The Miami Heat completed a sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. A look at grades from the matchup.
The Miami Heat and the rest of the NBA’s 2020 postseason is getting back on track after a number of meetings surrounding the latest social injustices. At some point throughout the weekend play will resume, with five first-round series still incomplete.
In their own first-round series, Jimmy Butler and the Heat swept the Indiana Pacers. It was a matchup that provided a number of surprises, mostly on Miami’s end. Head coach Erik Spoelstra played the gamble of keeping two of his regular-season starters on the bench, and it worked.
Meyers Leonard saw no action in the first round, while point guard Kendrick Nunn made the most of his Game 4 opportunity when Butler suffered a left shoulder strain. But in their places were Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder, two veterans with healthy playoff experience.
Miami handled Indiana with ease, and their next matchup will prove far more difficult. That being said, a look at player grades from the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.