Miami Heat: 3 reasons Miami is better equipped to beat the Bucks
By Jack Simone
Based on the moves they made this offseason, the Miami Heat clearly have championship aspirations. After a disappointing 2020 campaign, Pat Riley wants to head back to the Finals.
However, they don’t have the easiest pathway to get there. A ton of Eastern Conference teams made moves to get better this summer, and Miami has a tough challenge ahead of them.
The Brooklyn Nets are obviously a powerhouse, and a bunch of other teams also got significantly better this summer. However, the team the Miami Heat have their eyes on the most is likely the Milwaukee Bucks.
After losing in Round 1 to the Bucks last year, Miami might be out for revenge. Luckily for them, and fans everywhere, Pat Riley made sure to build a team that is better suited to compete with Milwaukee this season.
How did he manage to do this? In what ways are the Miami Heat better equipped to take down the Milwaukee Bucks this year?
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Reasons why the Miami Heat are built to beat the Bucks: Better defense
Despite being one of the better teams in the NBA last year defensively, the Miami Heat still managed to improve in that regard. They added more pieces that will help them out on defense.
Kyle Lowry will be able to hold down the point guard spot on that end better than any of their point guard options last season. Pat Riley also signed PJ Tucker, who is known for his defensive prowess.
While the Heat’s offense was the main cause of their collapse last year, it still doesn’t hurt to improve defensively. This could allow some of their stars to focus more energy on offense.
Bam Adebayo should guard Giannis Antetokounmpo, but past that, the Heat have some freedom. Ideally, PJ Tucker could guard Khris Middleton so Butler can save some energy.
Miami added a bunch of talent this year, and their defense got a lot better. Milwaukee needs to be ready for an even better defense than the one they saw last year.