Giannis: 'I Could Play More' After Bucks' Game 3 Loss vs. Heat
Sep 5, 2020
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Miami Heat Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Giannis Antetokounmpo walked away from the Milwaukee Bucks' Game 3 loss to the Miami Heat with a limp, but he feels like he could have been on the floor even longer.
"I feel great," Antetokounmpo told reporters. "I could play more."
Antetokounmpo hurt his ankle in the first quarter but showed few signs of it affecting him as he played 35 minutes in Milwaukee's 115-100 loss.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer's refusal to play Giannis and Khris Middleton more extended minutes has been overwhelmingly derided as the East's top seed fell into a 3-0 hole. Giannis, a 25-year-old in peak physical condition, has played no more than 37 minutes in a postseason game. The Lakers played 35-year-old LeBron James 37 minutes Friday night in a contest where he sat out the final two minutes.
While there is a strong argument for Budenholzer saving his players during the regular season—Antetokounmpo averaged just 30.4 minutes—the logic falls by the wayside in the playoffs. Limiting Antetokounmpo's minutes during the regular season is done for the express purpose of leaning on him in critical moments.
For his part, Budenholzer is steadfastly refusing to change his patterns.
"No, I think we, obviously, it's 48 minutes. You gotta be good for the last 12. If anything, I think keeping us fresh and ready to go and compete and all those things," Budenholzer said. "Khris was in a little bit of a foul trouble. It's a high level. If you're going as hard as these guys are in a playoff game, 35-36 [minutes], I think that's pushing the ceiling."
That rigidity of thought and lack of meaningful adjustment has pushed the Bucks to the brink of their season. For the second straight year, a team has found that overwhelming the paint and limiting Giannis' driving lanes leaves Milwaukee incapable of generating consistent offense. With their season on the line, it'll be interesting to see if Budenholzer actually budges and allows his best players extended minutes.
It Didn't Have to Be Like This for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Sep 5, 2020
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, drives against Miami Heat's Jae Crowder, right, in the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
By playing themselves into a 3-0 series coffin against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Milwaukee Bucks are speeding toward an offseason of hard truths. What almost assuredly awaits them is not merely a matter of lamenting their untimely exit from the NBA's postseason, but the existential crisis inherent of not knowing where they feasibly go from here.
All the while, as the Bucks confront the fallout of what can only be described as self-implosion, an even harder, coarser truth will loom: It didn't need to be like this.
Assuming Milwaukee's series defeat does not overstate the situation. Friday's 115-100 loss to the Miami Heat isn't just another letdown. It is a postseason death sentence. No team in NBA history has ever come back from being down 3-0, and the Bucks, frustrating and fragile in a way not thought possible, have given no indication they're prepared to be the first.
This could be the fourth time in six seasons that a Mike Budenholzer-led team went out by losing four straight playoff games. Two of the previous three squads in Atlanta & Milwaukee won 60 games in the regular season.
Blame for their likely irreversible dilemma will mostly fall on the shoulders of head coach Mike Budenholzer, in the form of not just an incensed fanbase, but measured, warranted relitigation.
Nearly every breath of criticism will harp on his inability or outright refusal to make adjustments midstream. A head coach's job is complicated, and as the Action Network's Matt Moore effectively outlined Friday, fuller-scale deviations from a regular season's worth of success cannot be taken lightly.
There is a fine line between adaptive and impulsive, and to that end, some external assessments are half-formed, verging on reductive. Every decision comes with a trade-off, a concession that isn't guaranteed to be navigable.
Why hasn't Giannis Antetokounmpo spent more time guarding Jimmy Butler, particularly at the end of Game 1? Because his job has seldom included checking primary-scoring wings, and deviations from that norm compromise Milwaukee's defense elsewhere.
Giannis took the Jimmy assignment, got screened, and Milwaukee had next to nothing weak side.
That’s the downside.
What an ending for Miami, straight ripped it away from Milwaukee after getting outplayed through three quarters.
Less explicable is the apparent opposition to change at all, a stubbornness disguised as results-based continuity.
Why lean so heavily on Eric Bledsoe down the stretch of Game 3? Why play Wesley Matthews, the best option to defend Jimmy Butler, so little in the fourth quarter of both Games 1 and 3?
