Takeaways from Heat’s season-ending loss. And a look at what led to the first-round sweep
Five takeaways from the sixth-seeded Miami Heat’s 120-103 season-ending loss to the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks at AmericanAirlines Arena on Saturday in Game 4:
After a long playoff run that ended two wins short of an NBA championship last season, the Heat didn’t record one win this postseason.
Miami was swept out of the first round 4-0 by Milwaukee.
This marked just the second time in franchise history that the Heat has been swept in a best-of-seven series. The other came in the first round against the Chicago Bulls in 2007, also one year after the Heat advanced to the Finals (and won its first championship in 2006).
This also marked the first time the Heat has been swept in a playoff series since Erik Spoelstra became the Heat’s head coach prior to the 2008-09 season.
This year’s early playoff exit seemed inevitable for the Heat after falling behind 3-0, as no NBA team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. NBA teams now hold a 141-0 all-time record in playoff series that they have won the first three games in.
The 2020-21 Heat becomes the 25th team in league history to either miss the playoffs or be eliminated in the first round just one season after making the NBA Finals. The Heat accounts for three of those, as it missed the playoffs in 2014-15 after losing in the 2014 Finals and was swept in the first round in 2007 after winning the championship in 2006.
Meanwhile, the Bucks advance to the second round to take on the winner of the first-round series between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. The Nets lead that series 2-1.
What a difference from last season, when the fifth-seeded Heat upset the top-seeded Bucks 4-1 in the second round of the playoffs in the NBA’s World Disney World bubble.
“We tip our hat to the Bucks organization,” Spoelstra said. “They were a great team last year and they improved on that. Whether we were a part of that improvement or not, it’s irrelevant. They took their game collectively to another level. They beat us for a reason. They were much better during the regular season and then in these four games.”
The Heat’s offense could not find its usual rhythm in this series, and the Bucks deserve a lot of credit for that.
It was a struggle for the Heat to generate their usual opportunities around the rim against the Bucks’ paint-packing defense anchored by the length of 7-footer Brook Lopez and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Miami did not make enough shots from other areas of the court that are available against Milwaukee.
That’s a bad combination.
The first two quarters of Saturday’s game was the Heat’s best offensive half of the series, as it scored 64 points on 52.2 percent shooting from the field and 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) shooting on threes. The result was a seven-point lead entering the break.
It was the efficiency on non-rim shots that lifted the offense to begin Game 4. Miami shot 6 of 9 on midrange looks and 5 of 12 on above-the-break threes in the first half Saturday.
But those midrange and three-point looks did not go in at the same rate in the second half. In the final two quarters, the Heat shot 3 of 7 at the rim, 2 of 8 on midrange attempts and 3 of 14 on above-the-break threes.
The Bucks took advantage of those shooting struggles to outscore the Heat 63-39 in the second half on their way to Saturday’s series-clinching win. After a narrow two-point overtime win in Game 1, Milwaukee won each of the next three games by double digits by a combined score of 365-285 for an average margin of victory of 26.7 points.
Antetokounmpo finished Game 4 with a triple-double stat line that included 20 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists.
Miami shot 42.6 percent on non-rim paint shots, 29.7 percent on midrange attempts and 31.5 percent on above-the-break threes in the series. The Heat’s offensive rating during the first-round sweep was 95.4 points scored per 100 possessions, way down from its regular-season offensive rating of 110.6 points scored per 100 possessions.
“I just think we couldn’t get shots to fall,” Heat guard Kendrick Nunn said. “We had some great looks. We have great talent in the locker room, so we’ve seen it work before. They just came out with better intensity and brought a physicality to the game that kind of slowed us down a little bit.”
During last year’s playoff upset over the Bucks, the Heat shot an efficient 49.3 percent on non-rim paint opportunities, 45.8 percent on midrange jumpers and 40.3 percent on above-the break-threes.
The Heat’s leading duo of Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler could never get on track, as the Bucks’ length bothered them.
Game 4 was Adebayo’s best of the series, as he finished with 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 14 rebounds and four assists. He averaged 15.5 points on 45.6 percent shooting in the series.
Butler finished Saturday’s season-ending loss with a triple-double that included 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, but he shot just 4 of 15 from the field. He averaged 14.5 points on 29.7 percent shooting in the series.
“Just missed shots here and there. I think they did a great job,” Butler said. “I think you kind of just leave it at that, but my game has never been about just scoring. It’s about everything else — getting stops, getting everybody else involved. Scoring was a little bit low, but it’s part of it.”
Adebayo and Butler combined to average 40 points per game on 53.5 percent shooting in the regular season. They combined to average 30 points per game on 37.2 percent shooting in the series.
With Adebayo and Butler’s opportunities limited around the rim because of the Bucks’ effective defensive scheme, they were forced to rely on their outside shooting to score.
Adebayo, who the Bucks sagged off of, shot 3 of 10 on midrange jumpers in the series. Butler, who the Bucks primarily guarded with Antetokounmpo’s length, finished 7 of 16 (43.8 percent) at the rim and 8 of 33 (24.2 percent) on non-rim twos.
“Growing pains,” Adebayo said. “It’s my job to come back better every year. That’s my job.”
Others struggled to make shots, as well.
Nunn shot 39.5 percent, Tyler Herro shot 31.6 percent and Trevor Ariza shot 30.4 percent in the series.
Rebounding was an issue for the Heat throughout the series.
The Bucks survived a cold shooting start with the help of second-chance opportunities, and finished Game 4 with 23 second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds.
In total, the Bucks won the offensive rebounding battle 61-36 in the series. That led to a 75-44 edge in second-chance points for Milwaukee.
“There were certain times during the regular season that we would rebound the ball great and then there was times and stretches where we weren’t rebounding and it cost us,” Spoelstra said. “We would catch ourselves, re-calibrate. We thought that was a box that we had checked, but these guys they do it well and they really capitalized against us this series.”
The Heat enters an offseason that will be filled with important roster decisions.
The first choice the Heat has to make is whether to operate as an over-the-cap team and leverage the Bird Rights of its own free agents or instead use what could be $22 million to $28 million in cap space in free agency.
Here are some other things to know about what’s ahead for Miami this offseason:
The Heat has until Aug. 1 to decide on team options in the contracts of Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala. Miami holds a $19.4 million option on Dragic and a $15 million option on Iguodala.
Victor Oladipo, Ariza, Udonis Haslem, Nemanja Bjelica and Dewayne Dedmon will become unrestricted free agents this offseason. And Duncan Robinson and Nunn are set to become restricted free agents.
The only players on the Heat’s roster with guaranteed salaries for next season are Butler ($36 million), Adebayo ($28.1 million), Herro ($4 million), Precious Achiuwa ($2.7 million) and KZ Okpala ($1.8 million).
The Heat does not currently own a pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Another thing to watch for this offseason: Butler becomes eligible for a max contract extension projected to be worth about $182 million over four years that would begin in the 2022-23 season. He has a player option worth $37.7 million in 2022-23 that would be replaced by the extension if the Heat and Butler can agree on one.
This story was originally published May 29, 2021 at 5:58 PM.
