Big Guys play a Big Role in Heat/Bucks

For the Miami Heat to win any games against Milwaukee, it's going to hinge on the big guys and how they play.

Let’s state the obvious first, the most important big guy in the Heat/Bucks series is currently dealing with an injury, and that’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. Without him, the Bucks are different and vulnerable, albeit still a tough opponent.

But I think the more you take a look at the Heat and Bucks series, the more you will recognize that there’s a whole lot hanging based on how the power players play. Let me explain…

Bam Adebayo has to dominate drop coverage. The Bucks play such a helpful defense for Bam. When he’s the screener, Brook Lopez will sink deep into the paint on the help leaving Bam open for his shot or floater. If you remember in 2020, Lopez did this and Bam was hesitant to shoot.

Now, Bam is comfortable in that spot and a willing shooter. If he can dominate that shot, the Heat are very good. When he second-guesses or just isn’t hitting that, we are in trouble. One of the primary ways the Heat can attack the Bucks’ defense is through their drop coverage, which is also unfortunate because Tyler Herro is great against this type of defense.

But there’s more…

The Heat cannot allow Brook Lopez to be switched on smaller defenders. He’s just too tall and too smart. It’s no secret the Heat play a switching defense. And many times it can leave them vulnerable to mismatches. When Lopez is the screener and the Heat switch, it often leaves someone much smaller (everyone is smaller than Lopez) on him and when he gets the ball deep, it’s a problem.

Lopez only had 10 points in Game 1, but his presence is disturbing. The Heat should continue to switch but also prevent Lopez from deep post position on the switch, allowing Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin, or whoever else it is to have a chance.

Probably the primary big the Heat struggle with comes off the bench…

Bobby Portis cannot get going. He had 21 points in Game 1 and that was also going 0-5 from deep. He’s an engine, a firestick that gets the crowd and his teammates going. He absolutely enjoys taking advantage of mismatches and then flexing on little guys.

The Heat have to always have a body and eyes on him to minimize his impact. I like Bobby Portis a lot, but he can change the outcome of a game and Miami needs to be aware of that.

The less Giannis plays, the better for Miami. Do I really need to explain that much more? If Giannis plays, the Heat are more inclined to play a two-big lineup which will hurt their overall flow of offense (it can get ugly).

The Heat had a 62-46 advantage in the paint in Game 1, while the Bucks won the rebounding battle 38-36. There’s a lot at stake on what happens in the paint. Here’s to Game 2!

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And how can we not talk about Miami Heat bigs without mentioning one of the all-time greats (also, he would be a perfect 4 next to Bam) and that’s Chris Bosh.

We just learned that FOCO is releasing a Chris Bosh bighead bobblehead (limited to 72 editions) and they are taking preorders right now. You can see that HERE. It’s pretty sweet, maybe add it to your collection!