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So did coach Mike Budenholzer promise Jimmy Buckets that he would buy all of the Milwaukee Bucks team coffee? Did Bucks General Manager Jon Horst promise to give godfather Pat Riley an Armani suit to extend the series? Or did Giannis text his best friend, Bam Adebayo, telling him that he will sign with the Miami Heat in 2021 if they at least give them a gentleman’s sweep?
These three scenarios would best explain the inexplicable collapse the Heaters experienced in the final two and a half quarters of Game 4. This, after the 2020 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and alleged two-time MVP Antetokounmpo fell after aggravating a sprain. right ankle.
Without their undisputed leader, defensive anchor and offensive giant, the Bucks were there for the pick.
But what did the Heat do? They expected Milwaukee to just lay down and die and allowed Eric Bledsoe to revert to the Phoenix Suns version of himself.
Miami also gave 3-pointers to Brook Lopez, made the Pacers’ trade for George Hill (for Kawhi Leonard) look great and, worse, allowed Khris Middleton to become the only other player in Bucks history in record 35 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in a playoff game (the other Buck, Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor). And Middleton edged out Kareem by scoring one more point, finishing with 36 points in the overtime win against the Heat.
Obviously, Coach Erik Spoelstra’s crew is too young to remember the Willis Reed effect and he didn’t go for the kill. The most dangerous tiger is the wounded guy, and the Bucks showed courage and determination by avoiding the ignominy of the NBA’s best team (in terms of records) to be swept out of the playoffs.
In the final 30 minutes of Game 4 of the Heat-Bucks’ second-round playoff series, Miami played passively. The Dragon no longer spewed fire. The butler was no longer driving hard toward the basket. Kendrick Nunn didn’t seem like the player who finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting (now that I think about it since the NBA bubble started, Nunn has been MIA and I mean MIA and not Miami).
Even Coach Spo wasn’t himself. The Filipino American did not contest Goran Dragic’s foul when he directly faced Donte DiVincenzo, who was charging hard, with 1.9 seconds to go. If his coach’s challenge had prevailed and Dragic’s foul blocking turned into DiVincenzo’s offensive foul, that’s the game and series for South Beach.
Good thing the former Villanova star and Final Four Most Outstanding Player only made the tail of two or the Heat would have lost in regulation.
Spoelstra used his coach’s challenge, albeit to no avail, after Adebayo was penalized for a touch foul for Lopez’s desperate push from within the 3-point line with 45 seconds left in overtime.
On the Bucks’ final offensive play, Miami also didn’t fold Middleton fast enough knowing full well that the sniper was really cooking and was Milwaukee’s only viable option. Rather than having his best one-on-one player Adebayo as guard, Spo gave the task to Jae Crowder, who is not far behind on defense. The only problem was that Crowder was traded and Middleton made a contested triple right between the eyes of rookie Tyler Herro with Crowder waving helplessly in a futile attempt for the aforementioned double team.
The loss, though not fatal, derailed the Heaters’ rendezvous with fate. They were on track to challenge the Golden State Warriors’ .941 winning percentage from 2017 as the best in playoff history. Not that I imagined the Heat would go 8-0 the rest of the way on the way to the Larry O’Brien trophy, but like a cure for Covid-19, we are sometimes allowed to dream.
So that leaves us for Game 5 this morning (start time 8:30 am in Manila). Butler and company should treat this as Game 7, nothing more, nothing less. The Greek monster remains questionable for the game, but Giannis or not Giannis, the Heat should avoid any complications and stop Milwaukee in their tracks. A loss in Game 5 could quickly turn into a bloodbath in Game 6 and a rejuvenated and confident Antetokounmpo and company in Game 7 could be too much for the Heat.
Now that Miami has lost its rendezvous with history, better avoid becoming history. Don’t fear the deer and stop the Bucks!
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