Wes Matthews checked in at the 9:40 mark of the fourth quarter and checked right back out at the 6:51 mark. After he checked out, Butler scored 10 points and dished two assists to seal the game. https://t.co/81ZlxBLepY
Why have there been any stretches at all, however brief, in which neither Antetokounmpo nor Khris Middleton is on the floor? Why go so bench-heavy with certain lineups?
Those latter issues touch on the chief complaint about Budenholzer's approach to this series and the postseason at large: Why aren't Antetokounmpo and Middleton playing more? And why is his answer to this question so overwhelmingly insufficient?
Budenholzer says Giannis/Middleton playign 35-36 minutes is “pushing the ceiling”…wow
Perhaps Antetokounmpo couldn't labor through more than 35ish minutes in Game 3. He rolled his right ankle in the first quarter and didn't look right from that point on. That doesn't provide cover for Games 1 and 2, through which he logged nearly 37 and 36 minutes, respectively, including (his usual) fourth-quarter breathers.
Maybe this is a matter of energy expended. Antetokounmpo plays both ends of the floor like he has an emotional attachment to the outcome of every possession. Budenholzer might be uncomfortable stretching him to 40-plus minutes.
Say that, then. Or at least don't dismiss the notion that Antetokounmpo and Middleton should play more as incomprehensible. And definitely don't hide behind obscure and meaningless achievements that aren't achievements at all.
Mike Budenholzer just said the Bucks had won six quarters in a row entering the fourth quarter tonight. That may be so, but they lost the other two quarters in Games 2 and 3 by a combined 36 points.
Managing minutes can be admirable, a commitment to the bigger picture that fans and pundits don't always see. This isn't that. There is no longer game for the Bucks. This is their long game. They're trying to win a title. They're supposed to a win a title. You aren't saving Giannis for anything else (his rolled right ankle notwithstanding).
Armchair coaching is prone to oversimplification. This is different. Too many issues are in play for all of them to be trivial bystander talk.
And it's fair to wonder what this series looks like had Budenholzer extended his best player. Maybe they aren't up 2-1. Claiming so would be an insult to the role the Heat have played in their demise. But the Bucks, with a different approach, or perhaps a different coach, would almost certainly be on the board at least, facing a 2-1 deficit rather than the prospect of sweep.
This isn't to imply Milwaukee's undoing is entirely on Budenholzer. He isn't playing the minutes he doles out. His team went freezing cold from the perimeter in Game 3, shooting only 29.7 percent from deep (11-of-37) while failing to buy a single bucket outside the paint for most of the second half:
The Bucks went 0 of 15 on shots outside the paint in the last 17+ minutes of game 3
Giannis is not Teflon in this discussion, either. Most will focus on the absence of a jumper, and he was 1-of-12 outside the restricted area in Game 3. But there is a level of predictability to his repertoire that isn't solely owed to his outside limitations.
Even when he has nine assists, it doesn't feel like he gets rid of the ball quickly enough when facing a wall. He's more inclined to try going through it, resorting to his fadeaway or trying to defer through thickets after defenses have already collapsed. And, yeah, his free-throw shooting (20-of-37 in this series) is an issue.
None of this is breaking news, though. And Antetokounmpo is far from a problem. The Bucks are just flawed—more solvable than any regular-season juggernaut should be. The responsibility to address that doesn't fall on the players. It doesn't even necessarily rest with Budenholzer. It's on the organization to maximize its window and augment its superstar. Milwaukee hasn't quite done that, not to the best of its ability.
Malcolm Brogdon's departure stands out here. Highlighting his absence now, after the Bucks ran roughshod over the East for most of the regular season, is low-hanging fruit. That doesn't make it wrong.
The Bucks keeping Eric Bledsoe instead of Malcolm Brogdon remains a MAJOR mistake
Painting his exit as a choice between him and Bledsoe doesn't even say enough. They didn't actually have to choose. They could've retained both.
Dipping into the luxury tax is no small ask for a small-market team. But you don't get to express a willingness to pay the tax after making a decision to actively avoid it. (Milwaukee sign-and-traded Brogdon to the Indiana Pacers for what became the No. 24 pick in this year's draft and two future seconds.)
Barring an actual miracle, the Bucks will soon be left to reconcile the extent of their failings. There is no clear answer to their problems, beyond that they cannot afford to do nothing.
