With the major absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo on the opposing side, Miami had a golden opportunity to lead 2-0 in the series. But then, things didn’t go as planned. Worse, Erik Spoelstra’s men were literally crushed, after a very high level collective performance from Milwaukee. The Bucks caught fire from long range, with 25 3-pointers to tie the Cavaliers’ NBA record, set in 2016.
“They took over our defense” regretted Max Strus. “They did some good readings. They did exactly what they were supposed to do to beat us and it worked”.
A beleaguered defense
Clumsy during Game 1, Mike Budenholzer’s men quickly rectified the situation. The Bucks completely blew up the Heat’s perimeter defense, so effective in the previous game. They thus reached the bar of 40 points in the paint in the first half, and Brook Lopez had a lot to do with it. Behind the arc, the baskets also fell one after the other with a 12/21 at the break, allowing the Bucks to lead 81-55 at halftime!
“There were some 3-pointers where they were just open and where we weren’t paying enough attention, we weren’t trying hard enough to get on the 3-pointers.” explains Erik Spoelstra. “We had some good shots from them as well but they had the momentum totally, and then there were our share of mistakes on some patterns. They jumped on us. You have to give them credit for that”.
In the end, Milwaukee planted 138 points in Miami including a 25/49 (51%) at 3-pointers. It is of course the highest total of points conceded by the franchise in its history in the playoffs. The previous record was 132 points conceded, and it was already the work of the Bucks in Game 2 of the 2021 playoffs.
The main thing is to have recovered the advantage of the field
“I think we’ve been through this type of game before with them, where they shoot more than 50 times from 3-pointers” remembered Erik Spoelstra. “The home game where we made 21 3-pointers in December 2021, we were able to beat them. We also had this kind of avalanches. At first they had clean and easy baskets. Then, once they gained confidence, they scored increasingly difficult shots, step-backs, shots at the end of possession. We thought they were probably going to shoot more than 50 times at 3-pointers…”.
With a possible return of Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 3, Miami may be biting their fingers for not having seized this opportunity to make the break in the series. But, even a week ago, Heat players would have signed with both hands had they been told they would come home with home-court advantage.
“There are always reasons to be upset about losses. But the most important thing for us is that we did what was necessary. We came here and we won a game. Now we are going home” said Bam Adebayo. “I would like to lead 2-0. But that’s in the past now. Now we are going home. We have to do the job at home” concluded Jimmy Butler.
At 1-1, the series now takes the direction of Miami. Game 3 will take place on the night of Saturday to Sunday (1h30).
