Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily. Hey! We’re in the playoffs now!
The Bucks escaped their nemesis in Game 1.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Hanisch/USA Today.)
I was mentioning in my preview that I don’t know what we had in the Miami Heat based off of this year.
I think the Bucks knew.
The teams went back and forth. It very much looked like the Heat of last season. Duncan Robinson was making three-pointers often. Goran Dragic was coming off the bench to wreak havoc. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo did not shoot well at all but they were doing other things to help like rebounding and diming.
But you can also see why the Bucks are still formidable. Giannis Antetokounmpo had MVP numbers. Khris Middleton was his usual two-way self. Brook Lopez was immense in the middle. And Jrue Holiday proved why the Bucks traded for him; he was calm in offense but very much frantic on the defensive end.
At the end of regulation, Giannis only made two of his last four foul shots. With the Bucks up two with 8 seconds left, it gave the Heat a shot for overtime or the win. Even with Butler’s bad shooting woes, we knew he was going to receive the ball. And then…
🚨 JIMMY BUTLER SCORES AS TIME EXPIRES TO FORCE OVERTIME IN GAME 1! 🚨@MiamiHEAT 99@Bucks 99#NBAPlayoffs on ESPN pic.twitter.com/ALgIvifRz4
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2021
Butler is such a big game player.
The Heat wouldn’t go away in overtime. Dragic tied the game with a 3 with 20 seconds left. This was the scrappy Heat team we saw last season.
So the Bucks knew they had to punch back. With defenders in his face, Middleton made a difficult midrange fadeaway shot to give the lead with 0.5 seconds left. Butler couldn’t get a shot off with Holiday all over him in the next possession. Milwaukee escaped with this one.
The Bucks are still carrying the humbling from the Heat last season. They were thoroughly dominated in the bubble. But with new troops and new resolve, Milwaukee looks like a team primed for a Finals run.
However, now we really know what we have in the Heat. They hustle. They have heart. And they play as together as anybody.
This feels like a 7-gamer. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Bullet Passes
Kawhi Leonard had one of the best dunks of the season with this punch to the face on Maxi Kleber.
KAWHI LEONARD POSTER pic.twitter.com/FOE0AEZv5N
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) May 22, 2021
However, Dorian Finney-Smith made a tiebreaking three and the Clippers never get laid back. Then Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis (yeah, I know) made some big buckets to put away the Clips. Luka Doncic was his usual brilliant self with his 31-10-11 trip-dub.
More jokes for the Clips, I suppose.
The Celtics got off to a 13-4 start and we were hoping for an upset here. But the stars were overwhelming in the second half. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant spearheaded a 9-0 run in the fourth to separate themselves from Boston.
Irving, Durand, and James Harden combined for 82 of the 104 points scored by Brooklyn. The Nets look like they have a bit of talent…
Nikola Jokic did all he could with 34 points and 16 boards. But it became Dame time at the end of 3 as Damian Lillard made a three-pointer to give the Blazers a 10-point lead entering the fourth.
Then an 11-0 run put away the Nuggets. Jusuf Nurkic was huge with 16-12-5.
Portland is healthy. And they are looking scary.
I just don’t understand Adam Silver’s obsession of a midseason tournament.
Why not help the WNBA?!
So LeBron James violated health and safety protocols. But as expected, the NBA didn’t suspend him. Yup. Superstar treatment.
NBA Playoff Scoreboard
May 22, 2021
Watch This Play
As we referenced earlier, Khris Middleton gets Milwaukee out of this problem.
Khris Middleton hits the clutch jumper late in OT to give the Bucks the Game 1 victory! 🔥🔥
🎥: @NBApic.twitter.com/zixA5dEIGY
— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) May 22, 2021
Khris has been so clutch with the Bucks.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.