Playoffs Day 12 And Are The Bucks in Trouble? 8.31.20
It’s Day 12 of the NBA Playoffs and we have just one game today, Rockets vs Thunder.
It’s Day 12 of the NBA Playoffs and we have just one game today, Rockets vs Thunder.
Legendary Coach John Thompson passed away at the age of 78. Thompson was the long-time coach at Georgetown, and he coached the likes of Patrick Ewing, Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, and Dikembe Mutumbo. He won a national title in 1984, becoming the 1st African-American coach to win it.
Brandon Ingram has won the Most Improved Player Award. Ingram made a high jump in scoring, rebounds, assists, 3-PT%, and FT%. Ingram was a first-time All-Star this season and is well-deserving of the award.
Bam Adebayo finished 2nd in voting, Luka Doncic finished 3rd.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks lost their 1st game in the 2nd round. Here is what I thought about their performance.
After beating the Magic in 5 games, the Bucks continued their quest for a title against the Heat. But the Heat were a problem to the Bucks during the season, and this series would test the Bucks. The Bucks got off to a hot start in the 1st, and the game remained close at halftime. But the Bucks had a let down in the 3rd, and they trailed by 6 entering the 4th. The 4th quarter slowed down a lot and it became much more defensive. But Jimmy Butler killed the Bucks down the stretch and the Bucks lost 115-104.
Offensively the Bucks were great as they shot 49% from the field and 46% from 3. Milwaukee was 14/26 from the free throw line. The Bucks turned the ball over 19 times. The Bucks had just 26 points in the paint.
Defensively the Bucks were poor as Miami shot 46% from the field and 39% from 3. Miami was also 25/27 from the free throw line. The Bucks allowed 12 offensive rebounds. The Bucks forced 16 turnovers. Milwaukee also allowed 44 points in the paint.
Khris Middleton had 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Brook Lopez had 24 points. Giannis had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. Kyle Korver added 11 points.
Conclusion
The Bucks started off well on both ends of the floor in the 1st quarter. It looked like they were going to run the Heat out of the gym. But after the first twelve minutes, it was all Miami. The Bucks had their lead cut to 3 at halftime. The Bucks had another bad quarter as they trailed by 6 entering the 4th. And when the game slowed down in the 4th and became much more defensive oriented, the Bucks struggled on offense. The Heat forced Giannis to shoot and the Bucks could not stop the Jimmy Butler show. The Bucks trail 0-1 in this series and they didn’t look good in this game, and they might be in serious danger of losing this series.
Miami Heat
The Heat won their 1st game in the 2nd round. Here is what I thought about their performance.
After sweeping the Pacers, the red-hot Miami Heat looked to upset the #1 seed Bucks. The Heat beat the Bucks twice during the regular season and had what it takes to beat the Bucks. But the Heat didn’t look ready in the 1st quarter as they trailed by 11. But they settled down with a great 2nd and 3rd quarters. The Heat led by 6 entering the 4th. When the game slowed down in the 4th and it became more defensive, the Heat took advantage. They didn’t let Giannis get anything easy and made other Bucks make shots. Jimmy Butler turned into Steph Curry as he was making 3 after 3 after 3 and led the Heat to a 115-104 win. The Heat lead 1-0 in this series.
Offensively the Heat were good as they shot 46% from the field and 39% from 3. Miami was also 25/27 from the free throw line. Miami had 12 offensive rebounds. Miami turned the ball over 16 times. The Heat had 44 points in the paint.
Defensively the Heat were great as Milwaukee shot 49% from the field and 46% from 3. The Bucks were also 14/26 from the free throw line. The Heat forced 19 turnovers. Miami also allowed just 26 points in the paint.
Jimmy Butler had a career-high 40 points points. Goran Dragic had 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Bam Adebayo had 12 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists. Tyler Herro had 11 points off the bench.
