Utilizing their homecourt advantage, the Milwaukee Bucks have taken a 2-0 series lead over the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
After narrowly escaping Game 1 thanks to a heroic game-winning jumper from Khris Middleton, the Bucks took the floor in Game 2 with a sense of urgency from the opening tip. Hitting a franchise playoff record 22 triples, the Bucks finished off a historic night as they trampled the Heat with a dominant 132-98 win on Monday.
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Despite putting on a convincing showing with a 34-point margin of victory in the latest outing, this series is far from over as everything shifts to South Beach for the next two matchups.
Although Milwaukee is currently in a good place leading the series, this relentless Miami team will certainly come out with something to prove as they have a chance to tie up this series on their home floor over the next two games.
Simultaneously, the Bucks will have the opportunity to close out this series if they win these next two games. To do so, they will have to continue several trends that have stood out throughout both their two-point victory in Game 1 and their 34 point victory in Game 2.
The Milwaukee Bucks must stay aggressive on the offensive glass
Rebounding has been among the strong suits for the Bucks this season, which has been placed on full display throughout these first two contests, particularly on the offensive end.
The Bucks have hauled in a whopping 36 offensive rebounds throughout the first two games of this series, which leads the league by a country mile. When asked about these tenacious efforts on the glass offensively, Khris Middleton appointed the consistent emphasis on it by head coach Mike Budenholzer. You can catch the full clip on the team’s official YouTube page:
"“He’s been on us all year about that. We definitely saw some clips where we can take advantage of crashing the boards. I think Donte does a great job of flying in from all over the place. Bobby, Giannis, Jrue, even Brook, myself, although I’m not in there as much as I could. It’s just a balance that we want to have with some guys attacking the glass and then also being ready to get back in transition.”"
With a clear emphasis on crashing the glass, they have capitalized on the abundance of extra possessions with the basketball by putting up 42 second chance points on the scoreboard, which is also the league’s best mark to this point in the playoffs. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has particularly been active down low by hauling in 12 offensive rebounds for 14 extra points in what has been a solid series for him.
This aggressive effort on the offensive glass from Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Bucks will be crucial down in Miami as Milwaukee looks to put those extra points on the board.
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.
The Milwaukee Bucks must continue outdueling the Miami Heat in the paint
Circling back to the Bucks’ dominant efforts close to the basket, they have been a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor in the paint.
Offensively, Milwaukee has done damage close to the basket by scoring an average of 51 points in the paint over the course of these first two games. That number far beyond the typical 41.3 points that Miami allowed per game during the regular season, which was the best mark in the association for a formidable post defense.
A massive factor in this success down low has been Antetokounmpo’s success as he continues figuring out Miami’s defense that hindered him in the playoffs just one season ago.
According to NBA.com/stats, Giannis has been getting to the rim frequently and capitalizing on the opportunity this time around by shooting 20-of-28 (71.4 percent) from the restricted area. If he has indeed figured out how to break through that wall defense set up by Miami, then there is no slowing down the two-time MVP, but it seems certain that they will look to implement new schemes for these upcoming games to combat his success.
Defensively, the Bucks have held the Heat in check down low by surrendering an average of just 34 points over the first two contests. That is 10 points below Miami’s regular season quota, largely because of how they have limited Adebayo close to the hoop. The Bucks have prevented the big man from getting to the basket as he is shooting 4-of-8 from the restricted area. Outside of the restricted in the paint, Adebayo has shot an abysmal 4-of-14, which is certainly a strong testament to the team’s relentless efforts to keep him at bay.
Protecting the paint while also exploiting the Heat’s defense on the opposite end of the floor will be crucial over these next two games.