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CHICAGO – When the Bucks hit the NBA bubble Thursday night, July 9, they came with the best record in the league and the promise of handing over Milwaukee’s first title since 1971.
Unfortunately, his top-ranked defense, who has a score of 102.9, did not travel to Orlando.
And that’s why the Bucks are at a 0-2 hole against the Miami Heat. And the signs point to the sad reality that they lack the tools to get out of this mess.
As solid favorites in Games One (-6.5) and Two (-4.5), the Bucks have arguably the best players in the series in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middelton and Brook Lopez, a triple threat in length and strength.
But the Heat, led by All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, are a better team. And the statistics have reinforced that notion.
Through two games, Miami has made more shots from the field, 76-74, more 3s, 29-23 and more free throws, 50-47.
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The rebounding battle was a push at 84-84, but the Heat dished out more assists, 43-38, and committed fewer turnovers with 26 to Milwaukee’s 33.
The Bucks are also No. 1 in the NBA in pace with a score of 105.1. They love to run and make easy transition points. But with Miami’s lack of dominance at the table and Miami’s relative paucity of turnovers, the Bucks lack the fuel for their high-octane offense.
As we have seen, the scores in Games 1 and 2 were low and the action was slow. Exactly where the Heat want the Bucks to be; in the mud of a phone booth fight where Milwaukee cannot exploit its superior athleticism.
With 47 points, 24 rebounds and 12 assists. the greek monster has been good. But nothing like MVP good.
The newly named Defensive Player of the Year has scored just 16 of 30 shots from the field, including 2 of 6 from deep. He’s showering with eight turnovers, while his free throws – 12 misses so far – have become increasingly troublesome.
ANTETOKOUNMPO NEEDS HELP.
But he’s not getting much outside of Middleton and Lopez, who have a combined 45.5 points and 10 rebounds in two games.
The Milwaukee Big 3 have shot 87 of the team’s 160 total field goals, or 54.3 percent for their offense. This statistic suggests an offense that is mild and predictable.
Miami, meanwhile, led by Jimmy Butler’s 26.5-point average, has all of its starters scoring in double figures. His starting unit shot just a combined 126 of the Heat’s 165 field goals, accounting for 76 percent of their offense.
Obviously, Miami’s attack is more communal and versatile. And the Bucks have no answer.
“Limit it to half court. So we can narrow the court a little bit,” Abedayo said. The Miami Herald of the master plan to contain Antetokounmpo.
Obviously, it is working like a charm.
MORE OF SPIN
The Heat have not only exposed Giannis’s limitations, but have also suffocated the rest of the deflated and demoralized Bucks.
Before this matchup began, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gave the Bucks a 69 percent chance of winning the series.
Since then, fortunes have drastically and brutally changed.
Now I see Miami with a 100 percent chance of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014.
Ah, the fickle finger of fate.
