After a 4-1 series loss to the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks and star Giannis Antetokounmpo have been sent home in a head scratching manner once again. Despite dominating throughout the regular season, the well-rounded, championship bound team crumbled in front of the likes of Jimmy Butler and the Heat. Reflecting on this series, many analysts have come to a single consensus, the Heat were just the better team. Regardless of the Bucks’ #1 seed and star in Antetokounmpo, they seemed to be the underdog when compared to the Heat’s balanced, continuous attack, posing the question, do the Heat have enough to win it all?
The immediate answer to that question seems to be dependent on Butler. Considered a star for the majority of his career, Butler has elevated his play in nearly every asset this year. He has cemented himself as a superstar and a leader, both of which were questioned throughout his controversial career. In order to get through the Celtics/Raptors and the eventual Western Conference champion, though, Butler needs to play at a level that we have very rarely seen so far. Apart from his always ferocious defense, he must step up in the clutch, transforming himself into a Kawhi Leonard type player to potentially carry his young team past proven stars in Jayson Tatum, Pascal Siakam, Lebron James, James Harden, and Leonard himself.
Although Butler’s value is innumerable, so is the value of Bam Adebayo, Jae Crowder, and the 4-5 other players on the Heat who could go for 15+ points on a given day. Winning through consistency, the young team was only able to oust the Bucks due to the phenomenal shooting ability of Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro, the defense of Andre Iguodala, and the slashing of Goran Dragic. All of these players coming together are the make or break factors in any upcoming series for the Heat. In order to combat the star-studded and deep teams left in these once-in-a-lifetime playoffs, every last one of these players will decide the eventual fate of the Heat.
Despite the many teams and star players left in the NBA playoffs, only one team has punched their ticket to their respective conference’s finals. That one team, the Miami Heat, has done so through 4-0 and 4-1 series wins over the Pacers and Bucks. Although the modern day solution to winning an NBA championship has revolved around having 2-3 star level players, the Heat have replicated a style of the past, one that surrounds a star player with solid role players that can get their own bucket on any possession and lockdown opposing players on the other end. Many challenges await the Jimmy Butler led team, but one thing is clear: The Heat have every piece they need to win the craziest NBA championship in recent memory.
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