Trading Giannis is not part of that proactive calculus. It doesn't matter if he won't sign a supermax extension this offseason. Short of him demanding out, he's the type of transcendent talent you keep until there's zero hope. If he's still open to stay in Milwaukee long term but hasn't put pen to paper on an extension, you do your damnedest to make the most of that one-year sales pitch.
Not much changes if Giannis re-ups (and he might). That is not a license for complacency. Nor does it allow the Bucks to take the easier, more obvious way out. Firing Budenholzer could result in an upgrade on the sideline, but it might not. And there's no guarantee that his successor will provide enough of a boost on their own.
True breakthroughs tend to come by way of shaking up the roster, and free agency will help only so much. At most, Milwaukee will have the non-taxpayer's mid-level exception to dangle, and even accessing that without winding up in the tax afterward might require some housecleaning, depending on where next season's salary cap falls.
Swinging for the fences via trade is more realistic, albeit still difficult. The Bucks don't have a ton of assets to peddle if Giannis and Middleton are off the table. There's Donte DiVincenzo, who has not helped his stock in the bubble, and distant first-round picks. (They already owe their 2020 and 2022 selections elsewhere.)
Can they get in the conversation for Chris Paul? Are they willing to stomach the final two years and $85.6 million of his contract? Can they handle giving up one or both George Hill and Brook Lopez in such a deal? Does salary filler and unloading their asset clip get them in the running for Victor Oladipo?
This is the plight of the Bucks. Their season is on the brink, and if it topples over, weighing moves on the margins won't cut it. Should this series end how it's threatening to end, it will mark an inflection point—the kind that demands the Bucks explore the seismic, without a guarantee it's actually available to them.
Dan Favale covers theNBAfor Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and listen to hisHardwood Knockspodcast, co-hosted by B/R's Adam Fromal.
Bucks' Mike Budenholzer Doesn't Regret Limiting Giannis' Minutes in Game 3 Loss
Sep 4, 2020
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Miami Heat Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo played only 35 minutes during his team's 115-100 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday, which raised glaring questions about his usage.
Although Antetokounmpo tweaked his right ankle during the first quarter of Friday's loss, head coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game that it wasn't why he limited the Greek Freak's playing time, per Matt Velasquez of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Bud says Giannis was cleared by the medical staff as good to go despite the right ankle tweak in the 1st quarter. Said it didn't affect the way he used Giannis tonight and doesn't regret not playing him (or Khris Middleton) more in the game.
Antetokounmpo said postgame that his ankle wasn't bothering him, but Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported seeing the Bucks star walking out of the arena with a severe limp.
The Bucks are down 3-0 to the Heat after being outscored 40-13 in the fourth quarter Friday.
In addition to Antetokounmpo's questionable usage, All-Star forward Khris Middleton played only 36 minutes. Eric Nehm of The Athletic asked Budenholzer why he didn't play the duo more:
Here is Mike Budenholzer's full response when I asked if he regretted not playing Giannis Antetokounmpo (34:54) or Khris Middleton (36:02) more tonight: pic.twitter.com/qdj5LrltQ9
Antetokounmpo had 21 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, but he shot only 7-of-21 and missed all seven of his three-pointers. Middleton had 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting and seven assists.
It's unclear how much better the Bucks would have been if Antetokounmpo and Middleton played more Friday. Antetokounmpo finished as a minus-13, while Middleton was a minus-seven.
The Bucks' season is now on the line when they play Game 4 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Miami will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors with a victory.
Meyers Leonard Says Jimmy Butler Best Player in Heat-Bucks Series over Giannis
Sep 4, 2020
Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler (22) celebrates after a dunk in the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
After going up 3-0 over the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard gave them some bulletin board material.
Shortly following the 115-100 Game 3 victory that put the East's No. 1 seed on the brink of elimination, Leonard told reporters that Miami presents a "nightmare matchup" for Milwaukee and the Heat have the best player in the series in Jimmy Butler.
Butler had a game-high 30 points on Friday going 7-for-13 from the field and 14-for-19 from the free-throw line while adding seven rebounds and six assists.
The Bucks, meanwhile, boast reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo—who in all likelihood is headed for another MVP award—but have yet to put together a complete performance around him.
In Game 3, Antetokounmpo tallied 21 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, yet he still finished the game as a minus-13. After leading by 14 points late in the third quarter, the Bucks fell apart, getting outscored 40-13 in the fourth quarter.
