Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat: Postgame Grades and Analysis

It was nice of the Miami Heat to let the Milwaukee Bucks hang around with them for the first three quarters of Game 2, before sending them packing, 98-86.

With the score 68-65 in favor of the Heat heading into the fourth quarter, the Heat's second unit decided to put the Bucks away for good with a 12-0 run to kick off the final frame. 

Norris Cole and Chris Andersen had a hand in every basket of that run, and the Heat never looked back. 

Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 21 points, and he had a well-balanced night with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

After scoring 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half, LeBron James scored just four points on 1-of-8 shooting in the second half, which isn't something that Heat fans are used to seeing. 

Luckily for the Heat, Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis had an absolutely awful night, combining for just 15 points on 5-of-22 shooting from the field.

The Bucks will need Jennings to lead them to four straight wins if they are going to win this series in six games. But in all honesty, it looks like the Heat have their minds set on a clean sweep. 

Point Guards

Brandon Jennings, Bucks PG

Game 2 of the Bucks' series with the Heat is going to be a game that Brandon Jennings will want to forget about rather quickly.

The only word that describes his overall performance is...awful.

He scored just eight points and shot 3-of-15 from the field for an atrocious 20 percent on the night. He missed all seven of his three-point attempts, and he shot just 50 percent from the charity stripe.

If Jennings had this game after he proclaimed that the Bucks would beat the Heat in six games, he would've been laughed out of the NBA world.

Either way, he didn't help his chances of getting a huge contract this offseason with a ridiculously underwhelming stat line of just eight points, five assists and three rebounds.

Overall Grade: D-

Mario Chalmers, Heat PG

In 27 minutes of action, Mario Chalmers put together an impressive performance.

On defense, he pestered Jennings all night long, and offensively speaking he was rather efficient.

Chalmers scored nine points and shot 4-of-6 from the field. He also accounted for four rebounds, two assists and two steals. But most impressively he only committed a single turnover.

This efficient, well-balanced performance was encouraging to see from Chalmers, and it showed Heat fans just what kind of player he needs to be throughout the rest of the playoffs.

Overall Grade: B

Shooting Guards

Monta Ellis, Bucks SG

Much like his backcourt partner, Ellis had a rough offensive night.

He scored just seven points, dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds. But he also committed four turnovers.

The best part of Ellis' performance was his tenacity on the defensive side of the ball throughout the first three quarters. He accounted for two steals and a block, and he also figured out something that Jennings couldn't.

He figured out that shooting the ball wasn't working for him, after a 2-of-7 performance, so he deferred to his teammates. Even doing that, though, he still had an ugly game, and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

Overall Grade: D+

Dwyane Wade, Heat SG

Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 21 points, and that wasn't all he did.

He also accounted for seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, and he accomplished all of that while shooting 8-of-14 from the field.

Wade's defensive intensity was the most impressive part of his game. He put Monta Ellis on lockdown throughout the night. And when he was forced onto Jennings, he did the same.

It should be noted that Wade did all of these things in just 32 minutes of action, which is great considering the long haul that lies ahead. 

Solid, efficient and productive effort from Wade in Game 2.

Overall Grade: B+

Small Forwards

Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks SF

In just 29 minutes of action, Ilyasova had quite a night on both sides of the ball.

He dropped 21 points, 14 of which he scored in the first half, and he shot an impressive 9-of-14 from the field.

It's a shame that he didn't have this kind of game during Game 1 when Brandon Jennings was going off and forcing the Heat defense to key on him everywhere on the floor.

Interestingly enough, Ilyasova only grabbed six rebounds all game long, and he turned the ball over twice at critical times.

Overall, it was a solid night from Ilyasova. It was just a shame that he couldn't have carried his first-half dominance into the second half a bit more.

Overall Grade: B+

LeBron James, Heat SF

Another Heat streak is over. This time it's LeBron's streak of 25+ points in 16 consecutive postseason games.

With that being said, though, LeBron probably couldn't care less.

He had a solid night with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. But he also committed four turnovers and shot just 1-of-8 in the second half.

LeBron's defense on the perimeter and in help-side situations was a difference-maker, especially in the second half, and it proved to be a difference-maker late in Game 2.

Fortunately, LeBron was able to shoot with a high level of efficiency—87.5 percent—from the charity stripe, which helped him in the second half when his shot wasn't dropping.

Against the better teams in the East, the Heat will need a more efficient and more explosive performance from LeBron. Luckily, he got the job done against the Bucks.

