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After a tumultuous start to their NBA campaign, the Miami Heat finished the season strong and will go into the playoffs as the sixth seed with a first-round matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Prior to the All-Star break, the Miami Heat were 18-18. However, after a 22-14 run in the second half of the campaign, they were able to stay above the Boston Celtics and avoid the NBA play-in tournament.
The Heat's contest with the Bucks will be the second year in a row that the two sides have met in the playoffs. The former came out on top in the bubble last season, 4-1.
However, the Milwaukee Bucks pose a more-rounded threat this time, and the Miami Heat have struggled for consistency this year.
Identifying what the Miami Heat can do to overcome the Milwaukee Bucks in a 7-game series
In this article, we have identified five areas that the Miami Heat can focus on to overcome the Milwaukee Bucks.
Although the Bucks had their lowest-winning percentage since 2018, they still pose a fearsome threat on offense and have several premier defenders, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and new addition Jrue Holiday.
Let's dive into what the Miami Heat can do to stop the Milwaukee Bucks' threat and advance to the semifinals.
#1 Limit Giannis Antetokounmpo
Reigning two-time MVP of the league Giannis Antetokounmpo has had another unstoppable season for the Milwaukee Bucks. He was one of only two players during the campaign to average at least 25 points, 5 assists and 10 rebounds per game. He was also one of only eleven to grab at least one steal and one board a night.
Limiting his impact on the seven-game series should be the Miami Heat's No.1 priority.
Prior to his injury in Game 4 of their semifinal matchup last year, Antetokounmpo was dominating the paint with 40 rebounds in the opening three games. Despite that, the Heat went 3-0 up and will be hoping to do the same this time around while continuing to limit his ability to run proceedings.
#2 Maintain scoring consistency
Over the last ten games of the season, no NBA team has shot the ball with more efficiency from the field than the Miami Heat (51.6%). In fact, since the beginning of April, only the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks have scored at a higher rate than the Heat.
After their cold start to the season, their scoring consistency came at just the right time. In January, the Miami Heat ranked third-bottom for three-point percentage and 15th from the field, which are not exactly the scoring rates expected of the reigning Eastern Conference champions.
However, their sharpshooters have found their touch and will be looking to take advantage of the Milwaukee Bucks' perimeter defense.
The Bucks ranked last for three-point efforts allowed and 23rd for field goals allowed this year. That will hugely benefit the likes of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, who have rekindled their scoring form in the second half of the season. Since April, both have shot at over 45% from the field and over 40% from downtown.
#3 Improve bench effectiveness
Although the Miami Heat's results have improved, they will need their second-unit to step up, particularly if it goes to a seven-game series.
Throughout the year, the Heat's bench only scored 34.4 points a game (22nd) and grabbed 14.3 rebounds (27th). While those numbers improved over the last ten matchups of the season, the team will need their bench to outscore the Milwaukee Bucks' second unit when the games are closely fought.
The Miami Heat's bench ranked among the bottom ten teams across all scoring metrics this term, though the likes of Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic improved their shooting at the end of the season. They will need to step up against the Milwaukee Buck's second unit, who had the seventh-best +/- of 1.1 and were the second-best three-point scorers, draining 40.8% of attempts.
#4 Maintain defensive stiffness
In Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, the Miami Heat have two of the league's premier defenders. The latter is even among the top five candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Meanwhile, the former leads the league in steals with 2.1 per game.
Combined with their other experienced defenders, such as Trevor Ariza and Andre Iguodala, the Heat will be tough to beat again this year.
The Miami Heat had another effective season on the defensive end, finishing 6th overall for efficiency, despite conceding 1.3 more points per game.
They conceded the fifth-fewest points per matchup and allowed the third-fewest field goals. Thanks in part to Adebayo, they also allowed the 7th-fewest points in the paint and were sixth for giving up second-chance points to their opponents.
#5 Channel the same energy that they had in the bubble
The Miami Heat pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the NBA bubble last year. After finishing in the fifth seed, they eased their way to the Finals after overcoming the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks - neither of which went to a Game 7.
The Heat swept the Indiana Pacers 4-0 before they overcame the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 in the semifinals.
Jimmy Butler was instrumental throughout this stretch, though the Miami Heat had an impressive team-first attitude that helped them succeed. They had to play with that attitude since they neither had the strongest squad on paper nor were they the favorites in their semifinal and conference final matchups.
If they can channel the same energy and benefit from the improvements of their younger stars, such as Adebayo, the Miami Heat can pull off another postseason upset.
Guess the Lakers players!
