What’s going on with the Heat?
Few teams have been able to stop the Miami Heat’s rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. Count the Chicago Bulls as one of their victims.
In a matchup of the first and second seeds in the East, the Heat easily disposed of the Bulls with a 112-99 win. MVP candidate DeMar DeRozan could do nothing against Miami’s defense, as he was routinely hounded, shellacked, and pushed into a quiet 19-point night, ending his streak of games with over 20 points at 21.
The Heat are peaking at the right time, and key players are getting healthier. The only missing key piece was Kyle Lowry, who is day-to-day for personal reasons. Miami’s nasty defense shows why they should be considered a serious championship contender.
What’s going on with the Bucks?
Your reigning, defending NBA champions haven’t been quite as potent. Even though they defeated the Charlotte Hornets 130-106, it only snapped a two-game losing streak, which is a sign that the Bucks are shakier than we all expected them to be.
Injuries have definitely played a part in it, as Brook Lopez continues to miss extended time, and key reserves Pat Connaughton and George Hill are on the mend as well. But this is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team we’re talking about. You expect the Greek Freak to just run over everyone and will his team to win. And while Giannis has had another stellar season, it hasn’t translated to wins on a consistent basis.
Heat-Bucks matchup
There is significant history between these two teams, and it should make for a very spicy matchup despite it only being the regular season. The Heat and Bucks have each won playoff series against each other. The Heat defeated the Bucks inside the 2020 NBA Bubble to advance to the Finals, while the Bucks swept the Heat last season en route to the title.
How this match goes will give us a lot of clues for a potential Round 3 down the road. Because of their length and size, the Heat are uniquely constructed to stop a team like the Bucks with a player like Giannis. Milwaukee, on the other hand, has the outside shooting to make Miami’s defense pay for focusing too much on Antetokounmpo. It’s these differences in styles that will make Heat vs. Bucks must-see TV.
