Takeaways from the Miami Heat’s Game 1 Victory over Bucks

The Miami Heat entered Sunday’s Playoff game as the true underdogs. They faced a strong Milwaukee Bucks team, with the best record in the league. Miami started the game off well on both ends of the floor. The three-point shooting was there and the multiple defensive efforts as well. Both teams suffered devastating injuries to their key players. Still, there was a game to be played. Milwaukee kept creeping back into the game but Miami pushed the lead further each time. With the win, Miami takes the series lead 1-0. Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s victory over Milwaukee.

Playoff Jimmy

Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, and Jimmy Butler. What do these players have in common? Well, all three players have 9 or more 35 point playoff games in Heat history. Butler was sensational in the first playoff game of the series. He set the tone with early dishes to his teammates off of drives. With the three-point shooting going well, it opened up more drives for Butler. And he took advantage. Butler relentlessly kept attacking the basket, where he drew fouls and scoring opportunities. He may say Playoff Jimmy is not real, but it most certainly is. He had full control of this game on both ends. Butler finished with 35 points and 11 assists.

Love Solid Off the Bench

Kevin Love played a terrific game on Sunday. He looked every bit of the player Miami envisioned when they signed him in March. The three-point shooting was there all night. He made four triples in the game. This was huge for Miami and opened up lanes for Butler. Defensively, he was just as good. Love made timely charges in the game. His rotations were mostly good. He’s not a lock down defender by any stretch. However, he was active on the boards and rotations. Overall, a solid performance from the former all-star. Love finished the night with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Adebayo Bounces Back

Since the All-Star break, Bam Adebayo has struggled on the offensive end. There’s been the hesitation to shoot the ball and even look at the rim. Knowing this, the Bucks decided to play off of him to start the game. It worked for them early on with Adebayo hesitating with his shots. The shots were falling short early on. However, in the second half, things clicked for Adebayo. After a halftime conversation with teammates, Adebayo started the second half more assertive. He shot a jumper over a defender while in rhythm and seemed to get going from there. The midrange jumpers started to fall for Adebayo more. Most importantly, his confidence was back. Miami is going to need this Adebayo going forward. Adebayo finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.

Series Changing Injuries

Things can change quickly in a series. And we saw that in the first half of Game 1. For Milwaukee, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo landed on his back after charging into Love. He tried playing through the injury before eventually leaving the game before halftime. Later in the second period, the Heat lost a player as well in Tyler Herro. Herro dove on the floor for the loose ball, injuring his hand on the play. He played the rest of the quarter holding that hand and even attempted a shot in the corner. With a broken hand. He would later be ruled out for the second half of the game. Tough breaks for both teams. Breaks that can change a series.

Next up: Game 2 on Wednesday. Game tips off at 9pm eastern on NBA TV.