On the Nets. It appears Russian oligarchs are laundering their money through their purchase of American basketball teams now hehehe. This is similar to other Russian and Chinese billionaires who buy ownership shares of European football teams.
In any case, I am not certain on why the Bucks are always one of the favorites every year.
The Bucks are the favourite/contender because of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has been carrying the bucks to the playoffs year after year and he's only entered his prime (He just turned 26 last December). The Bucks is heavily investing to build a team around Giannis. I won't be surprised to see them in the finals any day now if Giannis continues to improve and perform.
Not anymore when Harden transferred to the Nets, you can see in the updated betting odds, Bucks now are in the top 4 only. Well, I can understand what people think, Bucks exit in the playoffs for 2 consecutive already, and they were the heavy favorites in the East, so there's a little doubt now, maybe it's time for the Bucks to prove that they are not a one man team who relies on Giannis.