Milwaukee Bucks: What went wrong against the Miami Heat

Matchups

What seemed like a perfect matchup boiled over quickly. While both teams advanced and faced off in the second round, the matchup wasn’t as competitive as we’d hoped. It wasn’t competitive or even at all as the Bucks were on the brink of a sweep until reeling their way back in overtime of Game 4.

What happened with the rest of the series before Game 5? Anyone watching would predict that once the second round started, the Bucks and Heat were going to match up well with their core of young, athletic, and talented players.

Here’s the thing: the Heat found a way to bypass all the hype and simply play basketball. For some reason, Miami didn’t fear the deer and they kept their promise from the regular season that they were a force to be reckoned with. They used all of their guys, which the Bucks did not.

The Heat found a way to play their best guys at their best moments using their best strengths, which included a game of small-ball and shooting. Between Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn and Goran Dragic, the Heat could play small-ball, which meant they put their guards who are quick and fast against the Bucks bigs and often misuse of their rotation and game plan.

It’s an old trick and the one that worked. When the Bucks put in their best five, the Heat put in their best five, but the difference was that the Heat’s had a secret connection. Miami’s were all guards who could put the ball on the floor, create their own shot and shoot it well.

Compare this to the Bucks, whose rotation consisted of small and big men and didn’t always work. Neither were the Bucks sure on how it would work, so they couldn’t match up. They just played a game of “don’t strategize, just play” style of ball. This worked more to the advantage of the Heat than the Bucks. The Heat analyzed their matchups all season long, came up with a game plan and seized their opportunity to strike.