Starting to kick off, but on time to sign a fifth success of rank, the Bucks may not forget to immediately their day on Thursday. Milwaukee largely dominated the Heat just hours after finally being able to return to Wisconsin.
The Giannis Antetokounmpo team had been blocked for more than three days in New Orleans, stuck in the snow and the stop of air transport in Louisiana. This did not prevent him from signing a good performance at the end of a marathon carried out at a run to be able to be in clothing.
The Fiserv Forum must have been a little bit patient to be able to applaud his protégés. The meeting was kicked off one hour, a necessary precaution to allow the Bucks to arrive in their lair just after having set ground from New Orleans.
They arrived there on Monday, before a extremely rare snow storm fell on the region. Wednesday's match against the Pelicans was postponed and Louisiana's city airport remained closed until Thursday afternoon, jeopardizing the possibility for the team to go home in time, near 1,500 kilometers and a little more than two hours of flight. Exceptional conditions of which Milwaukee especially did not want to use itself as an attenuating circumstance.
No training but “no apologies” either
“” It is a victory for professionalism »A Applaudi Doc Rivers After meeting. “” Before the match, Giannis and Damian Lillard really spoke to say: 'The guys, no excuse, we are at home, we are here to win this match.' And I think that having said to the players this morning that we wanted to play this meeting, that we were not going to cancel it, that helped them mentally. »»
“” As a team leader, you have to let him know right away that we don't do that, there are no excuses that hold »Abolished Damian Lillard at a press conference. “” I don't care about the flight. I don't care that we had to stay at the hotel for three days. You have to remove this from the team's mind. »»
However, the Bucks would have had reasons to have trouble getting into legs against Miami. They had not had the opportunity to train since the beginning of the week, blocked in a sort of snow bubble without baskets available, and with a single ball for the whole team. This did not fail to be felt at the start of the match, with an initial 18-2 for Miami and 1/12 in the location for the locals.
“” We did not touch a ball for four days, so obviously the rhythm, your touch will be a little different “Said Damian Lillard, Fanny after 18 minutes of play and 0/5 in the shoot. “” Usually, when you have a few days between two games, whether two or three days, at least you train and you are in the room to chain the shots. So I think everyone knew that the shots were going to end up coming back, we just had to continue playing the right way and keeping the right frame of mind. »»
Successful mission, and in large widths, with a success of almost 30 points acquired in large part in the second quarter, won 44-25. Enough to stretch your legs after several days to have only stretched out and have video sessions following the postponement of the plan planned against the Pelicans on Wednesday.
“” It was really three days of boredom Summed Doc Rivers at a press conference. “” You can synthesize it in 'wow, we didn't do anything'. »» I ate a lot of gombo“, The traditional stew of Louisiana, Amused Giannis Antetokounmpo. “” So much that I ended up getting bored. »»
Giannis or the theory of relativity
No question for the “Greek Freak” to complain about the situation, in a length response on the privileged conditions of NBA life, even in what could resemble to some extent to a real hassle.
“” I just tried to stay focused over the day. These are not the most difficult conditions I have encountered to play basketball. The only difference is that we had to take a flight. In the end, if you call it adversity, I think the team responded very well in the face of this 'adversity'. »»
“” We still woke up in a five -star hotel, we had our breakfast, we ended up in the team to chat while waiting for the bus He continues. “” We made a nice bus walk. Then we took our plane, a private plane where everyone had their place. You could order to eat on the plane, take fruit if you wanted it. They also had drinks. After that, our cars had arrived heated just in front of the plane, to expect. You go up in it, and you are in the room in a quarter of an hour. And after that, you do your routine and prepare for the match. For me, these conditions are not bad. I knew well, much worse in my life.“”
After these adventures, the Bucks will not have the right to a little respite. “” I'm going to get home, spend one or two hours with my family, then I'm going to wake up, prepare myself, pack my bags and be at the airport at 9:30 am “Describes Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Milwaukee returns to the west coast for four consecutive trips. The first in Los Angeles, ravaged by fires, to face the clippers two days after being their feet in the powder.
