3 things Miami Heat need to do to make a comeback against the Milwaukee Bucks | NBA Playoffs 2021
The Milwaukee Bucks obliterated the Miami Heat 98-132 on Monday in the NBA playoffs, racing to a 20-46 early lead in the first quarter itself. They shot lights out from the three-point range, making 41.5% of their attempts from the deep.
The Miami Heat are now 2-0 down in the series, and it could be curtains for Erik Spoelstra's men if they don't improve significantly going into Game 3 which set to take place in Miami.
3 key areas the Miami Heat need to improve at in order to remain competitive in the playoff series against Milwaukee Bucks
The Miami Heat almost swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, reaching the finals at the expense of Giannis Antetokounmpo and co.
This year, however, has been a different story, as the Bucks have outplayed the Heat on both ends of the court.
On that note, here's how the Miami Heat can make a comeback against the Milwaukee Bucks.
#3- Challenge the Milwaukee Bucks on the boards
The Milwaukee Bucks outrebounded the Miami Heat 63-47 in Game 2, absolutely dominating them on both offensive and defensive glass. Game 1 was a similar story, with the Bucks winning the rebounding battle 76-58.
If the Miami Heat are to make a comeback and cut the Milwaukee Bucks' lead, they will have to show active hands on the boards. The Bucks finished the regular season with the second-most rebounds averaged per game, while the Heat finished 29th.
Still, the Miami Heat still have some capable rebounders in Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Dewayne Dedmon. They will have to go up against the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez for the rebounds, or they could be staring at the prospect of a sweep.
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#2- The Miami Heat need to make their free throws
Known to be a good shooting team, the Miami Heat failed to capitalize on the free throws that were awarded to them in Game 2.
The Heat attempted 35 free throws to the Milwaukee Bucks' 20, but ended up making just 24 of those. A dismal free-throw shooting percentage of 68% eventually led to them losing the game by a whopping 34 points.
Come Thursday, the Miami Heat will need to pull up their socks and shoot a healthy percentage from the charity stripe if they intend to pull one back at the American Airlines Arena.
#1- Shoot better from 3-point range
The Miami Heat shot a brilliant 40% from downtown in Game 1, which ended up going into overtime. They eventually lost, but had control over the game until the final second and would have prevailed if not for a freak game-winner by Khris Middleton.
Game 2 was a different story, as the Miami Heat shooters simply didn't show up. Heat attempted 28 shots from the deep, making just 28.6% of them.
Kendrick Nunn and Goran Dragic shot 20% from the three-point range, while Duncan Robinson, who is one of the best shooters in the league, made just 33% of his attempts.
The three-point defense is one of the Milwaukee Bucks' biggest weaknesses, and the Miami Heat will need to capitalize on it for the remainder of the series.
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