NBA analysts: Heat’s strengths play well with Bucks
Feedback from analysts and evaluators on the Heat-Bucks second-round playoff series: • Let’s start with ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, the former NBA center and the Heat’s biggest advocate on network television.
If “you think you’re going to mess with Jae Crowder and Jimmy Butler and Andre Iguodala and Bam Adebayo and [a team] well coached by Erik Spoelstra, you’re crazy,” Perkins said.
“They [the Bucks] don’t want to see Miami in the second round. The Magic was getting wide-open looks [in their firstround series]; the [Magic] just weren’t hitting shots.”
Perkins then asked of the Bucks: Do you think “they can beat the Miami Heat in the second round? Absolutely not, not the Heat team I’m watching [against Indiana]. Milwaukee doesn’t want that smoke at all.” Perkins said he sees fear in Giannis Antetokounmpo when he plays Miami.
• TNT’s Stan Van Gundy, the former Heat coach:
“The Heat has some things that make them a very tough matchup for Milwaukee. Miami does two things exceedingly well defensively: They get back very very well; they’re among the league leaders in limiting fastbreak points, which the Bucks rely on. And they limit paint points, which the Bucks rely on.
“On the other end of the floor, the Bucks have the best defense in the league for a second straight year. But there’s one thing they do: They give up three-point shoots, a lot of them, the most in the league. And the Heat are the No. 2 three-point shooting team in the league, so they are going to have a way to score. I think it will be a great series.”
• Here’s the feedback of an Eastern Conference scout, offered on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized by his team to speak publicly:
“It’s going to be a close series; I would not be shocked if Miami won. Milwaukee’s dominance has evaporated. They’ve played poorly much of the seeding games and I don’t see them as a dominant team. They can throw a lot of guys at Giannis — Jae Crowder, Butler, Derrick Jones, even Bam at times, though you don’t want him getting into foul trouble.
“Milwaukee has got a bunch of older guys — George Hill, Kyle Korver, Marvin Williams, Wes Matthews. The Heat is much livelier and they’re playing at a high level. They move the ball, they’re in shape, their chemistry is very good. I think Milwaukee is a little overrated. [ Mike] Budenholzer hasn’t been great in the playoffs. “And where are the bad matchups for Miami [other than Giannis]? Giannis is going to be a bad matchup for every team in the league.”
The scout said the Heat has the better backcourt ( Goran Dragic, Butler over Eric Bledsoe and Matthews), the better center (Adebayo over Robin Lopez) and the slightly better bench ( Tyler Herro, Kelly Olynyk, Iguodala, Jones, Kendrick Nunn over Hill, Korver, Lopez, Williams, Pat Connaughton, Donte DiVincenzo).
He said one concern for Miami, beyond obviously Antetokounmpo, “is Duncan Robinson on Khris Middleton. That’s a tough matchup for Miami. You could have Bam on Giannis, and Crowder on Middleton, but you worry about foul trouble with Bam if you put him on Giannis too much.”
• TNT’s Chris Webber: “Miami is my dark horse in the East. No player has scored as much in the paint since Shaquille
O’Neal [as] Giannis. So what does he do?
“He gets the rebound, pushes the ball in transition, has really good shooters spread around the court mixed with a couple of guys who can penetrate, especially Eric Bledsoe. So [Miami is] going to have to build a wall. Secondly, they are going to have guys [defending on] the threepoint line. They’re a defensive team and I think they can do that.
But, Webber said, “more importantly, how can [the Heat] get buckets consistently? We know they can score. But you need guys who can get buckets in flurries that teams fear that if you miss seven in a row, they guard you the same way so you can help your teammates. It’s going to be how to find a way to score against one of the best defensive teams — and oh by the way — my Defensive Player of the Year ... Giannis.”
• TNT’s Greg Anthony said
Miami has a roster “equipped” to compete with Milwaukee: “I’ve loved [Miami] all year; they have personnel defensively to create issues for [the Bucks]. The question would be would Miami be good enough offensively. Eric Bledsoe is as good a defensive point guard as there is in the league. Kris Middleton might be the most underrated player.
“The [Bucks] might have the best superstar arguably in the game, but he’s probably the one with the biggest wart in terms of the fact he doesn’t shoot it as well [as other stars]. We’ve seen it in the past in postseason; he’s had some struggles because of that. As you go further in postseason, you will play against well coached, experienced teams who can game plan” and Anthony said the Heat and Erik Spoelstra would fit that bill.
CHATTER
• The biggest key to Miami winning two of the three games against the Bucks this season? The Heat hit 52.7 percent of its wide-open threes in their three games. That must continue, with Milwaukee tending to pack the paint and give up some open threes.
• Media members are not permitted by the Dolphins to identify who’s playing on the first team. But rookie guard/tackle Robert Hunt and safety/nickel corner Brandon Jones are making clear progress in the eyes of the coaching staff and shouldn’t be counted out for major playing time.
• Dolphins tight ends Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki did something conscientious this offseason. Allow Smythe to explain:
“I think with me and Mike going into our third year here, we kind of took a step back after last year, and thought ‘How can we benefit this offense by something more than just what we’re good at personally?’” Smythe said.
“We worked this offseason a lot on trying to become more versatile — more multiple — which I think will eventually kind of eradicate some of our tendency-based things within our offense. That’s where a lot of the narrative comes out is that I’m the guy that’s going to come in and be the in-line blocker and he’s going to come in and catch all of the passes. Which, to this point, it has been.”
Whether they can change that, and still play to each’s strengths, is the question.
The Miami Hurricanes, who
• initially gave football players COVID-19 tests once a week, will administer them three times a week once the season begins, per a new ACC policy.
The only game involving an
• ACC team that will oppose an NFL game this season is UM’s Sept. 10 opener against UAB (on one of the ESPN networks), which will compete with the NFL’s Thursday night HoustonKansas City opener (on NBC). But UM requested a Thursday game in part so it would have nine days to prepare for its game against Louisville.
A UM got a big commitment from four-star Melbourne based Chase Smith, who is expected to play striker for the Hurricanes. UM’s 22-member Class of 2021 is rated eighth by Rivals and 247 Sports.