Tag Archive for: Milwaukee Bucks

5 Post-Practice Comments from Milwaukee Bucks

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As we’ve been diving into a bunch of post-practice comments from the Miami Heat as of late, here’s a glimpse at some comments from the Milwaukee Buck’s Khris Middleton, Kyle Korver, and Mike Budenholzer. They all pretty much shared a mutual feeling about yesterday’s game, which all began with Miami’s star Jimmy Butler. Here’s what was said…

Post-Practice Comment #1:

Kyle Korver gave Miami major props for yesterday’s win, saying “A healthy respect and a healthy fear of our opponent.” Kyle got his shooting going in the second half a bit, but the respect mechanism had to have come on the defensive side. Since Miami runs lineups late in games with a bunch of two-way guys, Kyle would have to face some tough match-ups. Also, it’s been pretty obvious that Milwaukee has had a bit of a “fear” against Miami, since they were the only team to slow down their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, in the regular season. And well, that carried over into game one, which Miami held Giannis to 18 points. In my opinion, the “fear” was displayed throughout the night on Giannis’ free throws, which it showed that Miami was truly in his head.

Post-Practice Comment #2:

The Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo pick and role combo has worked pretty well this season, but Miami made sure to pounce on that early. Khris said, “Me and Giannis have seen this before…They know what we like to do.” That was led by Miami’s Jimmy Butler, since his defensive IQ kicked in throughout, which led to Miami shutting Khris Middleton down in the second half. You could also tell they got away from their pick and roll stuff early, when Khris began to get his one-on-one stuff going. As mentioned before, not only does Miami’s defensive success come from their physicality, it’s also the fact that they are slowly wearing down Milwaukee mentally.

Post-Practice Comment #3:

Khris Middleton talked a little about trying to stop Jimmy Butler. He said, “He’s a great one-on-one player, and we allowed him to play one-on-one.” This was especially displayed down the stretch of the fourth quarter, when Jimmy told his teammates “I’m not passing.” He also mentioned that their team defense must be better to try and stop Jimmy. But, this is not Jimmy’s priority in these games. His first option will be to get his shooters going early, as he’s continually said all season, and if they aren’t hitting their shots then he will take over. If Milwaukee prioritizes stopping Jimmy Butler, he will have a field day by using his strength all game, which is his elite play-making abilities.

Post-Practice Comments #4:

Mike Budenholzer quickly mentioned after practice today that Eric Bledsoe practiced a bit today. And since Milwaukee’s supporting cast struggled in game one, they will need Eric Bledose to add some scoring to their team upon his return. He will have a winnable match-up on the offensive side of the ball, since he will be able to take Goran Dragic off the dribble a lot. But, if Eric sits out game 2 as well, they will need yet another huge game for Khris Middleton, which seems like a lot to hope for.

Post-Practice Comment #5:

Mike Budenholzer also mentioned their defensive assignment of Jimmy Butler. He said, “I think being better on both Butler and Dragic is probably where it starts.” If you were looking at the stat sheet from game one, you would definitely agree. But if you watched the Heat all season, you may disagree. Although Duncan Robinson didn’t have a great game yesterday, that won’t last long. He has not had bad back-to-back games all season. And if Milwaukee keys on both Jimmy and Goran tomorrow, Duncan will likely explode like he usually does after a tough shooting game.

Who is the Miami Heat’s True Key Piece for their Second Round Match-up?

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The Miami Heat are moving on to the second round, which will most likely be against the first seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee has struggled with Miami all season, for a multitude of reasons. But who will need to step up to beat this Bucks team 4 out of 7 times?

Many think the reason Milwaukee struggles with Miami is that the Heat have so many bodies to throw at Giannis, which consequently led to some of Giannis’ worst games of the season. Jae Crowder will most likely get the first shot at Giannis early on the defensive side. Although Bam Adebayo has proved to be Giannis’ kryptonite, there is no need to risk getting Bam in foul trouble early, which has been a problem during some games in the bubble.

This means that Bam will most likely guard Giannis in the fourth quarters throughout the series. And Miami still has guys like Andre Iguodala and Derrick Jones Jr to try and stop Giannis. But is Derrick Jones Jr’s offensive package good enough to play extended minutes against the Bucks?

Since Milwaukee’s defense revolves around a drop scheme which allows a bunch of threes, it favors Miami. But with DJJ’s inability to stretch the floor, this may mean that Kendrick Nunn replaces him in the 9 man rotation in this series. Kendrick Nunn clearly isn’t the most efficient three point shooter, but he definitely is a threat.

