart Bulls and their soon-to-be crowned league MVP handle the immense pressure and scrutiny of the playoffs? That’s the No. 1 question facing first-year coach Tom Thibodeau.

FIRST ROUND

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Indiana Pacers
The Bulls took three of four games from the Pacers, who may be able to win one game in this series but that’s about it. Too much Derrick Rose, too much Bulls defense. Prediction: Bulls in 5.

(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
Last year the Hawks were thoroughly dominated by the Magic and had no answer for Jameer Nelson. The Hawks picked up defensive specialist Kirk Hinrich at the trade deadline and he should help deal with Nelson’s dribble penetration and contest his jumpers off screen-and-rolls. However, the Hawks didn’t pick up anyone to deal with Dwight Howard in the post and that will ultimately be, again, their Achilles’ heel. Prediction: Magic in 6.

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) New York Knicks
Most experts feel this could be the best first-round series. From a pure entertainment standpoint? Yes. In terms of the length of the series? No. Chauncey Billups and Amare Stoudemire both have health issues, and the Knicks play way too loose on offense and defense to keep up with the highly efficient and battle-tested Celtics, who could break out of their shooting slump against a very forgiving and extremely soft Knicks defense. Prediction: Celtics in 5.

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
The Heat’s biggest weaknesses are at center and point guard. Fortunately for Miami, Philly doesn’t really have a low-post presence who can command double teams. And point guard Jrue Holiday is playing in his first postseason so don’t expect this series to be competitive. Prediction: Heat in 4.

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (4) Orlando Magic
This is where the shocker of the postseason occurs. Orlando has a significant edge in the middle with Howard, and Chicago really has no one on its roster who can keep Orlando’s 6-foot-11 beast out of the paint. Joakim Noah is still bothered by an ankle injury and backup center Omir Asik will be in foul trouble throughout the series because he’s not athletic enough to stay in front of Howard. Another matchup problem for Chicago is Jason Richardson, who should win his one-on-one battles with Keith Bogans, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer. And as good as Rose has been all year, he has yet to lead the Bulls out of the first round. Prediction: Magic in 6.

(2) Miami Heat and (3) Boston Celtics
Miami’s victory over Boston in the fourth meeting between the two teams was not only a huge confidence booster for the Heat but it was also a reality check for the Celtics. The addition of Mike Bibby gives LeBron and Dwyane Wade a true sniper who can spread the floor and be counted on in the fourth quarter. For the Celtics to win this series, three things must happen: 1) Shaquille O’Neal plays 24 minutes a game,2) Rajon Rondo makes some jumpers, and 3) Paul Pierce averages more than 20 points per game. All three will be very difficult to achieve against a Heat squad that is coming together at the perfect time. Prediction: Heat in 7.

CONFERENCE FINALS

(2) Miami Heat vs. (4) Orlando Magic
In 2009, Howard and the Magic denied LeBron a trip to the NBA Finals. This year, James has D-Wade to lean on when the going gets tough. James’ biggest obstacle the past two postseasons has been his inability to raise his game in big moments. That’s where Wade comes in. This is the series where Wade turns into Jordan and LeBron happily takes on the role of Pippen. The two teams split the season series, so that means home court will decide the outcome of the battle of Florida. Prediction: Heat in 7.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

On the court, expect nothing less than another MVP season from the NBA’s reigning most valuable player – and he’ll have Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to lean on when things get too heavy. There is little doubt that the new-look and new-improved Miami Heat is the beast of the Eastern Conference for the 2010-11 season. But there are two other teams in the East who could crash the party in South Beach: Boston and Orlando.

The Celtics, last time we checked, is the defending Eastern Conference champions and, when healthy, they remain a powerhouse. And you can’t find a more tough-minded ballclub. Last year, head coach Doc Rivers managed some of his “older” players so that they are ready to go for the playoffs. Expect much of the same this season, as Rivers will lean on Rajon Rondo even more during the regular season and the roles of bench players Nate Robinson and Glen Davis could expand.

At one point during last year’s playoffs, the Magic were the sexy pick to make the NBA Finals. But something went terrible wrong during the series with the Celtics and the Magic left very disappointed. Orlando is probably regretting not re-signing Hedo Turkoglu because Wince Carter can’t be relied on during crunch time. Dwight Howard must add some post-up moves to his game in order to lift the Magic past the Heat and Celtics.

The rest of the conference will be fighting for the other five spots. Chicago and Milwaukee will be competing for the Central Division title, and with it homecourt advantage in the first round. Atlanta has been moving up the ladder the past two seasons, but the Hawks have some in-house issues they must address. Larry Brown is good enough to get Charlotte in the playoffs, but the Bobcats may max out at No. 6-7. The final two playoff berths will come down to Charlotte, New York, Washington and Cleveland (yes, even without LeBron).

