By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominant run in the NBA just ended at the hands of Jimmy Butler and the pesky Miami Heat squad.
In the pivotal game five of their seven-game series, Miami’s offense and rebounding became a problem for the Bucks as they suffered in the paint without Antetokounmpo.
The Butler led squad cruised through the crucial stretch in the last frame and ousted the number-one ranked team in the east, 103-94.
Willing his team to fight despite the odds, Bucks’ gunner Khris Middleton paced the green and white with 23 huge points, 7 rebounds, and 6 dimes.
After a hot and fiery first quarter for the Bucks, outscoring the Heat 28-19, coach Erik Spoelstra adjusted his defense that made the next quarter into a defensive battle.
Miami continued to score by committee with more than 5 players scoring in double figures led by Butler with 17 who iced the game with consecutive clutch freethrows.
Goran Dragic leveled Butler with 17, Jae Crowder with 16, Tyler Herro and Kelly Olynk with 14 bombs, and Bam Adebayo with 13.
The collective effort from Miami enabled them to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals where they await the winner between the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors.
