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The Milwaukee Bucks were undoubtedly the best team in the 2019-20 NBA regular season. Spearheaded by the 2019 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks secured the top seed in the east with an impressive 56-17 record. For a casual observer, it might seem obvious that the Bucks are the favorites to come out of the East. But the danger of an early upset might be looming large for the Milwaukee Bucks as they take on their biggest challenge in the playoffs so far - The Miami Heat.
Miami Heat, touted as the ultimate dark-horse by NBA experts, might be the worst matchup the Bucks could have asked for in the second round. Miami's Jimmy Butler and crew might have just the right kind of ammunition to contain the Greek Freak in a playoff series. While the Milwaukee Bucks might still be the favorites on paper, here's 5 reasons why the Miami Heat can upset the mighty Bucks:
#1 Jimmy Butler is a man on a mission
Miami Heat's leader Jimmy Butler might not be the best player in the NBA, but an argument can be made that he's the most-clutch and the most-confident player in basketball. Jimmy's been on cloud nine ever since he donned the Miami Heat jersey and has been vocal about how it's been a 'match made in heaven'.
After sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the first-round of the playoffs, Jimmy Buckets was as confident as ever about their next matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. The five-time all star put his words into action as he scored 40 points and led his team to an impressive win over the Bucks to take 1-0 lead in the series.
#2 Miami Heat's defensive prowess
Miami Heat started out the 2019-20 season as a shaky defensive unit. But coach Erik Spoelstra has made all the right moves to ensure they'll be ready come playoffs time. While veterans like Andre Iguodala and Jimmy Butler presense definitely boosted the Heat's morale on the defensive side of the court, it was their center Bam Adebayo who's been a revelation this season. At 6.9", the undersized center seems like the perfect player to guard Giannis in the paint.
Aside from Bam, as seen in Game 1, the Heat coach has other options like Jae Crowder and Myers Leonard to stop the freak in the paint. Jimmy Butler also has the ability to mark Giannis higher up the court (similar to what Kawhi Leonard did to Giannis last year) and force him to settle for jump shots.
Also read: Giannis didn't ask to guard Butler: I'll do whatever coach tells me
#3 The South Beach Splash Bros
While the NBA world missed the real splash brothers this season, two youngsters in South Beach took the sporting world by storm with their shooting abilities from beyond the ark. Duncan Robinson and rookie Tyler Herro shot 44.6% and 39% from 3 point line and were major weapons in Miami Heat's offensive arsenal.
While the Bucks themselves are a great 3 point shooting team, it's usually due to the spacing they get because of Giannis. Along with the duo of Robinson and Herro, guys like Jar Crowder, Goran Dragic, and Kelly Olynyk definitely make the Miami Heat the better team from the perimeter.
#4 Milwaukee Bucks' supporting cast
Khris Middleton played the perfect Robin to Giannis' Batman during the 2019-20 NBA regular season. Brook Lopez and Erik Bledsoe bolstered their offense even further with their impressive shooting. But it has all went downhill for the bucks in the Orlando Bubble.
After the NBA restart, the Bucks had a dismal 3-5 record mainly due to their poor shooting percentage. During their first-round against the Orlando Magic, Khris Middleton shot just 36% from the field with a sorry 65% from the free-throw line. If Middleton and co don't get back to their former selves, they'll be mounting too much pressure on Giannis Antetokoumnpo in the coming games.
#5 Giannis Antetokoumnpo's playoff demons
Giannis Antetokoumnpo could become only the 3rd player to win Defensive Player of the Year award and Most Valuable Player award in the same year. While the Greek Freak did look unstoppable in the regular season, he's yet to prove himself in the playoffs. In spite of being the favorites last year, Giannis was clamped down by Kawhi Leonard and the raptors in the Eastern Conference finals.
Giannis' playoff woes were evident right in Game 1 against the Miami Heat. He scored only 18 points and took just 12 shots as the Bucks went down to Jimmy Butler's team. What's more worrying is Giannis' free-throw shooting. The reigning MVP missed 8 free-throws during game one and was just 33% from the line. If this doesn't improve, the Miami Heat could as well adapt something similar to the 'Hack-a-Shaq' strategy and exploit Giannis' weakness in the upcoming games.
Also read: Heat hero Butler not toxic in the locker room – Spoelstra
Guess the Lakers players!