Overall Grade: B-

Power Forwards

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Bucks PF

It wasn't a good night to be a starting power forward, and that started with Mbah a Moute's weak performance.

He ended the night with just six points, two assists, one rebound and one steal in 33 minutes, and he shot a rough 2-of-7 from the field.

Mbah a Moute's defense wasn't atrocious, but it also wasn't a real difference-maker in the paint. All in all, it was a rather pedestrian performance from Mbah a Moute. And with the talent the Heat have, the Bucks can't afford for him to have many more of these kind of games. 

Overall Grade: D+

Udonis Haslem, Heat PF

If you just look at Haslem's three points on 1-of-3 shooting, you'd think that he had an atrocious game.

While he didn't have a great game, he still managed to grab six rebounds in 16 minutes, with two of those being offensive boards that led to second-chance opportunities.

Haslem was very average, and luckily that didn't impact the Heat all that much. Moving forward he needs to be more productive, though, because it helps keep opposing defenses off guys like Chris Bosh, LeBron and Wade. 

Having Haslem as a reliable offensive option off dribble drives will be a necessity as the Heat move forward in the playoffs. 

Overall Grade: C+

Centers

Larry Sanders, Bucks C

The most shocking part of Larry Sanders' Game 2 performance was that he blocked only one shot all game long.

His defensive presence was mitigated by the Heat's tendency to take their offense to the three-point line or the mid-range game, instead of taking it directly into the paint.

Offensively speaking, though, Sanders had a great game with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He was aggressive around the rim and attacked with consistency.

Unfortunately, his offensive just wasn't enough in the end. His six rebounds were also rather weak, considering that he grabbed a whopping zero offensive boards.

Overall Grade: B-

Chris Bosh, Heat C

Chris Bosh was opportunistic in Game 2. He didn't do too much, and he didn't do too little.

He had the game the Heat needed him to have with 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting, while grabbing six rebounds.

You could say that Bosh's performance was average, but he let LeBron and Wade control the pace and took shots when they came to him.

He didn't force up shots and he was a presence late in the game on the defensive side of the ball. There will be games when the Heat need Bosh to step up his game, and he'll be ready.

In Game 2, the Heat needed him to be reactive instead of proactive, and he did just that.

Overall Grade: B 

Sixth Man

Mike Dunleavy, Bucks SF 

With 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and zero turnovers, Mike Dunleavy was the most impressive player on Tuesday night.

While it wasn't enough to get the Bucks the win, Dunleavy's performance was exciting to watch. 

He shot the ball with efficiency, hitting six of his nine shots and shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc.

What's so inspiring to watch is Dunleavy's hustle and effort on every single play. His stat line in just 25 minutes of action was impressive, but thanks to the Bucks' weak frontcourt production, it just wasn't enough.

Overall Grade: B+

Shane Battier, Heat SF

Before he left the game to get stitches in his chin, Shane Battier was having the kind of night everyone expected him to have. 

He scored 10 points on 2-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and he didn't miss a single free throw. 

With that being said, he didn't put any other statistics on the board, and that's certainly interesting. Without a single rebound, assist or steal, Battier's performance was somewhat underwhelming.

Even when he isn't putting up stats, though, he's still having a solid impact on the game by playing intelligently and opportunistically on defense. 

All in all, Battier had an average night, but it helped the Heat grab a 2-0 lead over the Bucks. 

Overall Grade: B-

Bench

Bucks Bench

Aside from Mike Dunleavy and Marquis Daniels' impressive performances, combining for 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, the Bucks' bench failed to impress. 

With Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis struggling from the field, the Bucks needed production from somewhere. Unfortunately, the second unit didn't feel like helping out.

Most shocking was the two-point performance by J.J. Redick in just eight minutes of action.

The Bucks desperately need his shooting touch, and it was nowhere to be found. 

Overall Grade: C+

Heat Bench

Just when the Heat needed a spark, Norris Cole and Chris Andersen decided to turn on their afterburners.

Cole and Andersen had a hand in every basket during the Heat's 12-0 run to kick off the fourth quarter, and the Heat never looked back. 

The Heat's second unit combined for 36 of the team's 98 points, and on a night when LeBron wasn't having everything fall for him, that was a real difference-maker.

Their entire bench unit also committed just three total turnovers, and that was absolutely monumental in the Heat being able to pull away late. 

Overall Grade: A