Udonis Haslem and Bobby Portis get into it as the Milwaukee Bucks look to force Game 6 against the Miami Heat
The pressure in Game 6 of the series between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks is spilling on to the bench. Miami's spiritual leader Udonis Haslem and Milwaukee's backup big man Bobby Portis went chest to chest in the second quarter.
Udonis Haslem and Bobby Portis. 🍿🗣️
https://t.co/3nFJhqpTHn
Haslem has played just two minutes in this series but he's never far away from the action. He's always watching the players on the floor and will never shy away from confrontations.
Portis came off the bench again and has already played 17 minutes. He missed both of the shots he took in Game 5 but had four rebounds. Portis hasn't seen much action since Giannis Antetokounmpo's return from a bruised back.
"BP's" minutes has also been limited as Brook Lopez, the Milwaukee Bucks' starting center, has been playing great. Portis' frustrations must have gotten the better of him as he confronted Udonis Haslem, who was on the bench.
Aside from jawing with each other, nothing came out of the brief engagement between Udonis Haslem and Bobby Portis. Miami Heat players, coaching staff and Lopez quickly diffused the situation.
The Milwaukee Bucks surrendered another big fourth quarter lead to the Miami Heat
The Milwaukee Bucks never learned from their heartbreaking loss in Game 4 against the Miami Heat. Game 5 followed the same script, particularly starting the fourth quarter.
In front of a boisterous home crowd, the Bucks built a 106-82 lead entering the final period. As if on cue, they started to lose their composure once their shots didn't go in.
Behind Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Max Strus, the Miami Heat slowly but steadily cut down the Bucks' lead. Miami's defense also started to clamp down on the hot-shooting Bucks, limiting them to just 16 fourth-quarter points.
After Jrue Holiday missed one of two free throws, the Heat trailed 118-116 with 2.1 seconds left. Even casual observers knew Miami were going to give the ball to Butler for the last shot.
Somehow, the Milwaukee Bucks allowed "Jimmy Buckets" to receive the ball under the rim with only Pat Connaughton guarding him. Butler's quick flick after receiving the ball tied the game and silenced the once rowdy crowd.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra admitted in the postgame interview that he was hesitant to call that play. He knew there was a big risk Butler might be too heavily guarded to catch the ball.
Jimmy Butler, however, insisted to proceed with the play and executed it to perfection.
The Milwaukee Bucks had a 12-point lead with about six minutes left in Game 4. During Miami's crippling 13-0 run, Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer refused to call a timeout.
Budenholzer committed the same mistake in Game 5. He should have called a timeout so the inbounds play would happen on center court instead of the backcourt.
Miami became the first eighth-seeded team to knock out the top seed since 2012 when the Philadelphia 76ers eliminated the Chicago Bulls. Milwaukee's Jrue Holiday was on that Philly team that scored the upset.
Bobby Portis and the Milwaukee Bucks will have a long offseason to ponder what could have been. Udonis Haslem and the Miami Heat will move on to the second round to face the New York Knicks.
Also read: "Giannis is officially overrated" - Miami Heat fans troll Giannis Antetokounmpo and the No. 1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks after elimination