In recent years, the Miami Heat has been a huge problem for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Miami Heat find themselves in a fortunate predicament up 2-1 in their 1st round series against the Milwaukee Bucks. There is no definite timeline for when the Bucks expect Giannis Antetokounmpo to return, but it’s expected that he will be a game-time decision for Game 4.
The Bucks are still a good team without Giannis but is a different team whenever he plays. They have compiled an 11-8 record without him this season but it’s apparent that the Bucks will need his services in order to get back in the series.
The Miami Heat has, somehow, taken control of this series
Even though the Heat have been decimated by injuries themselves, they find themselves with the series lead and a chance at a historic upset of epic proportions. The last time a No. 1 seed was upset in the first round of the playoffs was back in 2011 when the Spurs lost to the 8th-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
This Heat team has displayed that same passion and hunger to be able to pull off the unthinkable (so far). It’ll be interesting to see whether they can actually finish the job; they are halfway there. That said, there are very tangible reasons why the Heat has given the Bucks so many problems in this series. Let’s explore the three biggest reasons why Miami suddenly has control of this series.
Overcoming the mounting injuries
First, Tyler Herro goes down with a broken hand, then Jimmy Butler deals with injuries in Game 3. Right when he appeared to be finally healthy and showing flashes of his former self, Victor Oladipo is hurt once again.
Despite the setbacks, the Heat keeps constantly clawing and coming up with ways to win. Despite the injuries to key players, there exist opportunities for other players. There is that “next man up” mentality in the Heat’s culture and head coach Erik Spoelstra always makes sure that his players are ready to go if called upon.
Herro getting injured was Oladipo’s chance to prove that he could still be a major contributor to a contender. Robinson had a great game as he scored 20 points in 24 minutes on 7-9 shooting. Now with Herro and Oladipo sidelined for the foreseeable future, this is Robinson’s chance to prove that he can still be that same player who shined during the Heat’s 2019-20 NBA Finals run.
With increased minutes, newfound confidence, and more shot attempts, Robinson now becomes a player the Heat will have to depend on if they plan on pulling off this upset against the Milwaukee Bucks.
An uptick in offense for the Miami Heat
It appears that the Heat has adopted another identity on offense. During the regular season, the Heat were dead last in the NBA in points per game averaging 107.5 points per contest. During their first three games of the postseason, the Heat led all playoff participants scoring 124 points per game.
It’s impressive for the Heat to be scoring points at this rate considering that they are missing one of their top scorers and the fact that they don’t have a traditional No. 1 option on offense. The Heat normally depend on Butler to carry the load offensively in certain situations and he always turns it up a couple of notches in the postseason. His career regular season averages are 18.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. In the playoffs, Butler’s averages increase to 20.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.
Another area the Heat improved in was their 3-point shooting. During the regular season, the Heat ranked 25th in the league from deep while shooting 34.4 percent. During this current playoff run, the Heat is shooting 50 percent from downtown. In Game 1, the Heat shot an outrageous 60 percent. In the Game 2 loss, they shot 45 percent and came back with another great shooting display for Game 3 as they collectively shot 49 percent from downtown.
The question is, can they keep it up?
Bam’s under-the-radar impact on the game
Bam Adebayo gets unfairly criticized often for his lack of scoring while being one of the marquee players on the team. What the Heat knows is that they have a player who knows his role and plays it well. Adebayo will shoot and attack when he is asked to but his defensive prowess and ability to grab crucial rebounds are more important to the success of the team as he is heavily relied upon to anchor the defense.
Adebayo does make his presence felt in numerous ways. On the offensive end, Adebayo’s plays are usually run through screens and rolls. His passing skills are underrated as he usually finds his teammates on open shots once extra defenders commit to him while rolling to the basket. Critics believe Adebayo should be more dominant considering the fact that Antetokounmpo is out and that it should be a breeze for him to finish at the rim with the Bucks star missing in action.
Implementing a game plan for Adebayo to attack in Game 4 could be beneficial considering that Butler won’t be 100 percent. The Heat must come out and play with a sense of urgency like it’s an elimination for them and continue playing at a high level.
Prediction: The Heat will once again continue their offensive onslaught with Robinson finding his rhythm and Butler continuing to play well despite being banged up. But Mike Budenholzer and the Bucks are just too talented to allow the Heat to take a commanding lead and I believe the Bucks get the victory with or without Antetokounmpo in Game 4. Bucks 134, Heat 125.