Photo via Twitter / @SportsCenter
With the NBA Playoff schedule adjusted based on the Bucks historic protest of a playoff game, which subsequently shut down the league for three days, Milwaukee will have to quickly turn things around from their series with Orlando. Their series with the Miami Heat tips off on Monday at 5:30 p.m., giving them just one day of rest between rounds of the playoffs. Here’s what to look for ahead of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Turning Up The Heat
The Miami Heat are very much not the Orlando Magic. The Heat finished the season with a 44-29 record, and they swept the Indiana Pacers in their opening round matchup of the playoffs. That means that Miami hasn’t played a game since last Monday, with a week to fully rest up against a Milwaukee team that is running on a day of rest. Look for the Heat to push the tempo in the opening games of the series, capitalizing on the Bucks’ fatigue.
Miami’s Offensive Weapons
As we saw in the series with Orlando, the Bucks had trouble stopping center Nikola Vucevic from putting together some big games, largely from behind the three-point arc. Miami poses a similar threat, with point guard Goran Dragic and former Marquette standout Jimmy Butler shooting 41% and 57% from three-point range respectively. Miami also acquired another former Golden Eagle in Jae Crowder mid-season, who has only bolstered the team’s depth offensively.
Khris Middleton’s Production
While the Bucks largely rely on Giannis Antetokounmpo to lead the way for them on both ends of the floor, Khris Middleton struggled in the opening round series. It only felt like he could put the pieces together for Milwaukee in two of the five games with Orlando, going cold for much of the series. Fortunately, however, he did put together a double-double in Game Five of the Magic series on Saturday, so hopefully things are turning around. If the Bucks are going to move past the Heat, it’s going to come down to the performance of their all-stars, and right now Middleton will need to start the series hot.
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Battle of the Benches
With a shorter number of days off, the Bucks are going to need extra help from their bench to get things done against Miami. Fortunately, Milwaukee has proven to be a fairly deep team, with Pat Connaughton, George Hill, and Marvin Williams contributing significantly in the opening round series when the Bucks needed it most. Miami, however, has some depth as well, with forward Kelly Olynyk, and guards Andre Iguodala as well as Milwaukee-born Tyler Herro all stepping up for the Heat. This is likely not going to be a four-game affair, so stamina is going to play a factor in the series.
The Bucks and Heat begin their series at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, with games 2-4 happening on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Coverage for Game One begins at 5 p.m. on TNT nationally and Fox Sports Wisconsin locally.
