how the Miami Heat are crushing the No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo (assuming he's a go in Game 5) and home-court advantage. If they take care of business at home, all they have to do is win one road game to redirect things in their favor.
The Miami Heat's utterly shocking Game 4 comeback was essentially Antetokounmpo's first game of the series after leaving Game 1 with a back injury. The Heat are some kind of posteason gremlin, their sneering, fearless brutality bubbling to the surface every April and May. They are never too worried about whom they are playing. They respect good teams, sure. But they're never scared, never awed by the stakes or roaring crowds or the long-limbed freight train careening toward them. When all else fails, they will knock you down and see if you get up.
They also have playoff Jimmy Butler, fast becoming a springtime legend -- the ultimate 16-game player who when tax day passes somehow adds a reliable 3-pointer to his bottomless arsenal of pivoty, bruising midrange guile. We'll get back to him.
Beneath all that, they are also the barely-over-.500 team that appeared to be wheezing to its death before finding its offense late in its second-chance play-in game against the Chicago Bulls. They have already lost one starter (Tyler Herro) and one bench player (Victor Oladipo) in this series. They are starting one buyout castoff -- Kevin Love -- in a double-big lineup they had mostly scrapped. They closed Game 4 with an aging point guard relegated to backup duty -- Kyle Lowry -- and Duncan Robinson, who spent most of the season out of the rotation.
The Bucks went 24-3 over 27 games in the middle of the season. Even with Antetokounmpo having logged only 11 minutes over the first three games -- even with Miami shooting 48% on 3s -- to be here is stunning. It felt in Game 4 like Milwaukee's postseason run was only just starting, yet it could end tonight. If the Bucks lose in this round, like this, ownership will have to ask some serious questions. (Antetokounmpo is eligible for a max extension in September.) Even starting 0-0 without Antetokounmpo, the remaining Bucks would and should have had a good chance to beat this Heat team four times in seven tries. They might have entered that theoretical series betting favorites.