Yahoo Sports'Chris Haynesreported seeing Antetokounmpo "severely limping" out of the arena on a sore ankle after the contest.
Meanwhile, Butler has taken control of the series, averaging 27.6 points per game. He dropped a playoff career-high 40 points in the Heat's Game 1 victory, and he hit the game-winning free throws in Game 2 with no time left on the clock.
No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a seven-game series. To bring a title back to Milwaukee, the Bucks will have to make history.
Jimmy Butler, Heat Take 3-0 Series Lead with Game 3 Win vs. Giannis, Bucks
Sep 4, 2020
Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler passes in front of Milwaukee Bucks' Donte DiVincenzo, rear, in the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Miami Heat have taken a 3-0 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks after defeating the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed 115-100 on Friday at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.
Heat forward Jimmy Butler outscored Milwaukee 17-13 by himself in the fourth quarter.
Butler's teammates added 23 more points of their own in the fourth, and the Heat were able to easily erase an 87-75 deficit going into the quarter. In addition, Miami ended the game on a 17-1 run.
The Heat remain the only undefeated team in this year's playoffs after sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the first round before taking a 3-0 series lead against Milwaukee.
Notable Performances
Heat F Jimmy Butler: 28 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists
Heat C Bam Adebayo:20 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks
Jimmy Butler came off the bench early in the fourth quarter with his team down 91-81 after teammate Bam Adebayo made a free throw.
By the time Butler left the court with 15.9 seconds remaining, the Heat had outscored the Bucks 33-9, with Butler notching 17 of those points.
Butler consistently found himself in the right place at the right time, like when he got this steal off Brook Lopez and leaked out for this easy dunk to pull the Heat within one:
When he wasn't scoring, he was grabbing clutch rebounds, making key defensive plays and finding his teammates for buckets, like when he curled around Bucks defenders and fired a bounce pass to Jae Crowder for a back-breaking three:
Butler is crafting a reputation as a cold-blooded assassin in this year's playoffs. He can make a significant impact on the game regardless of whether he's scoring points in bunches (like he did in Game 1 and the third quarter of Game 3) or not (like in Game 2, when he scored only 13 but drew the game-winning foul and had six assists and three steals).
It helps that his teammates have largely been excellent, whether it's Adebayo doing work down low, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro raining threes or Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder offering steady veteran presences in this year's playoffs.
But Butler is the playoff MVP at this point, and he's one step away from knocking out the presumptive back-to-back NBA MVP in Antetokounmpo and the Bucks out.
Bucks' Bubble Struggles Reach Fever Pitch
The Milwaukee Bucks went 53-12 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NBA season to be suspended for four-and-a-half months. They were cruising toward home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and looked like the clear favorite to represent the East in the NBA Finals.
However, little has gone right for the Bucks since the season restarted at Walt Disney World.
Milwaukee went only 3-5 in the seeding-game portion of the schedule. The Bucks had little to play for with the No. 1 seed all but wrapped up even before they got to Florida, but their normally stingy defense allowed 112 or more points in each of those matchups.
The Bucks also inexplicably lost to a Brooklyn Nets team that came into the bubble woefully shorthanded sans Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, DeAndre Jordan, Wilson Chandler and Nic Claxton.
Those Nets were even more depleted during the win against the Bucks, with Caris LeVert and Joe Harris sitting a game in which the Bucks' Big Three of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Bledsoe played the first half yet still found themselves losing 73-65 at halftime.
The playoffs figured to showcase a more cohesive Bucks team that closely resembled the one from the first 65 games of the season, but that didn't happen in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series with the Orlando Magic. The No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference demolished them on defense en route to an 122-110 win.
The Bucks bounced back from that point forward and took the next four games, but their seeding-game struggles and a bad opening game versus the Magic left cause for concern heading into the Heat series.
Milwaukee has now apparently run into a buzzsaw at the worst possible time.
The Bucks have scored 59 total points in the fourth quarters of their three games versus Miami. They allowed 67 combined points from Butler and Dragic in an 11-point loss in Game 1, and seven Heat players scored in double digits in a Game 2 defeat that was decided by a Butler free throw with no time left.
On Friday, it was the Bam and Butler show, with the former going off for 20 points and 16 rebounds and the latter scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter, which has become a house of horrors for Milwaukee.
Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the Bucks. To advance to the conference finals, they'll need to make history and become the first team ever to come back from a 3-0 playoff series deficit.
What's Next?
Game 4 will take place on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. A win there will close out a 4-0 series sweep for the Miami Heat, who would be headed to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014.
As the 2020 NBA playoffs transition into the second round, it's time to update the postseason MVP rankings...
NBA Playoff Schedule 2020: Odds, TV, Live-Stream Coverage for Friday's Semis
Sep 4, 2020
Miami Heat's Jae Crowder (99) knocks the ball loose from Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34), left, during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Milwaukee Bucks find themselves in the worst situation possible going into Game 3 of their second-round series with the Miami Heat.
The top seed in the Eastern Conference suffered back-to-back defeats to Jimmy Butler and Co. and need a victory to avoid win-or-go-home contests as early as Game 4.
After Milwaukee and Miami play the third game of their series, the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets will play the final Game 1 of the second round.
The Lakers have been off since Saturday, while the Rockets played two extra games and enter Friday off a single day of rest.
The Western Conference's top seed appears to have a distinct advantage in that matchup, especially if LeBron James and Anthony Davis continue to play at a high level.
NBA Playoffs Friday Schedule
Game 3: Milwaukee (-5) vs. Miami (6:30 p.m. ET, TNT) (Over/Under: 223.5)
Game 1: Houston vs. Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5) (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) (O/U: 226)
Games can be live streamed on TNTdrama.com, ESPN.com and ESPN app
Picks
Milwaukee vs. Miami Over 223.5
The over/under line for Game 3 is set right in the middle of the totals produced in Games 1 and 2.
Game 1 was the lower-scoring affair of the two with 219 points. The Bucks and Heat combined for 230 points in Game 2.
The increased scoring totals of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton played a role in Milwaukee keeping pace with Miami.
The Bucks' top two players produced 52 points and shot 16-for-33 from the field. They also received help from Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe, who had 16 points each from the starting lineup.
Bledsoe, who missed Game 1, could be the X-factor to finding extra scoring in Game 3 since he had a pair of assists and seven rebounds to go along with his 16 points.
If the guard can pick out teammates from his position on the perimeter, or start fast breaks, the Bucks could score at a high pace.
Miami has the firepower to match whatever Milwaukee throws at it in any stretch of Game 3.
The Heat had seven players reach double digits in Game 2 and had five players knock down three or more three-pointers.
Tyler Herro and Kelly Olynyk each had a trio of three-point shots, and Duncan Robinson rebounded from a four-point Game 1 to knock down three downtown attempts of his own.
Despite having an abundance of threats from deep, the Heat are actually shooting one percentage point worse than the Bucks from three-point range in the series.
If both squads continue to improve from beyond the arc, we could be treated to another high-scoring affair and one where the over hits fairly easily.
Houston vs. Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5)
It is hard not to look at Thursday's final score from Game 1 of the Denver-Los Angeles Clippers series and think that a similar result is in store for the Lakers and Rockets.
Just like the Clippers, the Lakers have a massive advantage in rest. The Rockets' tired legs may affect their shooting accuracy after fighting until the final buzzer of Game 7 against Oklahoma City.
The other clear advantage the Lakers enter Game 1 with is the power of Davis in the paint against P.J. Tucker and others.
Davis averaged 29.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game and made 51 of his 89 field-goal attempts in the first-round triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Back in February, Davis wracked up 32 points and 13 rebounds against the Rockets. He had 17 points and 12 rebounds over 29 minutes and 38 seconds on August 6.
If Davis continues his path of destruction under the rim, Houston could be in for a tough series, even if James Harden plays the best basketball of his career.
In the February clash at Staples Center, Harden managed 14 points and made a single three-pointer. Russell Westbrook led the Rockets with 41 points in that contest.
To get out of the second round, Houston needs Westbrook and Harden to carry the bulk of the scoring and limit James and Davis on certain possession.
That seems like too much of an ask, especially with Westbrook still working back to full game shape. Game 7 was the first time the guard hit the 20-point plateau this postseason.
If the Lakers feed Davis early and often and James produces at his regular rate, the Lakers should be in a good position to join the Clippers as higher seeds in the West with 1-0 second-round leads.
