With the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks both playing two All-Stars, their third-best players may prove the difference-maker in this series.
The stage is set for the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, as they prepare to kick off the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on Monday evening. It’s Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, versus Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. But after that?
It’s largely undetermined, but it’s possible the third-best player from these Bucks and Heat teams may swing the competition in this series. That being said, what is the third most important matchup walking into this Eastern Conference Semi-Finals?
You’ll find the answer between the team’s two starting point guards.
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra made yet another ballsy change to his starting lineup against Indiana, opting for veteran Goran Dragic over Rookie of the Year finalist Kendrick Nunn. The bet paid off, and largely at that, with the Dragon averaging 22.8 points in the series sweep.
Going forward, the plan is that they will maintain this starting lineup against the Bucks, meaning Dragic will be matched up with Eric Bledsoe, a very capable defender. He finished on the All-NBA First Defense team last year and very well may do so again after this season.
If Dragic can win his matchup with Bledsoe, Miami’s odds increase exponentially.
Dragic is the key to this matchup, assuming that Butler and Adebayo each play up to par. The 34-year old point guard looked a lot less veteran against Indiana, and a lot more like a guy sitting smack in the middle of his prime, ready to help lead a playoff charge.
Not only does Dragic start for the Heat, but he’s apart of Miami’s closing five-man lineup.
That’s where his role becomes all the more important. Bledsoe hasn’t been on fire these playoffs, averaging just 11.6 points on 44 percent from the field and 27 percent from behind the arc. It will be Dragic’s primary objective to make sure that doesn’t change in this series.
Given Bledsoe finished the regular season 14.9 points on 34 percent shooting from deep, don’t expect him to be a non-factor offensively throughout the entire series. But he’s in a slump for sure, and Dragic should take advantage by being particularly aggressive on D.
Jimmy Butler’s got Khris Middleton, Bam Adebayo has Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Goran Dragic will need to cover Eric Bledsoe. Those three matchups are most important for this Miami Heat team if they’re to advance past the Milwaukee Bucks to the Conference Finals.
Tip-off on Monday is slated for 6:30 pm est. Coverage will be provided by TNT and TNT Overtime.