The Miami Heat are the defending NBA champions. They have the best player in the league, the best winning percentage, and they are on a 17-game winning streak. But Brandon Jennings still would rather face them in the playoffs than the New York Knicks.
Jennings made his comments Friday after the Milwaukee Bucks’ practice, noting that the team seems to match up better against Miami than New York. The Bucks are in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and two games out of the seventh spot. The Heat are likely to clinch the top spot, while the Knicks and Indiana Pacers are battling for the second.
“The two games that we played Miami so far, we matched up well against them,” Jennings said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “If you ask me, that’s who I would want to play first round, Miami.
“Just the fact over the years, a lot of the games have gone down to the wire with us and Miami. Right now we haven’t really played well against the Knicks. I just feel better if we play Miami first round, just the fact we have good games against them. I don’t know if it’s because they’re the champs or what, but we always play harder against Miami.”
The Bucks have gone 1-1 against the Heat this season and beat them 2-1 last season. They have gone 0-2 against the Knicks this season, which could explain his thinking.
Regardless of what the numbers say, anyone could tell you that the Bucks have a better shot at beating the Knicks in the playoffs than the Heat. Does Jennings not think that the Heat would change their game in the postseason and play with more intensity? I know Jennings has a lot of confidence, but he should be taking the Evan Turner approach.
