Eastern Conference Semifinals

O P E N I N G R O U N D

) E U G A E T ( S E G A M I Y T T E G / E A B N / N O Z I D L A B C A S S I ; ) N O T E L D D I M ( S E G A M I Y T T E G / E A B N / N E E N I D Y R A G ; ) O P M N U O K O T E T N A ( S E G A M I Y T T E G / E A B N / W O D D I V A D

T U R N I N G D O W N T H E H E AT

Antetokounmpo had 17 points and 17 boards in Game 3 (opposite); Middleton rose up over Robinson in Game 1 (top); and Jeff Teague provided bench help in Game 3 (right).

Jimmy Butler drove past Antetokounmpo for a buzzerbeating layup, tying it at 99.

The game stayed tight throughout overtime. Then, with 0.5 seconds remaining, Khris Middleton hit a stepback midrange jumper over guard Duncan Robinson, breaking a 107–107 tie to seal the victory. “I have confidence in myself, ” Middleton said. “You miss a lot of shots. You make a lot of shots. You just have to trust all the work you put in during the season and practice. ”

But if the series opener suggested that not much had changed from last season, Game 2 told another story. Milwaukee came out sizzling and was up 46–20 after 12 minutes—a lead that tied the playoff record for the largest end-of-first-quarter differential. The Bucks led by 27 at halftime and extended their advantage into the 30s throughout the second half until closing it out 132–98 behind 31 points from Antetokounmpo. The landslide win boosted Milwaukee’s confidence while leaving the Heat turning toward gallows humor. “I think the bright spot is I don’t think you can play any worse, ” Butler said afterward.

Butler had a point. But Miami didn’t play that much better as the series continued. In Game 3 the Bucks were up by 12 after the first quarter, and the lead kept growing from there, ballooning to 32 in the second half before setting up a final margin of 113–84. Milwaukee was dominant on both ends, holding the Heat to 37.6% shooting while outrebounding them 55–42. This battle with last season’s nemesis was starting to feel like a warmup for the more difficult challenges ahead as the Heat led for just 17 seconds in Games 2 and 3.

Though the Bucks trailed through the first half of Game 4, they opened the second half with a 24–6 run and cruised to a comfortable 120–103 win to close out the series. Brook Lopez led Milwaukee with 25 points while Bryn Forbes had 22, and the defense held Butler to 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

The sweep made it clear how much had changed in a year.

“There’s a saying: ‘Don’t play with your food, ’ ” Antetokounmpo said after Game 4. “We didn’t want to play with our food. We went out there and competed as hard as possible. We kept our composure; we kept moving the ball, and we were able to get a win. ”

Milwaukee also earned a chance to continue to tell a new story on the road to the title.

E A S T E R N C O N F E R E N C E S E M IF IN A L S B U C K S D E F E A T N E T S 4 – 3

TITANIC CLASH

M I L W A U K E E A N D B R O O K LY N S TA G E D A N E L E C T R I C B AT T L E T H AT T I LT E D W H E N O N E O F I T S S TA R S C A M E U P A L I T T L E T O O B I G

BY MICH A EL SH A PIRO

PERHAPS THE Bucks’ season wouldn’t have ended with the Larry O’Brien Trophy had Kevin Durant worn anything smaller than a size-18 sneaker in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. A back-and-forth, injuryriddled series became a game of inches when a toe on the arc cost KD the one point that would have made all the difference.

While both teams in the series could be said to have a Big Three, they were really a study in contrasts. Brooklyn was a big-market team with a throwntogether trio of superstars in Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden and an indifferent approach to defense. Milwaukee was a small-market team with a homegrown star, a patiently assembled roster and a gritty approach to the game.

The series began with the Bucks’ hitting only six of 30 three-pointers in a 115–107 Game 1 loss. Then came an even more worrisome Game 2 defeat, 125–86, when Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday combined for just 48 points and a minus-79

W E N D E L L C R U Z / U S A T O D A Y S P O R T S

M V P E F F O R T S

In Game 7, Giannis went for 40 points while Durant had 48 in the Bucks’ 115–111 overtime win.