With the Miami in full form and rested, the Bucks should be intimidated by the red-hot Heat. I would be too, coming off of what was meant to be a competitive series with Indiana. It turned out to be a sweep. This postseason, Bucks fans already got a scare — losing Game 1 to Orlando — but this one will be permanent. 

Unlike most teams, the Miami Heat already have a grasp on how to stop Giannis in a way other teams can’t. In the regular season, Miami held Giannis Antentokounmpo below 13 points in one game and forced him to shoot 0-5 from behind the arc in the other. The way Miami is able to contain Giannis is with depth. They can play a hard press defense and don’t need to worry about being short on guys. This is also a reason the Heat have had so much success in a tight schedule in the bubble. 

The important thing with the Heat is that when one player becomes tired they are Hakuna Matata: They have no worries in the whole world because of how skilled their bench is. Everyone is energized for the next game, and there is no one set starting lineup. With Miami’s depth, they can play a hard 2-2 zone and have a man dedicated to locking up Giannis, so he can’t easily drive or shoot. 

That man would be Bam Adebayo.

The goal is to force a pass away to Khris Middleton, who will be guarded primarily by Jimmy Butler. That may be the best matchup of the series.

What Milwaukee should be worried about is playing defense on a new and improved Duncan Robinson — and Bam, too. The Bucks had issues guarding the Magic’s Nik Vucevic.  

Offensively, the Heat must take advantage of Game 1 and play aggressively before the Bucks have time to adjust. Defensively, success will depend on head coach Erik Spoelstra, and that has seemed to work out. Spoelstra has two championships and four Finals appearances.