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Get ready for the 2021 NBA playoffs and a rematch of last year's playoff matchup between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks will be trying to get revenge. The Heat shocked them by eliminating them in five games last season.
The Heat had a recipe for stopping Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo: They clogged the paint. This year could be different, since the Bucks have added former All-Star guard Jrue Holiday to the team.
Holiday will be the X-Factor for the Bucks against the Heat. He is a very talented player who can lock down an opposing team's best perimeter player. The Bucks were missing a player like this last season and relied too much on Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. With a reliable third option the Bucks now have a great shot to make a deep run. He was a difference maker back when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans and has shown he can play well when it matters most.
The Heat will need another great team effort in order to win this series. It will be tougher as Holiday has the ability to shut down one of the perimeter players. Whether it's Jimmy Butler or one of the Heat's elite shooters, Holiday will make sure to make a huge impact on defense. Last season the Heat beat the Bucks due to the elevated team play around Butler and Bam Adabeyo. Shooters like Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson will need to step again for them to have a chance against the Bucks' big three.
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Holiday was the perfect acquisition for the Bucks to make. He provides the Bucks more scoring, playmaking, and defending. Holiday is one of the most underrated players in the league and will have to have a big series for the Bucks to win. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have not had success in the NBA playoffs, which has led to much criticism. Obviously Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the league, but he has not been able to take his team to the finals just yet. Holiday will be key in helping them reach that point, and it will all start in this series against the Heat.
With Butler on the other side it will be a very tough series for the Bucks. He has already proven the ability to will a team to victory as he took the Heat to the finals this past season. Although many people argue that it only happened because of the bubble, the Heat don't seem like that team. Butler was getting near triple doubles in almost every game of the playoffs last season. He averaged 22.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Butler was making an impact on the game in so many facets every night out on the floor. This is something Jrue Holiday will need to do for the Bucks. He has a multidimensional game and has the ability to impact the game on any given night.
This matchup is bound to be a great series in the NBA playoffs. With multiple former and current All-Stars on the court including Antetokoumpo, Middleton, Holiday, Butler, Adabeyo, and Goran Dragic. The series will likely come down to how well Holiday plays for Milwaukee. We have already seen what it looks like when it is just Antetokoumpo and Middleton against the Bucks, so Holiday will have to step up and make the difference.
Holiday will be the X-Factor in this Bucks-Heat series.
