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Three matchups to watch in Bucks vs Heat Playoff series

By Kenny Jilek

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 26: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat dribbles the ball while being guarded by Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks in the second quarter at the Fiserv Forum on October 26, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 26: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat dribbles the ball while being guarded by Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks in the second quarter at the Fiserv Forum on October 26, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Bam Adebayo

Bam Adebayo is one of the few players in the league that possesses the extremely rare combination of height, length, bulk, quickness, and athleticism to somewhat successfully guard Giannis Antetokounmpo. This graphic shows the success he had defending Giannis this season.

Obviously, this is a small sample size, but anyone who can stop Giannis from consistently dunking on their head deserves some credit. Also, he’s only drawn one foul in all those possessions, so he’s not just flopping to get calls like some defenders – looking at you D.J. Augustin.

Many fans around the league have taken note of Bam’s rare talent for containing Giannis and he’s started to build a bit of a mantra as a Giannis-stopper. However, that was regular season Giannis, and while he plays hard every night because that’s how he’s wired, playoff Giannis is a different animal.

He can’t just look to go right at Adebayo and overpower him or easily Eurostep around him, though. Like I mentioned earlier, Bam is to athletically gifted for those simple tricks Giannis uses to get easy buckets each game. Antetokounmpo will have to come at him with a flurry of different looks.

He’ll have to hit some threes to pull him to the perimeter and use his handles to get to the rim. The good news there is that he shot 38.5 percent from three in the Magic series. He’ll also have to post up and use good footwork to quickly spin baseline, but also, and this may be the most critical part of Giannis succeeding not just in this series but the playoffs in general, he needs to hit fadeaways. With his height and length, his post fade is all but unblockable, so when he’s hitting it there’s no stopping him. Whether he can get that shot to drop at a good clip will define him as a playoff performer each and every year.

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