OneManFastBreak.net publisher and editor Joel Huerto predicts the eight teams that will make the Eastern Conference playoffs:

1. MIAMI HEAT (Projected record: 66-16)
The moment LeBron said “he’s taking his talents to South Beach” the Miami Heat instantly became the team to beat in the East. Nothing against the Boston Celtics or the Orlando Magic, the last two NBA finalists from the conference, but the reloaded Heat have the recipe for an NBA title. They have arguably two of the best perimeter players in the league in James and D-Wade, an All-Star forward in Bosh who won’t clog the lane and is a decent rebounder, a capable sniper in Mike Miller and a veteran frontline that includes Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Udonis Haslem. And don’t underestimate Erik Spoelstra as a game manager. There is a reason why Pat Riley handpicked him to take over the Heat program.

Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James haven't played a meaningful game together as members of the Miami Heat, but they're still favored to win the East. (GETTY IMAGES)

2. ORLANDO MAGIC (Projected record: 60-22)
Stan Van Gundy is a very underrated head coach, and he certainly has a great feel for this Orlando team. Van Gundy has point guard Jameer Nelson to execute his offense, and Nelson has been playing at an all-star level the past two seasons. The plight of the Magic starts and ends with all-world center Dwight Howard. If Howard ever decides to improve on his low-post skills and become a more consistent, then the Magic could move into championship level. But if Howard stays status quo, then the Magic will fall back into the second tier of NBA contenders.

3. BOSTON CELTICS (Projected record: 58-24)
The Celtics are a year older and another deep postseason run has added more mileage to Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Doc Rivers claims that KG will be better this season because his leg is now completely healed, but Rivers may be underestimating Garnett’s odometer. Pierce came into training camp in great shape, losing at least 10 pounds. Despite his advanced age, Allen remains a top gun in the league and he’ll have a better backup in Delonte West. Young guns Rajon Rondo, Nate Robinson and Glen Davis will need to do most of the heavy lifting during the regular season to keep the old guys fresh for the playoffs.

4. CHICAGO BULLS (Projected record: 54-28)
This season, Derrick Rose will have to adjust to a new head coach in Tom Thibodeau and a new backcourt partner with the departure of the very dependable Kirk Hinrich, who really complemented Rose well the past two seasons. Free agents Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver will share time at shooting guard. The addition of power forward Carlos Boozer – whenever he’s ready to come off the injured list  – will help Chicago’s points in the paint and provide much-needed help to Joakim Noah on the boards. Boozer sets excellent screens and should fit into the Bulls’ pick-and-roll sets.

5. MILWAUKEE BUCKS (Projected record: 52-30)
Scott Skiles is one of the most underrated coaches in the league and that was more evident last year when he pieced together a broken-down team and got them to the playoffs. Skiles’ floor general is second-year point guard Brandon Jennings, who could have easily been the 2010 Rookie of the Year. With a year under his belt, including a playoff appearance, Jennings is ready to take that next step and jump into the conversation that includes Rondo, CP3, D-Will, D-Rose, Nash and Westbrook. A healthy Andrew Bogut is the only thing keeping the Bucks from winning the Central Division.

6. ATLANTA HAWKS (Projected record: 51-31)
After winning 53 games last season, the Hawks will take a step back this season. The Hawks gave a ton of money to Joe Johnson (probably undeserved), but didn’t really improve their roster. With powerhouses Miami and Orlando in the same division, the Hawks will be hard-pressed to duplicate last year’s feat. Larry Drew takes over for Mike Woodson, who did a nice job rebuilding the Hawks but just couldn’t get them into the first tier. Drew is contemplating about moving undersized center Al Horford to power forward, move that will surely force Marvin  Williams to the bench. Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford wants a new deal, but after giving Joe J. a fat $124 million contract, Crawford will be lucky if he remains in the ATL.

7. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (Projected record: 46-36)
Larry Brown is one of the best Xs and O’s bench jockeys in league history, and he will need every ounce of his teaching skills to get this Bobcats team into the playoffs again. Charlotte will lean heavily on swingmen Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace to set the tone for the tough-minded Bobcats, who led the league in defense last season. D.J. Augustin will take over the role of starting point guard with the departure of Raymond Felton. Brown has always preferred Augustin over Felton anyways so this shouldn’t be a tough transition. The biggest weakness for Charlotte is its ineptness on the offensive end. When Jackson is not hitting his shots and Wallace is sidelined (which is guaranteed to happen), the Bobcats can barely score 70 points.

8. WASHINGTON WIZARDS (Projected record: 43-39)
How good is John Wall? He’s good enough to push the Wizards into the playoffs this season. The 2010 first overall pick out of the University of Kentucky is a special player, and he will be the 2011 Rookie of the Year. Wall destroyed the competition at the NBA Summer Pro League in Las Vegas and paired really well with young stud JaVale McGee, who nearly made the U.S. national team. The addition of Kirk Hinrich helps the Wizards in a couple of ways: 1) he adds a veteran presence on offense and 2) he’s a lock-down defender, something the Wizards have never had since their Washington Bullets days. Gilbert Arenas has a lot to prove this season and could contend for Comeback Player of the Year.