Getty Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on May 15, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday wasn’t trying to pick a fight. He was simply giving a completely honest answer to what he thought was a harmless question.
Now the vultures are circling around Holiday for what some took as an unnecessary swipe at the Miami Heat. The 30-year-old guard complimented the Heat for being a “tough, disciplined” team, then he added that the Bucks had a “bit more” talent.
What? Do they? You can compare the rosters and decide. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the only player to make the All-Star team on either side this year. However, Milwaukee leads the entire NBA in team scoring at 120.1 points per game.
Bucks’ Jrue Holiday, on the series against the Heat, “I feel like talent-wise, we have a bit more of that.”
“They’re a tough team, they play hard, very disciplined,” Holiday said of the Heat, via Ira Winderman. “I feel like talent-wise, we have a bit more of that, but there’s things that we have to be able to do to match their energy, things that we can utilize and things that we have in our advantage.”
The Bucks won the season series versus the Heat, 2-1. It’s important to note that Miami star forward Jimmy Butler missed all three matchups due to injury.
“Jimmy is a big part of what they do over there,” Bucks forward Khris Middleton said. “But for the most part, they had most of their guys. The last game we played, the only guy that was missing was Jimmy. He’s a handful. He’s a great player. He does a lot for his team. But we’re still confident with the guys that we have.”
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Dwyane Wade Rooting for Jazz in Playoffs
It shouldn’t come as a shock that Dwyane Wade is rooting hard for the Utah Jazz in the playoffs. The Miami legend purchased an ownership stake in the franchise in April after (maybe?) turning down a previous offer from Heat owner Micky Arison. Either way, Wade is all-in on the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference as evidenced by his latest tweet.
The natural follow-up question is: What happens if the Heat and Jazz meet in the NBA Finals? Would Wade abandon the team he won three championships for? One Twitter user asked, but there has been no response.
Bucks Seeking Revenge in First Round?
The Bucks and Heat met in the second round of last year’s playoffs with Miami winning the series in five games. While it might be fun for the media to play up any revenge element, the players don’t see it that way. The rosters were different in 2020, plus there was no home-court advantage under COVID-19 restrictions in the Orlando bubble.
“Will it be somewhat of a fun task to play a team that knocked us out in the second round last year? Maybe in retrospect,” Bucks forward Pat Connaughton said. “But I think for us now, this is a new year, this is a new time. We’ve got new players. They’ve got new players.”
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reflects on an up and down regular season that ends with the Heat trending in the right direction before their playoff matchup with the Bucks
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra shared a similar sentiment after Miami’s regular-season finale on Sunday night.
“Totally different. The year is different, the teams are different,” Spoelstra said. “There’s plenty of time to discuss that series. It’s just a totally new challenge. We feel grateful that we have this opportunity, to be in the playoffs and compete against them. They’re a great team and we’re ready to get to work this week to prepare.”
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