“Whatever Coach Wants”: Giannis Antetokounmpo Shuts Down Speculation Around Not Guarding Jimmy Butler
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The Milwaukee Bucks stepped in the Orlando Bubble and faced two defeats in the first three games. Their second win came against the Miami Heat in the seeding games. Heat star Jimmy Butler did not play that game while Giannis Antetokounmpo had a 33-point game. But the Miami Heat have made it even in the bubble by defeating the Bucks 115-104 in their game 1.
So is it that Jimmy Butler’s presence changed the momentum of the game for the Heat? At least for this particular outing, yes. The 6’7” star completely overpowered his opponents, especially in the second half of the game when the Heat finally managed to take a lead at 80-78 with only two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo failed to push the Milwaukee Bucks
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For the Bucks, center player Brook Lopez looked strong as he scored 24 points in the game. He has been really impressive since the season restart. The way he closed the first quarter with a buzzer-beater three felt as if he will not drop the guns.
But the recently crowned Defensive Player of the Year, Giannis, failed to make a mark. He did well defensively, but his offense remained a little weaker when compared to that of Jimmy Butler. Jimmy G. Buckets was a one-man show in the last few minutes of the game and Giannis could do absolutely nothing to contain him.
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In the post-game conference, a reporter inquired if Giannis asked the head coach Mike Budenholzer to switch onto guard Butler. Giannis replied, “To guard him? No, I didn’t. Why would you ask that? I’ll do whatever coach wants me to do.”
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on whether he asked to switch onto Heat’s Jimmy Butler during late-game explosion: “To guard him? No, I didn’t. Why would you ask that? I’ll do whatever coach wants me to do.” pic.twitter.com/IFpR5pk1s1
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 1, 2020
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The Miami Heat did not back down!
The Milwaukee Bucks have the best defense in the league today, and they do it by taking away that real estate around the paint. But this did not deter the Miami Heat from using alternatives. As Kelly Olynyk scored a three-pointer to end the second quarter, it was Miami’s seventh in the first half itself.
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Also, Jimmy Butler was a completely different player in the clutch time. The score on the board was 99-98 with Heat leading when only four minutes were remaining. After that, Jimmy added 13 points out of the 17 that his side managed. Plus, they restricted and buried the Bucks then and there, giving them no chance to come back to life.
Giannis will surely want to make a statement when the two teams next meet in Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs 2020 conference semi-finals.
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