The Bucks-Warriors comparisons as well as a potential matchup are and would have been fascinating at many levels.
1. In terms of a comparison of the ownership groups, the Bucks ownership group is willing to spend money to be competitive, but they have their limits. PJ Tucker would have cost way more than he was actually worth on the court because of the luxury tax, but would having one more defensive wing have been enough to get by Boston while waiting for Middleton to return? We'll obviously never know, but if the Warriors had been in the same position, they'd have resigned Tucker (or at least made a competitive offer before telling him to go find something to match). The Warriors ownership group spent 176 million on salaries and paid 170 million of luxury tax. They paid to keep a team intact that hadn't won a title since 2018 that included a max guy who didn't play for 900 days and another max guy who averaged ~8/7/7 the last 4 years. It probably cost them over 100 million a year for the two previous years to stick with Klay and Draymond and not even make the playoffs. Would any other teams, not just the Bucks, do that? PJ Tucker didn't get resigned because it would have been an extra 20-25 million with luxury tax. Not peanuts, but definitely not the Warriors approach.
2. Jordan Poole plays the Grayson Allen role for the Warriors. He's a guy that is supposed to hit the open shots you get from being a great-shooting 4th option on the floor. He's a better offensive player than Allen, but if anything, he's even worse on defense than Allen. Somehow the Warriors schemes hid him enough on defense to be a difference maker on offense. Poole was 15 for 39 from three against the Celtics. Allen was 5 for 24. In spite of everything else that happened, if Allen shoots 36% in the Celtics series like Poole did, the Bucks are probably playing in the Finals.
3. Brook Lopez would have been played off the floor, and I'm not sure Portis could have stayed on either. The Bucks had the perfect guy to guard Curry for 20 minutes a game to spell Holiday, but would Bud stubbornly not used Jevon Carter against the Warriors like he refused to use him against the Celtics.
4. Could Draymond Green have slowed down Giannis enough?