The story of Wednesday night in the NBA Playoffs is going to be the referees, and with good reason. The refs impacted both games in a major way. It’s unfortunate when the officials take away from the action on the court, but alas it happens more often than not. There were still four teams playing, two won, two lost, let’s recap.
Last Second Free Throws Give Heat 2-0 Lead
The Milwaukee Bucks have a problem. Well, a few problems.
One is after losing Game 2 to the Heat 116-114, Milwaukee is now down 2-0 in the second round.
The big problem, though, is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s severe offensive limitations.
The presumptive back-to-back MVP is undoubtedly a top-5 player and, depending on who you talk to, a top-2 or 3 players in the league. But how many elite wing players do you feel uncomfortable with them having the ball in their hands in important moments?
That’s how it feels when Giannis has the ball in this series. Game 2 was never entirely out of reach for the Bucks, but it never really felt that close. Part of that is because Miami’s defense is incredible. But another part, and in my estimation, a more significant factor is Giannis’ inability to catch and shoot or really create a jumper off the dribble.
Antetokounmpo finished with 27 points, but that doesn’t tell the story.
The Heat are totally aware of the fact that Giannis doesn’t want to shoot the ball, and they’ve game-planned that fact to perfection. Just like Game 1, whenever Giannis looked to drive, the Heat’s help was all over him, and they packed the paint, not allowing him the buckets at the rim he’s accustomed to.
Most elite wing players would be able to loosen up that kind of defense by nailing a couple of jumpers. Giannis just doesn’t have that ability. So if his teammates can’t pick him up in that area, particularly Khris Middleton, this team can’t win this series, let alone a title.
The Bucks had their chances. They scored 52 points in the paint to the Heat’s 32. They forced the Heat to shoot tons of threes and played great paint defense themselves. But they just didn’t have that go-to scorer when it mattered.
Credit goes to the Heat’s role players as well. Any time it looked like the Bucks had a shot to come back and take over this game, Miami got a timely bucket from Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk, etc. And Derrick Jones Jr. played crucial minutes when Andre Iguodala when down with an ankle injury. Jones Jr. had three blocks and a steal in seven minutes.
I can’t talk about this game without mentioning the refs. Especially because the game ended on a Jimmy Butler free throw. But, a lot of the talk about this game will center around the officials. And yes, there were bad calls. There are bad calls in every game in the NBA, especially in the bubble. The Heat won because they’ve dominated on the defensive end. The Refs are a side story here, not the story.
This is about as impressive as the Heat could’ve looked through two games, and 2-0 has never been insurmountable, but the Heat look to have total control of this series.
Rockets Survive Game 7 to Advance to Second Round
Mike D’Antoni, defensive genius?
Maybe?
Ok, he’s not quite that, but the Rockets stuck to their not guarding Lu Dort gameplan in Game 7, even as he was torching them, and it worked.
Lu Dort almost had one of the most legendary games in NBA playoffs history. The undrafted rookie who’s looked atrocious on the offensive end in the series exploded for 30 points. Dort took every single opportunity Houston gave him and turned it into a career night.
He had a chance to put the icing on the cake at the end of the game, but James Harden blocked a Dort three that would’ve won it.
Houston fans have to be love seeing Harden get that block because, for many parts of this game, the Beard and the Brodie looked like they were actively trying to lose. The Rockets stars combined to go 13-35 from the field and 1-11 from three. And a lot of those missed shots were brutal.
The Rockets role players picked up the stars on the offensive end. Robert Covington finished with 21 points, and Eric Gordon poured in 20. PJ Tucker even added a clutch floater off the dribble.
Side Note: If there was a game where teams should be mad about the refs, it was this one. This crew was a mess all night, especially at the end of the game. They shouldn’t have so much influence on the outcome as they did in both games tonight; it needs to be tightened up.
But as was the story for the Rockets much of this series, it was their defense that won them this game 104-102, and this series. If they hope to have any chance in the NBA Playoffs 2nd round against the Lakers, they will need that defense and their studs to step up.
For even more breakdown of the NBA Playoffs, listen to the NBA Morning Deuce, Belly Up Sports’ newest Daily NBA Podcast. The deuce covers everything you need to know from the night and day before in the association. Episodes are available by 6 am Monday through Friday where you listen to podcasts.
