Miami Heat: A Playoff Preview Of First Round Series Against Milwaukee Bucks

The Miami Heat will have their work cut out for them on defense, as stopping Giannis is a full-time job.

The Miami Heat have a ton on their plates heading into this series. One of them is dealing with a near-seven foot locomotive called The Greek Freak Express.

THERE’S JUST NO STOPPING A HEALTHY GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO.

For a player who’s categorized as the most dominant interior force since Shaquille O’Neal (Zion Williamson may have an answer to this), the Heat should expect the reigning back-to-back winner of the Most Valuable Player award to play in this series with a vengeance. There had to be an immense amount of frustration to go through the process of entering the Bubble with attainable title aspirations prior to the pandemic, only to be sent home early by a team which very few predicted would prevail.

However, the past is the past and the Heat are going to see an even more motivated Greek Freak. A strategy to slow down a 6’11” athletic phenomenon such as Giannis, who’s officially entering his prime at 26 years old, is to force him to take perimeter shots.

Although the confidence in his jumper is growing, Antetokounmpo still struggles shoot to consistently from outside. However, if he chooses to lower the shoulder and drive inside, the Heat must have prepare their defenders to rotate, with Trevor Ariza likely having sole responsibility.

It should also be noted that Antetokounmpo remains a poor free-throw shooter, so a few hard fouls are necessary to send him to the line. This is much easier said than done, especially when coach Erik Spoelstra runs his usual smaller lineups.

Miami will have their work cut out for them by defending one of the game’s elite players. Surely, they’re up for the challenge though.