This leads right into Miami’s true key pieces for the series. Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, and Kelly Olynyk can all play major roles in this series with their ability to stretch the floor, but the true X-factor is Miami’s second year man Duncan Robinson.

A hand in his face can’t even slow him down at times, which is why teams have continued to try and blanket Duncan and let other players on this Heat team beat them. This is something the Bucks won’t do. They will continue to use their defensive sets, which will mean even more Duncan and Bam dribble hand offs. Duncan went 11-21 from beyond the arc in their three regular season games this year against Milwaukee. And since they pack the paint, it will limit Bam’s offensive numbers some. But since he does so many other things well, this won’t hurt their offense one bit.

Although it’s evident that Duncan is pretty much the x-factor in every game they play, since their offense basically revolves around him, it’s even more true in this series. If the Bucks continue to allow this to happen in this series, Miami will make them pay, which makes this series so interesting.

5 Toughest Games for Miami Heat on Updated Schedule

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The new schedule is out….

And it’s no picnic.

All but one of the eight opponents is a playoff team, since many of what were supposed to be the Heat’s remaining games got wiped off the slate when those teams are not invited to Orlando.

Here they are, the top 5 toughest….

 

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Miami Heat will be playing the Oklahoma City Thunder on August 12th in the NBA’s resumed season. The Heat got the win against the Thunder in late January, but it wasn’t easy. They are sometimes referred to as the Heat of the west, since both teams were overlooked and a surprise to the league. Oklahoma City has the perfect blend of veterans and young players behind their leadership in Chris Paul and talented youth in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Their a tough match-up for the Heat because of the guard depth on the team. Miami’s weakness is not having a good defensive back-court. This will be a gritty and tough match-up for the Heat since they always seem to give it their all on the floor.

4. Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets got the win at the beginning of the season against Miami. It was one of the worst games for the Heat this season and was definitely one of Bam Adebayo’s worst games as well. Nikola Jokic is a player that seems to give trouble to almost anybody he faces, especially with his ability to stretch the floor. The depth of this team is something that not only could give the Heat major trouble, but also for whoever they face in the playoffs. They now have some experience under the belts, which may not be a big deal for the way these playoffs will be presented. Either way, the Miami Heat will have their hands full on the defensive side of the ball with the talented players that are on this roster.

3. Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors will be the second game of Miami’s updated schedule and will definitely be a good one. Toronto is another one of those teams that were a surprise this season after the departure of their star Kawhi Leonard. The Heat played the Toronto Raptors twice this season and came away with the win in both. This doesn’t mean to take this team lightly. They have fire power across the whole roster and seem to give Miami trouble on the defensive side of the ball. When Miami played Toronto in early January, the leading scorer for the Heat was Bam Adebayo with 15 points. That could be a problem. On the other side of things, Bam Adebayo seemed to be the perfect player to stop Toronto’s star Paschal Siakam. They match-up pretty well, which makes for a tough regular season game heading into the playoffs.

2. Boston Celtics

The Heat will be playing the Boston Celtics on a back to back after the game against Toronto, which seems to always be the case. These games will be played on August 3rd and August 4th, and interesting enough the Heat played Toronto on December 3rd and Boston on December 4th this season. Just like in that instance, the Raptors give the Heat a tough game and leave them exhausted for a young Boston Celtics team. The Celtics beat the Heat in both games they played this season. But one thing should be noted, Jimmy Butler does not like losing. The idea of losing to this team three times in one season will not sit well with him. Be ready for an absolute display by Heat’s star Jimmy Butler on August 4th.

1. Milwaukee Bucks

And finally, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s always a tough assignment to slow down a leading MVP candidate and only one guy seemed to do it this season. Bam Adebayo. The Miami Heat seemed to play exceptionally well on both sides of the floor against this team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. This is because the way to stop this team is to make everyone other than Giannis beat you. Which is what they did. Once Bam fully locked up Giannis, they then looked to Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe, who did not seem comfortable in those situations. If the Heat could mirror the way they played earlier in the season, they’ll have a chance to take down the Bucks and try and secure a top 4 seed.

Heat should seek second round with the Bucks

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As it stands right now, the Miami Heat would face the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. As the 4-seed, the Heat find themselves in the same half of the bracket as the Bucks and defending MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. While some may say that’s not ideal, the Heat should seek that second-round match up with Milwaukee.

 

Miami is one of two teams this season (Denver the other) to have multiple wins over the 53-12 Bucks. The Heat were one of three teams to win in Wisconsin, doing so without Jimmy Butler. Then, in Miami, the Heat held Milwaukee to a season-low 89 points en route to snapping a six-game Bucks winning streak.

