The Miami Heat will take their first step to repeating at a championship Saturday when they host the visiting Milwaukee Bucks at 7 p.m. ET.
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Via ESPN:
LeBron James typically cannot sleep much before the first game of a postseason. Even after 10 years in the league, three MVP awards and a championship, Game 1 still kicks his anxiety level into high gear.
"Like the night before Christmas," James said.
Makes sense, since the Miami Heat have been waiting about a year for this.
The eight preseason outings, the 82 regular-season contests, it's all forgotten now by the Heat -- who, from the moment last season ended amid a championship celebration, have been fixated on the challenge that awaits in this postseason. For them, Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday may as well be Game 1 of their season, since to the Heat, this is all that matters.
The Heat are overwhelming favorites to steamroll Milwaukee, after finishing 28 games ahead of the Bucks in the standings, though Miami coach Erik Spoelstra wants no part of that sentiment.
"For some ill-informed people, this series probably draw enough interest in their eyes," Spoelstra said. "That couldn't be further from the truth from our perspective. This is a team that's challenged us and we struggled against them in our first two games, where that speed and quickness got to us. ... I believe our guys have the right respect and perspective for this team as a dangerous team."
For Milwaukee, the road back to the playoffs after a two-year absence was not without some bumps. The Bucks endured a midseason coaching change, with Scott Skiles departing after 32 games. And the man who replaced him, Jim Boylan, acknowledged that there was a couple of times Milwaukee's season might have seemed on the cusp of slipping away.
Milwaukee went 6-1 between Feb. 26 and March 10, then went 6-15 the rest of the way -- yet still got into the playoffs, four games ahead of No. 9 Philadelphia and No. 10 Toronto.
