Barring a complete turnaround, the Miami Heat are primed to have their season’s fate determined on Saturday. After an embarrassing, 113-84, Game 3 loss on Thursday to the Milwaukee Bucks, a four-game first round elimination is becoming a reality for a franchise that was committed to retaining such a competitive group — just eight months after an NBA Finals appearance.
The last time Miami had been swept in any playoff series was during the 2007 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Detroit Pistons, the year after Miami won their first title in the organization’s history.
Now and after two shameful back-to-back blowout losses, including Game 3 at home amongst the 17,000 fans that were permitted inside the American Airlines Arena, they find themselves in unsettling territory once again.
The fulcrum of Miami’s inconsistent play against Milwaukee didn’t begin in Games 2 and/or 3 though, as Game 1 was unquestionably the root of their very real and apparent issues. Of course, not a living soul can see the future though.
It’s just not possible. However, it’s been severely overlooked when it comes to just how close the Heat were to winning the opening game of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the Bucks and on their home floor, nonetheless.
The Miami Heat had a chance to win Game 1 over the Bucks, but they played right into Milwaukee’s defensive hands.
While both teams didn’t shoot particularly well (Heat – 36 percent, Bucks – 43 percent), Milwaukee gave them several chances to win with their inefficient shooting in Game 1. Though the Heat did manage to hold Giannis Antetokounmpo to just 10-37 shooting, with repeated missed free-throws in the clutch and resulting in a 6-for-13 night from the line, it wasn’t enough to get it done in the end.
But to Milwaukee’s credit, they did begin to ramp-up their defensive intensity in the second-quarter, swarming Miami both on the perimeter and most especially inside. Those efforts limited the Heat’s stars, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, in their abilities to create opportunities for their teammates and for themselves.
The Bucks baited the Heat’s five-time All-Star into having one of the most abysmal playoff shooting performances of his career. Butler continued to play right into the hands of the Bucks defense — by continuing to try his luck from outside the arc.
While this is the aggressiveness and confidence your best player should have in any franchise, it’s simply important to realize just when to keep others involved or when something else should be deployed, strategy wise.
The Miami Heat’s key-reserves gave them a shot, but that wasn’t enough to steal one from Milwaukee in Game 1.
Miami’s top marksman in Duncan Robinson (24 points) and their most trusted key veteran reserve in Goran Dragic (25) led the Heat in scoring, as both players combined for eight of the Heat’s only points scored in the overtime period. It just wasn’t enough, even though they were very dependable options throughout the entire night.
In hindsight, a Game 1 win for the Miami Heat would’ve stolen home-court from the third-seeded Bucks, as well as plenty of momentum. There were glimpses in Game 1 of that competitive and relentless team that was prepared for another sensational postseason run.
Since then though, the series has moved forward but without the Heat, it seems. Miami now has increased pressure to keep those hopes alive, as impossible as that may seem or be.
The Heat’s mindset shouldn’t be to look back on previous losses and it won’t be. A right-now mentality heading into Game 4 is needed and they should be adamant about it, with nothing short of the intent to win.
However, it’s without question that Game 1’s performance was the best they’ve played so far in this series. It’s also without question that since then, they just haven’t been able to replicate it.
We’ve seen some of the most unlikely NBA comebacks in league-history though and the Heat still have an opportunity to prevent, at the very minimum, a Bucks sweep. It’s one game at a time for real, at this point, so let’s just see if they can get one.