The Milwaukee Bucks didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo for a game and a half, but that’s no reason to put an asterisk on the Miami Heat’s series win.
It’s going to be easy to glance over the Miami Heat’s series win over the Milwaukee Bucks as time wears on, but that doesn’t mean you have to. It could potentially go on to become one of the more pivotal in the NBA’s recent history, that alone demands attention.
This series between Miami and Milwaukee deserves no asterisk at all. It’s not unrealistic to think that would be the immediate reaction from fans, given that reigning MVP and current Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the final six quarters with an ankle injury.
That factor specifically, actually made life harder for Jimmy Butler and this Heat team.
But before they had to deal with that, the Heat got to enjoy a welcome development: Bam Adebayo’s birth into stardom, at least, on a national scale. A lot of people have been picking up just how special Miami’s second All-Star is given the team’s success in the playoffs.
They’ve been tuning into Heat games, this series specifically, and have seen the beginning of a promising postseason career for Adebayo. His defense on Antetokounmpo in Games One and Two proved critical for the Heat and their success in gaining a series lead.
Adebayo finished the series with Milwaukee averaging 17.2 points, 12 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.
If nothing else, Miami’s Game 4 loss should show that this Milwaukee roster can still play at a high level without the Greek Freak. Khris Middleton put the team on his back and finished with 36 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in the Bucks’ upset win over the Heat.
Miami was completely flustered from top to bottom. The quick change of scheme from the first to second halves, against and without Giannis, made for a tough adjustment. Milwaukee was moving the ball with ease, finding their shooters open, and locked in defensively.
Because yes, even without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks boast one of the best defenses in the league. But the tenacity on that end of the ball can be traced to the team’s core.
This roster features guys like Wesley Matthews, Brook Lopez, and Eric Bledsoe, who was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team ahead of Game 5. Milwaukee defensive versatility only made things all the more difficult for an offense showcasing a number of three-point shooters.
Marksman Duncan Robinson only made 12 of his 34 attempts from behind the arc in this series, which shakes out to a 35 percent shooting average. He entered the series averaging three makes on 6.8 attempts in their first-round series, averaging out to 44 percent shooting from deep.
The Miami Heat made the most of a Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks team and closed the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals out in five games. Head coach Erik Spoelstra got the most of Bam Adebayo while weathering poor stretches from key personnel like Duncan Robinson.
For now, the Miami Heat will get some much-needed rest and await the outcome of the series between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. One of the two teams will be meeting them in the Conference Finals, the only questions remaining are who and when.