Ideal: Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are one of the top teams in the East. They have the talent to beat the Heat in a seven-game series, but given the choice between the Celtics and the Bucks, the Heat would rather face the Bucks 10 times out of 10.
The Bucks have gone 13-11 under head coach Doc Rivers, which isn’t incredible for a team with the second-best record in the East. The Bucks defense has been shaky at times. Although defense has improved under Rivers, the Heat are still capable of shooting the Bucks out of the building on any given night.
The Bucks will be faced with a lot of pressure this postseason. Is the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard duo enough to get them over the top? Did they make a mistake firing their head coach midseason? Rivers has had a troublesome recent history in the postseason. What will happen to him if he does not win with the Bucks?
All of these questions put pressure on the Bucks to win the title over the next two seasons. If the Bucks end up facing the Heat, the team that has historically sent them home early, they might be going home early again.