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Andre Iguodala (28) of the Miami Heat kills himself in front of Brook Lopez (11) of the Milwaukee Bucks in the second half of an NBA conference semifinal basketball game on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are heading to the Eastern Conference finals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo could only watch.
The fifth-seeded Heat finished with a surprise from the NBA’s best regular-season team on Tuesday, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 103-94 in Game 5 of their Eastern semi-final series, while Antetokounmpo, the reigning MVP of the league, he was unable to play due to a sprained right ankle.
Butler and Goran Dragic each scored 17 points for the Heat, which won the series 4-1 and will face Boston or Toronto when the last four of the NBA begin next week. It’s the first time Miami has participated in the Eastern Finals since 2014, and the first time Butler has reached all four of the NBA finalists.
Jae Crowder scored 16, Tyler Herro scored 14, Bam Adebayo had 13 and Kelly Olynyk had 12 apiece for the Heat.
Khris Middleton had 23 points for Milwaukee, which had 15 points and 14 rebounds from Brook Lopez. Donte DiVincenzo scored 17, Wesley Matthews and Marvin Williams each had 11 and Eric Bledsoe had nine assists for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo did what he could: cheering from the bench at all times, bouncing for teammates during pregame warm-ups and again at halftime, offering words during time-outs.
And the Bucks were inspired from the jump.
But the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed in these playoffs, the league’s best 56-17 in the regular season, just didn’t get enough.
Milwaukee opened the game on a 28-15 streak, putting Miami on their heels from the opening minutes. DiVincenzo got the call to start for Antetokounmpo and scored eight of Milwaukee’s first 16 points, Matthews had nine late in the quarter and the Bucks got off to a promising start.
Miami answered that start with a 30-9 run of its own, capped by three free throws by Olynyk with 4:36 left at the half for a 45-37 Heat lead.
Milwaukee didn’t let the Heat get away, though, not then or in the third when Miami pushed the lead to 12 after Crowder’s 3-pointer with 3:07 left. It took the Bucks just 50 seconds to rip off seven points in a row, and they stayed close from there.
TIP-INS
Heat: This is Miami’s seventh trip to the conference finals since 2005, the most of all in the East and the most teams in the NBA in that span; San Antonio has also had seven such trips since 2005.… Miami survived on a night in which it had 22 turnovers.
Bucks: The NBA moved to the 16-team playoff format in 1984 and this is only the sixth time in those 37 seasons that the No. 1 seed has not reached the East finals. … The Bucks come out of the bubble with a $ 2,020,431 stake in the NBA’s annual playoff group. They could have split $ 6,827,848 if they had won the title.
LOTS OF DEFENSE
Antetokounmpo did not play and there were still three of the other nine members of the NBA Defensive Team, announced early Tuesday, in the game. López, Bledsoe and Adebayo were selections of the second team. Antetokounmpo was a first team, unsurprisingly for the player who also won Defensive Player of the Year.
TRIBUTE TO ADELMAN
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra posted his 79th postseason victory, tying Rick Adelman, one of his idols as a Portland kid, for 11th on the NBA’s all-time list. “I thought he was one of the most successful, low-key, and humble people to ever succeed in this business,” Spoelstra said. “I hope people can really realize its greatness. He should be in the Hall of Fame. He has innovated this game offensively as much as anyone. “
STRANGE COINCIDENCE
The last time the Bucks played a game without Antetokounmpo on the court was on April 28, 2013, about two months before he was chosen as the 15th pick in that year’s draft. Their 2012-13 season ended that day, with a loss to Miami.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Heat: Game 1 of the East finals against Toronto or Boston, TBD.
Bucks: Full season.
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