 

During those contests, the Heat made Antetokounmpo work for every bucket. Coach Erik Spoelstra rotated multiple defenders at Giannis, and the Heat limited him to just 13 points that night in Miami.

 

Leading into a second-round tilt with Milwaukee will afford Spo more than enough time to sharpen those defensive efforts. Miami will have fully integrated Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder by then, giving the team even more options for Antetokounmpo beyond just Bam Adebayo.

 

The Heat would ill-afford slipping to the 6-seed, because that would likely signal a first-round tilt with Boston. The Celtics are 2-0 versus Miami this season, including a convincing 19-point drubbing at TD Garden in early December.

 

The Celtics have length on the perimeter to frustrate Miami’s offensive efforts, and the Heat have always struggled to contain shoot-first point guards, ala Kemba Walker. While the Bucks have the reigning MVP, the rest of their roster lacks the potent punch of someone like Walker.

 

Upsetting Milwaukee in the playoffs could also have a Durant-like effect on Antetokounmpo’s free agency decision come 2021.

 

This is not to say that the Heat would have an easy first-round opponent before facing the Bucks. Although Miami is 2-0 versus the Pacers this season, neither game featured Indiana’s best players: Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon.

 

Miami may also see the 76ers in the first round. The Heat were 3-1 against Philadelphia this year, including a rousing victory 117-116 overtime win in December. Jimmy Butler versus his former team would incite endless intrigue and entertainment, and Adebayo could give Joel Embiid fits.

 

Best case scenario for the Heat is they see an Indiana team that’s still integrating Oladipo and a hobbled Brogdon with Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. They’ll be without Jeremy Lamb, too. They’d move on to an upset win over Milwaukee in the second round and face the battered winner of a series between Boston and Philadelphia for a spot in the NBA Finals.

 

Perfect against the Best: Miami Heat maul Milwaukee

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The Miami Heat played the best team in the NBA Monday night and got the win in commanding fashion, 105-89.

Here’s what happened…

The Heat came into this game off of back to back wins against Dallas and Brooklyn. With the Heat gaining the confidence that they played with earlier in the season, a win against Milwaukee would help it even more. The Heat were 1-0 with Milwaukee prior to this game.

Nunn and Jimmy came out aggressive to start the first. This is what Miami wants Jimmy to do every night, especially against a team like the Bucks. Nunn and Jimmy each had 8 points on 3/5 shooting. Kelly Olynyk ended the first quarter strong for the Heat going 2 for 2 from three, which lifted the Heat to a 31-26 lead at the end of the first.

The second quarter was more of a defensive battle with the Heat going through a bit of a cold stretch. The only guy who was the complete opposite of cold in the second quarter was Jae Crowder. Crowder hit 4 second quarter threes, and ended the first half with 5. A complete recap of this first half was one word, threes. The Heat scored 33 of their 53 first half points from beyond the arc. The Heat took a 53-52 lead at the half.

After a scoreless first half from Goran Dragic and Duncan Robinson, they started to settle down in the third quarter. They each hit 3 threes in the third quarter for the Heat. This helped Miami take a 81-70 lead over the Bucks, holding them to only 18 in the third.

The fourth quarter was just a recap of all the other quarter, defense and shooting. Bam finally got going in the fourth quarter after having a tough game scoring the basketball. He scored 8 fourth quarter points, while Jimmy and Dragic combined for 16 fourth quarter points. This led Miami to a 105-89 win over Milwaukee to go 2-0 with them on the season.

Miami generally wins games against better teams, most likely since they’re more aggressive against those teams. Being at home also helps our odds in which our defense plays significantly better at home. This proved true while the Heat held Antetokounmpo to only 13 points in the game. He also had a -16 rating while the rest of the Bucks team also had a negative rating. This was big win for the Heat, but it might’ve been a bigger win for the 2021 free agency. This was just a sample of what a polished Miami Heat defense looks like which should be intriguing for a player like Giannis.

Miami Heat Escape Against Brooklyn

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The Miami Heat played a tough back to back against Brooklyn Saturday night, and got the victory 116-113 in a down to the wire game.

Here’s how it played out…

Miami came into this game knowing that Brooklyn is a very tough team to beat, even without their star Kyrie Irving who will be out for the rest of the season with an injured right shoulder. Brooklyn has a bunch of guys who play hard and have something to prove every night. All Miami needs to do is touch up on their turnovers while playing against a team with guards who like to run on the break.

Miami picked right back up where they left off in Dallas by getting off to a good start shooting the ball. The ball didn’t stick to anyone’s hands and the ball movement looked great, which always begins once Butler starts to attack. Everyone was able to get their shots up, which was led by Goran Dragic’s 11 points and 5 assists at the half. He also got the crowd going after he hit a one handed three point floater at the buzzer to end the half. The Heat took a 57-49 lead at the half.

