NBA Playoffs must-follow storylines: Bucks vs Heat
For the second consecutive season, the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat will face each other in the NBA Playoffs. This time around, these two powerhouses will have to crash heads in the first-round with Game 1 beginning on Saturday at 1:00 PM CT.
After the fifth-seeded Heat dismantled the top-seeded Bucks in the second round of the playoffs last year on their way to an NBA Finals berth, Miami will be looking to pull off another upset as the sixth seed this year. The third-seeded Bucks will be in a similar situation as the favorites once again, but many factors help support the odds that the end result could be much different this series.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat will meet in a thrilling first-round matchup in the NBA Playoffs. Here’s everything you need to know about the rematch.
Without a doubt, the Milwaukee Bucks are much better than last season. In fact, it’s not even close when comparing talent-wise. Thanks to key signings in the offseason and a big trade before the deadline, the Bucks enter this postseason with one of the most talented rosters that the franchise has ever assembled.
Milwaukee has upgraded from Eric Bledsoe to Jrue Holiday, Marvin Williams to P.J. Tucker, Robin Lopez to Bobby Portis, and Kyle Korver to Bryn Forbes since Miami burst their bubble last year. All four key additions have proved to be major difference-makers this season, and there’s no reason why that shouldn’t continue in the playoffs.
Despite having a worse regular-season record this season, the Bucks are substantially more of a threat with the reigning back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way as a more controlled, mature initiator, and with a stronger supporting cast. Not only does Milwaukee have a favorable chance of claiming revenge against the Heat, but they have what it takes to win it all.
On the other side, the Miami Heat have switched up their roster as well. While the core headlined by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo remains intact, they have added contributors such as Trevor Ariza, Nemanja Bjelica, and Dewayne Dedmon. Unfortunately for Miami, recently acquired two-way star Victor Oladipo will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his right quadriceps tendon.
The Heat will also be without Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk, Derrick Jones Jr., and Solomon Hill this time, all guys that played an impactful role against the Bucks last season. All in all, we really don’t know how well this different Heat squad matches up against this improved Bucks team at full strength.
Milwaukee won the regular-season series 2-1, but Jimmy Butler wasn’t active in any of those games. It’ll be interesting how this heavyweight matchup ignites right out of the gate, but without further ado, let’s examine the top storylines from this highly anticipated rematch between the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat in the NBA Playoffs.