Milwaukee Bucks: 3 trends that must continue as series shifts to Miami
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks must keep limiting the Miami Heat’s star players
One of the biggest surprises in this series is how well Milwaukee has limited Miami’s star players to such an impactful degree.
The most prominent example of this success has been the Bucks’ unshakeable defensive efforts on Jimmy Butler. The five-time All-Star is averaging just 13.5 points throughout these first two contests while shooting 8-for-32 from the floor and 2-for-9 from long range. A massive factor that has propelled this success was Giannis Antetokounmpo guarding Butler straight away from Game 1’s opening tip, something that rarely occurred in last season’s playoff matchup.
Milwaukee’s defensive success has also impacted Miami big man Bam Adebayo, who is off to a similarly slow start by averaging 12.5 points on 9-for-26 shooting from the field. Brook Lopez has done a phenomenal job of limiting Adebayo offensively in the post by often forcing him to settle for difficult jumpers that have not yet fallen consistently.
Lastly, Tyler Herro has had little impact on this series whatsoever as he has scored just 14 points on 3-for-15 shooting from the field over these first two games. After Herro looked phenomenal in Miami’s playoff run last year, Milwaukee has virtually taken him out of this one entirely as he has yet to get anything going on the offensive end.
With the series set to resume on Thursday, this team must keep it consistent with these determined defensive efforts. Along with the desperation that comes with being down 0-2, playing in front of that Heat home crowd could unquestionably spark some life into these three with a pair of massive games ahead. The early returns have been positive, but only time will tell if that same success translates to South Beach.