3 Teams worse than the Miami Heat despite their record

2. Milwaukee Bucks

Heat fans will always have matchups against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks circled on their calendars, and another matchup this postseason could feature even more drama than usual.

Damian Lillard's summer-long quest to get traded to Miami ended up with the Trail Blazers sending him to Milwaukee. Immediately after the acquisition, Lillard and Antetokounmpo were seen as a top star duo across the league.

Milwaukee's dramatic offseason reshuffling came after an embarrassing loss in the first round to the eighth-seeded Heat.

The Heat are 2-1 in playoff series against the Bucks since Jimmy Butler’s arrival.

Butler and the eighth-seed Heat ran the Bucks off the floor despite both Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo suffering season-ending injuries. Antetokounmpo wasn’t 100% either, but that is a bad argument to make considering the lone Milwaukee series win came in a game that Antetokounmpo didn’t play in. Miami became the first play-in team to advance in the postseason, and that Bucks series kick-started one of the greatest playoff runs of all time. It was clear that Spoelstra’s schemes and adjustments overpowered former Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer. 

The Heat also took down this same Bucks squad in the 2020 East-Semi’s in five games but then were victims of revenge when the eventual 2021 champions swept them in the first round the following season. With Lillard’s arrival, another Heat/Bucks series could be cinematic. What better way to show what Lillard missed out on in South Beach than another postseason upset that would send him and his new team home?