Bucks lock up No. 3 seed for rematch with No. 6 Heat in playoffs

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - With the Brooklyn Nets beating the Cleveland Cavaliers right as the Bucks game tipped tonight, Milwaukee knew their postseason seeding as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

That spot locks up Milwaukee for a rematch with the No. 6 Miami Heat who beat the Bucks four games to one in the second round of the 2020 playoffs inside the NBA bubble.

That time around the two teams looked much different. Milwaukee had the best record in the regular-season but finished the second round series without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to the MVP suffering a sprained ankle. Tyler Herro had his breakout performance against his home-state team while Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo ruled the court with their grit.

This year, the Heat have their same top three dogs as Butler is averging 21.5 points per game, Adebayo is averaging 18.7 points per contest and Herro still rocks his cape touting 15.1 points per game.

As for Milwaukee, Jrue Holiday replaces Eric Bledsoe in his guard role as he is not just scoring 17.7 points per game but is also one of the NBA’s best defenders. Giannis has put together another MVP caliber season socring 28.1 points per game while averaging 11 rebounds and 5.9 assists and Khris Middleton is averaging over 20 points per game for the third time in the last four seasons.

The NBA will introduce a new playoff format this year as the league has play-in games to featuring the No. 7 through No. 10 seeded teams in the league. The No. 10 Hornets will face the No. 9 Pacers while the No. 8 Wizards will take on the No. 7 Celtics to determine the East’s final two spots starting May 18. No. 10 San Antonio will take on No. 9 Memphis while the No. 8 Warriors will face the No. 7 seed. The No. 7 and No. 8 seeds have to win just one game to get in, the No. 9 and No. 10 seeded teams must win twice to join the big dance.