Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday night’s 121-99 NBA playoff victory over the Milwaukee Bucks:
– This is not the series as advertised.
– Not with Giannis Antetokounmpo missing the first 2 1/2 games with a lower-back contusion.
– And possibly missing more.
– So, no, not your typical No. 1 vs. No. 8.
– But with this where it stands, and with no guarantees of when or if there is an Antetokounmpo return it begs the question:
– Is the Bucks’ roster without Giannis better than the Heat’s current roster without Tyler Herro?
– Giannis might be back at any time.
– Herro won’t, out until June, if there is a June for the Heat, with his broken hand.
– With Jimmy Butler, as long as Giannis is out, the Heat have the best player in the series.
– (Provided his hard fall in Saturday’s third period doesn’t change that equation.)
– But to do ultimate damage, the Heat can’t leave it as the Bucks having the second, third and fourth best in Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez.
– That will mean more from Bam Adebayo.
– And sustained 3-point success.
– No, this is not what was expected.
– But this is what we’ve got.
– Until Giannis decides otherwise.
– A night marred only by Victor Oladipo’s late-game knee injury.
– An injury that silenced the crowd.
– After being punished by 7-foot-1 Lopez at the outset in Game 2, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra moved Kevin Love into his starting lineup in place of Duncan Robinson.
– Robinson, who turned 29 Saturday, had started Game 2 in place of sidelined Herro, with 6-5 Max Strus defending Lopez at the outset.
– This time Spoelstra’s first five were Strus, Love, Adebayo, Butler and Gabe Vincent.
– The Bucks again opened with Lopez, Bobby Portis, Middleton, Holiday and Grayson Allen.
– With the start, Butler moved past Rick Smits and Michael Finley for 72nd on the NBA all-time playoff list and tied him with Joe Johnson for 71st.
– The appearance was Butler’s 100th career playoff game.
– The starts also tied Adebayo and Butler with Alonzo Mourning for sixth on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Caleb Martin played as the Heat’s first reserve, entering for Adebayo, which moved Love to center.
– Kyle Lowry followed, entering for Vincent.
– With Robinson third off the Heat bench.
– Followed by Oladipo for nine deep.
– Spoelstra then had to go 10 deep in the third period when Adebayo got into foul trouble, inserting Cody Zeller.
– Even before the official announcement of Antetokounmpo being out, there was a sense around the Heat much earlier the day that would be the case.
– “We’ve played them in this series with and without him,” Spoelstra said before the game, “and we’ve also played them in the regular season. You go through your prep, but it still comes down to your game. Can you get to your game consistently and impose your will on the game? And that’s what we clearly did not doin Game 2 and we’re looking to do a better job.”
– Seemingly, Antetokounmpo should have been listed as doubtful.
– Spoelstra went in expecting another barrage of Bucks 3-point attempts.
– “Yeah, they were lighting us up,” he said of Game 2, when the Bucks tied the NBA playoff record with 25. “So that’s three of the games that we’ve played without GA where they’ve shot 50-plus threes. And that’s clearly going to be a prime emphasis for them and for us to be able to get them off the line, make some of those looks tougher, and still do what we do, to be able to take away the paint.”
– Spoelstra also warned not to discount Lopez.
– “I think I mentioned this one of the regular-season games, whatever year that was that we were fortunate enough to coach in the All-Star Game, he was an All-Star in 2013 and he was a low-post go-to guy. So he has that skill set and he’s not just a space five,” Spoelstra said.
– Spoelstra added, “I think that’s what probably people forget. He still has those skill sets. He’s big. Even if he’s just around the rim, he can catch and finish and get behind the defense, things you have to account for.”
– Butler’s first steal moved him past Jerome Kersey and Tim Duncan for 44th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s first 3-point attempt moved him past Bryon Russell and Steve Smith for 70th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s first 3-pointer moved him past Stephen Jackson, Vince Carter and Tony Parker for 76th on the NBA all-time playoff list and tied Jamal Mashburn for 19th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s third basket moved him past Rajon Rondo for 83rd on the NBA all-time playoff list and five fifth moved him past Oscar Robertson for 82nd.
– Butler’s second free throw moved him past Chet Walker for 49th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s first defensive rebound moved him past P.J. Brown for 100th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s third assist moved him past Pau Gasol for 72nd on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Love’s first 3-pointer moved him past Mike Bibby for 51st on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Love’s first 3-point attempt moved him past Mookie Blaylock for 62nd on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Vincent’s second assist moved him past Shaquille O’Neal for 16th on the Hear all-time playoff list.
– Adebayo’s second offensive rebound moved him past Shaquille O’Neal for sixth on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Adebayo’s first blocked shot tied Hassan Whiteside for ninth on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Adebayo’s second steal moved him past Tim Hardaway for eighth on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Oladipo’s first steal tied Jason Williams for 25th on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Lowry’s first steal tied Allen Iverson for 55th on the NBA all-time playoff list and moved him past Reggie Miller.
– Love’s sixth defensive rebound was the 500th of his playoff career.
– Strus’ second 3-pointer tied Chris Bosh for 17th on the all-time Heat playoff list.
– Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel sat courtside.
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