The Miami Heat enter the second round of the NBA playoffs as underdogs in most peoples’ eyes, but I can see them becoming victorious. Their second-round matchup, the Milwaukee Bucks, had the best record in the NBA this season. It may seem like a daunting task to defeat them in a seven-game series, but the Heat have proven themselves to be able to. The experts favor the Bucks in this series with 11 experts picking the Bucks to win and 7 experts picking the Heat to win, according to ESPN. (Experts' picks for Bucks-Heat in the Eastern Conference semis) During the regular season, the Heat went 2-1 against the Bucks (1-0 with their star player Jimmy Butler and 1-1 without Butler.) The Heat match up better against the Bucks with their all-around team and dynamic shooting. The Bucks may have the best player in the game in Giannis, but the rest of their team has not matched up to the Heats lately. Bam Adebayo, one of the better defenders in the league has been proven to shut down Giannis this year holding him to just 13 points in one of their games. It has been a common motif that when Giannis does not dominate the game the Bucks have a good chance of losing.
The most important player for the Heat this series will be Tyler Herro. If he can dominate the game off the bench, it will take a lot of pressure off of the starters and give the Heat that extra push. As a rookie, Herro played 46 of the 48 fourth-quarter minutes in the first series against the Pacers with a plus-minus of +13. Herro played like a veteran, shooting greater than 50% in 3 of his 4 career playoff games. If he continues to play this way the Heat will have a good chance to win this series. (A Rookie Closer? How Tyler Herro became a part of the Heat’s closing unit)
My prediction for this series could be considered bold by some people, but based on what occurred in the first round I think it is very possible. Heat in 7
Nice article - you forgot to mention that the Bucks choke in the playoffs... This will be a tight series.
ReplyDeleteGood point!
Deletego heat
ReplyDeleteI too believe that Tyler Hero's ability to put up big numbers off the bench will be the deciding factor in who wins the series. Heat in 6
ReplyDeleteWoo! Go Heat!!
ReplyDeleteI also believe that Tyler Herro will be a crucial player. As the youngest player on the team, this is his time to prove himself by continuing to put up big numbers throughout the playoffs.
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