Giannis' Foul at End of Game 2 on Jimmy Butler Correct Call, NBA L2M Report Says
Sep 3, 2020
Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler (22) makes a free throw during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, to give the Heat a 116-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The shooting foul on Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo against the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler at the buzzer of Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup on Wednesday was the correct call, according to the NBA's last-two-minute report.
Antetokounmpo's foul came with a tenth of a second left and the game tied. The call sent Butler to the line for two free throws, and he hit both, giving Miami a 116-114 victory and a 2-0 series lead.
"Butler is in the air in a natural shooting motion when Antetokounmpo makes contact with his midsection and affects his trajectory and balance," the report states. "The shot is taken before the expiration of time, and the foul occurred before Butler landed."
Butler finished with 13 points—going 7-of-8 from the free-throw line—while Antetokounmpo's 29-point, 14-rebound, three-assist performance went for naught.
Below is the transcript of the pool reporter interview with crew chief Marc Davis following the MIA /MIL game: pic.twitter.com/1YkC89EY75
Talking to reporters after the loss, Antetokounmpo said he thought he made the right play and mentioned it's a defensive move he's made multiple times. Once he saw Butler had four seconds left he knew a shot was coming and tried to contest it.
"I tried to make it tough for Jimmy," Antetokounmposaid. "The ref said there was contact. Maybe there was. ... It is what it is. I tried to contest the shot."
Whether or not it was a clear foul, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer hinted he was upset that the call was made with the game on the line, rather than allowing the two teams to battle for another five minutes in overtime.
"I'd say we're disappointed with the judgment, the decision, the timing," Budenholzersaid. "It's a tough job. I have a lot of respect for the officials. ... We have our way of seeing things. We're going to disagree."
Scottie Pippen Fires Back at Richard Jefferson After Giannis Comparison
Sep 3, 2020
Former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen watches during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game between Vanderbilt and Southeast Missouri State Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Pippen's son, Scotty Pippen Jr., plays for Vanderbilt. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Versatility was among Scottie Pippen's many strengths on the basketball court, and he's a multifaceted threat on social media too.
Pippen seamlessly praised Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo while shading Richard Jefferson in the same tweet Thursday after the latter criticized the former Bulls standout:
I’m not Giannis—I don’t have back-to-back league MVPs (he will in a matter of days)—and he’s not me. The question is... who were you as a player? 😂 https://t.co/Ce6tGU98s3
The Bucks trail the Miami Heat 2-0 in the second round of the 2020 NBA playoffs following a 116-114 defeat Wednesday. Jefferson appeared to be making the point that Antetokounmpo can't be the No. 1 option on a championship team.
Pippen did a pretty good job of critiquing that argument, and one could question why Pippen continues to be an avatar for a player who's not good enough to lead a team on his own. Sure, Michael Jordan was the clear go-to star during the Chicago Bulls' dynasty, but those six titles probably don't happen without Pippen.
Not to mention, people questioned whether the Bulls could win a title while building around Jordan before they got over the hump in 1991.
Imagine the state of the social media discourse following the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals.
The moral of the story is observers should be careful about the hot takes they lob toward Antetokounmpo, a player who's likely to collect two MVPs before he turns 26.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Rumors: Heat, Raptors Likely Front-Runners in Free Agency
Sep 3, 2020
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) stands on the court during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Miami Heat, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reported it's an "open secret" in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, that the Heat and the Toronto Raptors are front-runners to land the reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year when he becomes a free agent in 2021.
The Bucks have lacked answers for Miami's defensive game plan, looking as lost as they did a year ago when the Toronto Raptors employed similar tactics in the conference finals. Antetokounmpo has disappointed, looking befuddled when teams scheme to keep him out of the paint in half-court sets.
Giannis has consistently maintained a desire to stay in Milwaukee. He'll get a chance to prove that this offseason when the Bucks offer him a supermax extension. If Antetokounmpo refuses to sign the contract, it'll be an indication he's open to exploring free agency, at which point the Bucks will have to seriously consider trading him.
The supermax could also be less enticing if the cap is projected to go down because of financial losses from COVID-19. It's a complicated situation that will play itself out through the rumor mill until Giannis gives an indication of how he wants to handle his future.
The Heat have been regularly linked to free agents since pulling off their LeBron James-Chris Bosh coup in 2010. The Raptors have a history of attracting and cultivating non-American talent, and Toronto has a strong Greek population, which could sway the Greek Freak.
