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

Lopez isn’t the only guy who can get it done from outside either. They have more in the tank.

CAN’T FORGET MIDDLETON… HE’S STILL THAT DUDE!

Although the Heat’s defensive efforts on Kris Middleton were about as good as you could ask for last year, Miami will have to contain Middleton once again if they want to win this series. In wake of Antetokounmpo’s injury in Game Four, a 36-point performance from Middleton was the potential start of a series-comeback for Milwaukee.

Thankfully for the Heat, they were able to hunker down and close the series in Game Five, holding Middleton to just 8-for-25 shooting in the series clincher. Middleton, who remains as one of the league’s premier isolation scorers, has had some huge moments against the Heat in the past.

However, an underrated improvement in Middleton’s arsenal this year has been the ability to facilitate, dishing-out a career-high 5.4 assists per game. There’s much in question for the Heat to pull off an upset for the second-straight year, as they’re touted as the underdog once again.

Outside of Butler and Adebayo, can they get consistent shot-creation from their guards, particularly Kendrick Nunn and Goran Dragic? How disciplined will they be in zone coverage, all while defending one pass away?

Throughout these inconsistencies that we saw all season long, it seems that they’ve found their strides at the right time possible. It’s all going to be needed though for what could be a seven-game series.

While an already battle-tested group, Miami’s upcoming path to the NBA Finals looks to be a more difficult one, as if last year’s run wasn’t already challenging. Their first postseason obstacle lies in Milwaukee and odds must be defied.

They can though. It all starts with Game One, to be held on Saturday, May 22nd, 2021.

We can’t wait!