Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 119-114 NBA playoff victory to the Milwaukee Bucks:
– Imagine how much easier this could have been if Jimmy Butler had a co-star.
– Instead, it took every last breath.
– At the All-Star break, Bam Adebayo was an All-Star.
– He hasn’t been since.
– For the Heat, that is a problem.
– Especially now, with Tyler Herro sidelined.
– And with Kyle Lowry at a career stage where expectations have been diminished.
– Yes, Adebayo is asked to do plenty on defense.
– Yes, at times he is playing as the Heat’s lone big man.
– But he is being paid like a No. 2 star on this roster.
– And in recent games, weeks, months, that hasn’t been the case.
– And likely why the Heat will return to the prowl to find one for Butler.
– From the mindless early foul on Grayson Allen that landed Adebayo on the bench in the first four minutes to the lack of attack mode on offense when Butler could have used the help, this was another moment in this series where Adebayo came up short.
– At a time the Heat never needed the help more.
– With two points at halftime.
– At a 5 of 15 from the field through three quarters.
– Yes, the Bucks are big.
– Yes, that is why Adebayo reinvented his game in the offseason, with his precision lane jumper.
– Yes, a strained left hamstring was in play.
– Yes, Adebayo came around somewhat in the second half.
– But four quality quarters are needed in this series, when you are No. 8 taking on No. 1.
– With Giannis Antetokounmpo back for the Bucks, Milwaukee’s hierarchy is back in order.
– With Adebayo diminished, the Heat’s cannot be.
– Erik Spoelstra needs a better Bam.
– Now.
– Because asking this again of Butler is asking too much.
– And shouldn’t have to be asked.
– Even with Antetokounmpo back for the Bucks, Spoelstra for the first time in the series went consecutive games with the same starting lineup.
– That had the Heat opening with Adebayo, Butler, Kevin Love, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.
– The start moved Butler past Joe Johnson for 71st on the NBA all-time playoff list and tied him with Ron Harper for 70th.
– The game was Adebayo’s 50th playoff appearance.
– Antetokounmpo was back in the Bucks starting lineup, along with Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Allen.
– Adebayo opened defensively on Antetokounmpo.
– Antetokounmpo opened defensively on Love.
– Adebayo then was called for that second foul, with 8:32 left in the opening period.
– A bad foul considering the circumstances.
– That had Haywood Highsmith entering and taking the Antetokounmpo assignment.
– Lowry later entered as the second Heat reserve.
– Cody Zeller and Caleb Martin followed together to make it nine deep.
– With Duncan Robinson making it 10 players in the first period after Strus was forced out with his second foul.
– The Heat went in respectful of Antetokounmpo’s return.
– “Obviously he’s an MVP candidate, MVP-caliber, so obviously it’s going to change things,” Vincent said.
– Said Strus, “It’s different, for sure. But we’ve been preparing for that since Game 1.”
– Strus added, “I mean, he’s one of the best players in the world. He’s good. We’ve got to make sure we do our job on him. We’ve been preparing for him. We know what it takes.”
– The game was the Heat’s eighth against the Bucks this season.
– “There’s definitely some familiarity,” Robinson said. “so I don’t think anyone is going to be tricking anyone.”
– Spoelstra’s pregame session was the first time he addressed the media since the formal diagnosis of Victor Oladipo’s torn patellar tendon and extended recovery protocol.
– Oladipo was injured late in Saturday’s Game 3.
– “It’s been sobering, for sure,” Spoelstra said. “And, yeah, he had the outlook that you would expect. He said, ‘Don’t shed any tears for me, I’m going to get through all of this.’ That human side, we keep on talking about, when you see how much he’s been able to go through and overtime, you just naturally are kind of rooting for him these last three years. But he will.”
– Spoelstra added, “He has all of convinced he’s going to get through this and he will find a way. He has that kind of a fortitude.”
– But Spoelstra said the league also rolls on.
– “And then in the meantime, these are the playoffs, so it does require compartmentalization,” Spoelstra said, “and there’s a lot of teams that are having to go through a lot of different emotions of things like that.”
– Butler’s first 3-point attempt moved him past Deron Williams for 67th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s first 3-pointer moved him past Allen Iverson for 70th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s fifth assist moved him past Paul George for 71st on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s fifth made shot moved him past Chet Walker for 79th on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Butler’s seven made shot moved him past Bob Cousy for 78th on the NBA all-time list.
– Butler’s third free throw moved him past Dwight Howard for 48 on the NBA all-time playoff list.
– Adebayo’s first assist moved him past Goran Dragic for sixth on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Love’s second 3-pointer moved him past Michael Jordan for 50th on the NBA all-time playoff list and tied Dirk Nowitzki for 49th.
– Love’s sixth point was the 1,000th of his playoff career.
– Vincent’s second 3-pointer moved him past Norris Cole for 23rd on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Robinson’s second 3-pointer moved him past Hedo Turkoglu, Carmelo Anthony and Penny Hardaway for 98th on the NBA all-time playoff list. His third tied Dwyane Wade and others for 92nd.
– Lowry’s second assist moved him past Alonzo Mourning for 22nd on the Heat all-time playoff list.
– Lowry’s fifth point moved him into the NBA all-time top-100 playoff scorers, past former Toronto teammate Serge Ibaka.
– Chris Tucker was among those in the crowd.
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