Are the Miami Heat Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Boogey Man?

The Miami Heat took Game One of their second-round series with the Bucks on Monday. In the air, was there an element of fear for the biggest deer?

The Miami Heat got a much needed victory in Game One against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. While “much needed” is often an overused cliche of a term, it is definitely most applicable here.

With two teams that have had the knockdown drag outs like these two teams have had over the last year and with what they have on the other side, a Freak from Greece, the Heat should have wanted to come out and try to exert their will on the opponent and the series early.

They did that, although they didn’t truly turn on until the fourth quarter. Led by a Jimmy Butler 40 point outburst, the Miami Heat were able to ride that momentum to victory.

Was it only Jimmy’s hot hand that led to the Miami Heat victory though? Surely not, as there were tons of other things that had a hand in it, such as the tough defense, the absence of Eric Bledsoe, while Goran Dragic‘s 27 points didn’t hurt either.

While all of those things are true, there is something else that I think appeared to be happening, whether it’s a fair account or not. Giannis Antetokounmpo looked afraid at times and as silly as that may seem, you have to be honest here.

When asked about whether he thought he should have guarded Jimmy Butler more during his outburst, he kind of just shrugged it off. Here it is, see for yourself.

Why would he ask you that? You’re the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, for one.

Let’s start and stop there. That’s just one instance though.

The Miami Heat got the best of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. Did Giannis appear a bit too timid though?

You then look to his overall performance in Game One. Yes, the Miami Heat built the wall, that infamous wall.

However, in other circumstances, Giannis has attacked walls with reckless abandon. Not content with settling on jumpshots from the outside, even Toronto’s wall last season saw itself being bombaarded at times by the Greek Freak.

So, what makes Miami’s any different? I don’t know, but you just have to frame it with the same relative perspective with which you used to analyze the rest of the game. He seemed a bit timid.

Lastly, as far as direct examples from Game One goes, you have one of the Milwaukee Bucks’ final possessions.

This was the possession where the Bucks had a chance to cut into the lead, thus giving themselves a remaining chance to win the game. On the drive, Giannis not only didn’t even make it to the rim, but he fumbled the ball and turned it over almost as soon as he got in the paint.

The Miami Heat defense surely had something to do wtih that, but that isn’t the first time he’s been met by the entire opposing team’s defense as he drove to the rim. What was so different in Game One?

I don’t know and I won’t attempt to say for sure. However, I will say this.

The Miami Heat have played the Bucks well all year, with and without a full arsenal at their disposal. Giannis also knows about the culture, if only due to how hard our team and our guys play him when the Bucks and the Heat meet.

Perhaps there is a bit of anxiety or dare I say, even fear there on Giannis’ behalf. We haven’t seen him look that shaky on both ends of the floor in quite a few years, but we have seen this Miami Heat team make other superstars or players playing like superstars look the same way.

(Hey T.J. Warren)

You expect that he comes out with a different mindset on Wednesday, at least Bucks fans and supporters better hope so.  The Miami Heat are surely expecting that.

They’ll be ready. Either way though, that’s what he looked like on Monday, like a kid at bedtime and the Miami Heat as his Boogey Man.