Most people probably didn’t think the Miami Heat would be ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks at this point in their first-round series. However, the Heat is up 2-1, and Caleb Martin says they expected to be in control of the game.
Many experts thought little of Miami as the No. 8 seed going into the playoffs. It was reasonable since the team was going to play in the first round against one of the best teams in the NBA. But so far, the Heat has put up a good fight.
After beating the Bucks on the road in Game 1, Miami took the lead. Jimmy Butler was on a mission back then, as he scored 35 points and gave out 11 assists while hitting 15-for-27.
The Heat also got a break when Giannis Antetokounmpo got hurt. The two-time MVP had to leave the game after only 11 minutes because of the injury. Some people might say that Miami won the series’ first game mainly because Antetokounmpo wasn’t there.
But it’s important to note that Milwaukee lost by nine points when its star player was on the court. The Heat also lost Tyler Herro, an important player, because he got hurt.
In Game 2, the Bucks beat Miami 138-122, even though Antetokounmpo wasn’t there. Three players scored more than 20 points, and the team made it rain threes. In that game, Milwaukee was 25-for-49 from long range.
But the Heat put their opponents in a tight spot in the third match. The Bucks didn’t get to 100 points, so they won Game 3 with a score of 121-99. Of course, Antetokounmpo not being there again helped.
We will know on Monday if the Heat can protect their home court again.
It might be hard to do, though, since the team is getting hurt more and more. Without Herro, Because of the terrible injury, Victor Oladipo got at the end of Game 3, Miami might not be able to use him for the rest of the season.
Martin’s comment shows that the team is strong in faith, which is good news. So far, the forward’s actions have backed up what he said, as he is scoring 14.0 points per game and shooting 60.9 percent in the series.