The second half began with another great stretch for Kendrick Nunn, who ended the game with 21 points on an efficient 9-14 shooting from the field. He was the main playmaker on the court at times with Goran while Butler and Bam took a break in the third. It was good for Miami’s two stars to get a breather on a tough back to back. It ended up being that Bam and Jimmy needed to come back in the fourth after Brooklyn made a big run after the Heat took a 14 point lead. As Brooklyn began to battle back, Butler began to take over with a clutch And 1, followed by a great give and go with Bam which helped the Heat take a 9 point lead with 5 minutes remaining.

The Nets would not go away behind a great fourth quarter from Joe Harris, who hit 3 threes in the fourth alone. Dinwiddie took the ball to the paint with a little over a minute left to cut the lead to 2. Then with 17 seconds left, Dragic decided to take matters into his own hands, as he has done in the past many times, and hit a big time step back jumper to extend the lead to 4. After a sequence of events, Brooklyn had the ball down two with 9 seconds left and this is where Miami’s two stars prove they are stars. Brooklyn sends Joe Harris off of a pick, in which Bam doubles out with Butler and forces Dinwiddie to throw a tough one handed pass over the defenders. The ball went right out of bounds which locked up a great Miami Heat victory, 116-113.

These types of games always uplift the spirits of a locker room. The attitude of the players was the total opposite of the other night against Minnesota. It seems as if they are definitely having fun again, which of course always comes after winning. Dragic finished the night with 19 points and 10 assists, also having a +8 in 32 minutes. This is the guy the Heat need down the stretch of games, especially come playoff time. Miami has a big game coming up on Monday against the best team in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks. If Miami could pull off this win, they’d be 2-1 on the season against the Bucks, which would give great confidence closing in on the postseason.

The numbers-crunchers (kinda) like the Miami Heat

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While 538 is best known for its political predictions, the statistical website runs plenty of models on sports too.

And it has run one on the Miami Heat and other NBA teams.

Here’s the entire article, which we will explore in more detail — zeroing in on specific Heat players — in future posts here.

But, for now, here’s a look at how they see the team as a whole, based on this calculus…

How this works: These forecasts are based on 50,000 simulations of the rest of the season. Our player-based RAPTOR forecast doesn’t account for wins and losses; it is based entirely on our NBA player projections, which estimate each player’s future performance based on the trajectory of similar NBA players. These are combined with up-to-date depth charts — tracking injuries, trades and other player transactions — to generate talent estimates for each team. A team’s full-strength rating assumes all of its key players are in the lineup.

 

— They have the Heat as the 15th best team in the league, with a projected record of 42-40. That’s actually below the over-under at most Las Vegas sportsbooks.

— That would have them 6th in the East, behind the Bucks, 76ers, Celtics, Raptors and Pacers. The Nets and Magic are next. If Kevin Durant returns during the season, expect the odds to change.

— They have the Heat with a 78 percent chance of making the playoffs. In the West, that would be significantly lower.

— Chance of making the NBA Finals? That’s at 3 percent.

— Championship chance? Less than 1 percent.

On that last one, they obviously haven’t watched Tyler Herro enough.

Is there hope in the East for the Heat?

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Well, that went as expected.

The Eastern Conference first round was full of mismatches, especially with Indiana missing Victor Oladipo, and so it should have surprised no one that all four series were slaughters, with the favorites taking 16 of 18 games.

It was also a stark reminder of how far the Miami Heat are from serious contention in the conference. They finished behind the Nets, Pistons and Magic, teams with just a couple of certifiable stars between them. The Heat can talk about injuries (and they were banged up than the Magic in particular, though not the Nets). But the reality is, they’re just not good enough — and with Dwyane Wade retiring, likely about to get worse.

This isn’t us saying it.

It’s you.

After the four top teams in the East easily advanced, we polled it at @5ReasonsSports.

At last count, the Raptors and Celtics were “leading” at about 33 percent each, followed by the 76ers, with the Bucks way behind — because they have Giannis.

But the most popular response was “none of the above.”

It’s hard to envision the Heat passing the Bucks anytime soon. The 76ers? Even if Jimmy Butler leaves, they still have Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in their early 20s, and probably Tobias Harris. The Celtics may lose Kyrie Irving, but they are still stocked with assets.

The only real wild card is Toronto, considering they could lose Kawhi Leonard, likely to the Clippers.

But — and this is sad to say — if you’re betting Masai Ujiri vs. Pat Riley lately, you go with Ujiri.