Conclusion
The Heat looked very good in Game 1 as they upset the Bucks. After a bad start to the game, the Heat controlled the game on both ends. Butler and Dragic were excellent on offense, but their defense took the cake. Giannis didn’t get many opportunities down low, and the Bucks weren’t making their free throws. So the Heat didn’t care if they were fouling. The Heat held a lead in the 4th and never relinquished it. Jimmy Butler took over on offense, and their defense was incredible as they held the Bucks to 18 points in the 4th. The Heat played a great game and they lead 1-0 in the series. They exposed the Bucks weaknesses and they now look to continue this throughout the rest of the series for a chance to upset the Bucks.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets lost their 6th game in the playoffs. Here is what I thought about their performance.
After dominating Game 5 and taking a 3-2 series lead against OKC, the Thunder looked to finish the series off before letting it go the distance. With a fully healthy roster, the Rockets knew what they needed to do in order to win. All they had to do was execute the game-plan. And the game was chippy and defensive from the start. The game was back and forth throughout, but Houston trailed 88-80 in the 4th quarter. But the Rockets made a run and they had tied the game 100-100 with under a minute left. But after 2/2 Chris Paul free throws, the Rockets trailed 102-100 with 12.4 seconds left. The Rockets tried to score, but Russell Westbrook turned it over. The Rockets fouled again, but it was over. The Rockets lost 104-100, and the series is heading to 7 games after a Russell Westbrook turnover.
Offensively the Rockets were good as they shot 45% from the field and 34% from 3. Houston was also 9/12 from the free throw line. The Rockets turned the ball over 22 times. The Rockets also had 46 points in the paint.
Defensively the Rockets were sub-par as OKC shot 43% from the field and 33% from 3. OKC was also 16/18 from the free throw line. Houston allowed 10 offensive rebounds. The Rockets forced 19 turnovers. Houston allowed just 34 points in the paint.
James Harden had 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Robert Covington had 18 points and 5 rebounds. Russell Westbrook had 17 points. Danuel House added 12 points.
Conclusion
The Rockets had a chance to win this game late, but they blew it. The Rockets played pretty well throughout this game, but they couldn’t seem to put it away late as Russell Westbrook turned the ball over. Now the series is heading towards a 7th and final game, and it will be a test for Houston. While Westbrook played better, he was still average at best. They will need a great performance from everybody in Game 7 otherwise they will have blown a prime opportunity to advance to the 2nd round.
OKC Thunder
The Thunder won their 6th game in the playoffs. Here is what I thought about their performance.
After getting blown out in Game 5, the Thunder trailed 3-2 in this series. Game 6 was a must-win to keep their season alive. They needed their offense and defense to be good in order to win. The game was close throughout and the Thunder were locked in. The Thunder led 88-80 in the 4th quarter as they looked to pull away. But the Rockets came back and even took the lead. With the game tied 100-100 with 12.4 seconds left, CP-3 hit two big free throws to give OKC the lead, 102-100. The Thunder needed one stop to win. They forced Westbrook into a turnover and hung on to win 104-100. The series is tied 3-3 and is heading to a Game 7.
Offensively the Thunder were good as they shot 43% from the field and 33% from 3. OKC was also 16/18 from the free throw line. The Thunder had 10 offensive rebounds. The Thunder had 19 turnovers. OKC had just 34 points down low.
Defensively the Thunder were solid as Houston shot 45% from the field and 34% from 3. Houston was also 9/12 from the free throw line. OKC forced 22 turnovers. The Thunder also allowed 46 points in the paint.
Chris Paul had 28 points and 7 rebounds. Danilo Gallinari had 25 points and 5 rebounds. Luguentz Dort had 13 points. Dennis Schroder added 12 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 10 points and 6 assists as well.
Conclusion
The Thunder were in a must-win situation, and they performed as they needed to. This game was more defensive and slowed down much more, but they were able to gut out the win. CP-3 and Gallinari were excellent, but their defense was great. They didn’t allow many free throws and forced 22 turnovers. The Thunder live to fight another day as they have tied this series 3-3 and Game 7 will decide who will be moving on to the 2nd round.
What Are Your Thoughts From Day 12 of the NBA Playoffs? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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