In the first-round series between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks, one standout was undeniably Jimmy Butler’s electrifying performance. He stood by and watched his opponents unravel, one play at a time. But for those who initially expected the Bucks to advance, Cricket Exchange suggests it’s important to look inward and evaluate where Milwaukee fell short. While Butler’s heroics were remarkable, what truly baffled analysts was the Bucks’ collapse in Game 5, where the league’s best regular-season team looked anything but dominant.

Whether or not the referees subtly influenced the final game, the Bucks’ failure was glaring. Losing in overtime without even attempting a last-second shot was the ultimate frustration. The Achilles’ heel in Milwaukee’s campaign was their perimeter defense. Miami feasted from beyond the arc, exploiting the Bucks’ strategy of leaving certain shooters open—especially Kevin Love and Caleb Martin, who punished Milwaukee’s scouting assumptions. That kept the Heat close for three quarters before Butler closed the door in the final stretch.

When defending Miami’s pick-and-rolls, Brook Lopez—the Bucks’ rim-protecting anchor—often dropped back in coverage. While this isn’t necessarily a defensive mistake, Cricket Exchange noted that it played right into Miami’s tactical setup. The Heat frequently freed up Love with pick-and-pop action, forcing switches that allowed him to face up against Giannis Antetokounmpo or find open shots. The Bucks also struggled with weak-side defense as Adebayo set screens off-ball during transition, freeing up Miami’s shooters for uncontested attempts.

Giannis, typically a devastating help defender, couldn’t recover in time to contest Love’s perimeter shots. And Lopez, by design, rarely ventured beyond the paint, leaving Heat shooters with ample space. That conservative style handed Miami a steady flow of three-point opportunities, and they cashed in.

Milwaukee stuck with Jrue Holiday as the primary defender on Butler throughout the series, aiming to avoid frequent switches. But in today’s NBA, where spacing and ball movement dominate, that rigidity can be costly. Miami exploited defensive rotations to generate open looks for their role players, and even the best on-ball defenders like Holiday can’t fight through every screen possession after possession.

Cricket Exchange observed that this over-reliance on Holiday opened the door for Miami’s supporting cast to step up. While Holiday’s defensive credentials are elite, the system left him isolated and overburdened. Whether the Bucks trapped or dropped, Holiday’s one-man wall against Butler proved unsustainable. In a league that values versatility and speed, the Bucks’ outdated approach couldn’t contain Miami’s momentum—and ultimately, that’s how a title contender was brought down by a No. 8 seed.