Bucks Reign 3’s On Miami!; Jokic Dominates To Give Denver Game 2! 5.24.21
The NBA playoffs head to the week day as we have two Game 2’s tonight, one in the East and one in the West.
(6) Miami Heat vs (3) Milwaukee Bucks
Miami Heat (0-2)
The first blowout loss of the postseason goes to the Heat. This one was surprising as these two games have been a stark contrast to the Heat we saw in the postseason last year. Granted, I didn’t have them beating the Bucks but this was just unexpected. They were just flat out dominated.
Butler and Adebayo should be playing better with the defense the Bucks are playing. Brook Lopez has not only regressed as a defender in the last year, they are also playing drop coverage. Butler gets a running start to the rim and Bam gets lots of space to shoot floaters and mid-range shots. This is seemingly the defense you want but Bam and Butler again struggled.
Butler was 4/10 and Adebayo was 5/11. Both these guys have disappointed and if they had played well the series might be a lot different. The Heat’s shooting went from great to bad and then the Bucks went from cold to hit in an instant. Giannis become an off-ball guy, working as the screener and in the post is giving the Heat fits.
I just don’t know where the Heat go. I mean you saw when their defense was good in Game 1 but their offense just wasn’t good enough. And then nothing worked in this game. I’m not saying it’s over, Miami is very resilient but they have to change a lot. The Bucks are likely keeping Giannis off ball and they’re going to need to find a new way to control him while not leaving the Bucks shooters open.
The offense, mainly Bam and Jimmy, have to set the tone better. Being at home will help that but Miami needs to win Games 3 and 4 otherwise this series might be over.
Milwaukee Bucks (2-0)
Oh my god. It’s happening. The Bucks changed. They adapted and look at the results, my god they killed the Heat. It’s a miracle, Mike Budenholzer is changing and the team is playing well. Here’s what they did.
They did this a bit in the first game, playing Giannis off the ball. They did it more in this game. Giannis was in the post, he was a screener, rarely dribbling the ball up top. Giannis had 31-13-6 with 3 steals. He was 11/16 on two pointers. He was 1/7 from 3 as I don’t think he should be shooting that many.
Anyway, it’s good to see them using Giannis as a center, like he’s supposed to be used. He puts way more pressure on a defense and it’s infinitely harder to guard, just ask Miami.
The Brook Lopez defense got torn to shreds in Game 1, for like 3 minutes. Duncan Robinson hit 3 straight 3’s early on and then after that the defense has been surprisingly good. You would think Bam and Jimmy would be feasting but they aren’t. Perhaps that’s luck, but it’s happened twice. Lopez bothers Bam’s floaters and Jimmy’s driving lanes. I don’t know how this is working, but hey, why not?
The shooting also came back but the Bucks won even without their shooting in Game 1. The Bucks with adjustments look a lot scarier and I’m hoping they can continue to adjust with every game. This is what the Bucks should have done last year. Maybe not that Budenholzer is on the hot seat, he’s changing. Could have done that from the start, but whatever. The Bucks take a commanding 2-0 lead into Miami as just one win on the road essentially end the series.
(6) Portland Trail Blazers vs (3) Denver Nuggets
Portland Trail Blazers (1-1)
This is why the Blazers are good at best. Their defense holds them back so much. I know they are overmatched in this series with Jokic, but this was pathetic. The offense went from having 29 assists in Game 1 to just hoping that Dame made shots. He had 32 in the first half, more than half of the Blazers’ points and Portland still trailed by 12. The defense was awful all-around. Fouling, open shots, just getting bullied. If the Blazers defense plays like this and the offense is just isolation, there is no hope for Portland to win this series.
Dame was great. He tied an NBA record with 8 3’s in the first half, finishing with 42 points (32 in first half) and 10 assists. Portland had a grand total of 15 assists. The ball has to move around, don’t just jack up shots and hope they fall.
The worst part was the offense was good. Dame had 42 and 10, CJ was 9/12 from the field, Powell had 15 but that was it. Those 3 guys were the only guys doing anything. Still shot 48% from the field and 49% from 3 with 15 makes. 23/28 from the line. It just shows you how bad the defense was. Portland had 20 turnovers, very high for them, which led to 19 points for Denver.
Jokic was dominant with 38-8-5 as in this game he passed a lot more and was more involved in the offense. MPJ and Gordon were good but the bench, that was embarrassing. Tell me why guys like Paul Millsap are dropping 15 points? This isn’t All-Star Paul Millsap. He barely gets minutes anymore, his defense is far worse.
But Portland’s bench was far, far worse. They got outscored 38-21 in bench scoring, lost the fast break battle 16-4, allowed 54 points in the paint and trailed by 23 at one point. Nurkic and Kanter were both awful. Nurkic was fouling a lot and he fouled out early in the 4th. Kanter is Kanter, we all know this. I want to see Stotts put Jones Jr or Covington on him. Something different, make him adjust a little.
It’s really simple for Portland. If they play defense like this and they don’t move the ball, the series is all but over. They are capable of playing like they did in Game 1. Denver still doesn’t have bodies for Dame and CJ and Dame and CJ have had no problem scoring so far in this series. Just have to get the other guys going as the series shifts back to Moda Center.
Denver Nuggets (1-1)
Denver dominated this game as they got their bench going. The defense was still bad but the offense was good. Defense is pretty simple, Denver doesn’t have the bodies for Dame and CJ, both of whom were great. Dame had 42 and CJ shot 75% from the field. The Nuggets did a good job making Portland take bad shots in isolation, preventing them a lot better from just driving down the lane and finding open shooters.
Granted, Portland again made 16 3’s and shot nearly 50% from 3 and Dame is a problem. But their offense got going as they are going to need to play like this more. They outscored Portland by 22 in the paint, 12 in fastbreak points, forced 20 turnovers, and turned 27 fouls into 24/30 shooting from the line.
Jokic had 38-8-5 as he was great again. MPJ was decent, Gordon had 13, and Millsap, Morris, and Campazzo were all in double-figures. The Nuggets bench outscored the Blazers bench by 17 after Melo and Simons dominated Game 1. The defense is still a worry because it’s not like Denver slowed down Portland at all, it was just that Denver had a better night offensively. Interesting to see how Games 3 and 4 unfold.
The Nuggets get their necessary Game 2 victory as the series is now tied heading back home. There is hope for Denver as they showed that even their short-handed offense can dominate. Hopefully Will Barton comes back in this series but if Denver scores like this, they can certainly win this series.
What Are Your Thoughts From The Two Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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