There was no surprise or miracle from the Magic this Saturday night in Orlando. For the fifth game of the series against the Bucks, Evan Fournier and his pals had to lay down their weapons: Milwaukee wins (118-104), wins the series, and will now face Miami in the semifinals of the Playoffs. Unmissable hashtag.
A little fright, come on, a micro-fright and then go. It took a jump in the final five minutes of the game for Mike Budenholzer’s men to finish their streak clean, the minutes without Giannis on the court turning into baby basketball mash. Milwaukee got off to a good start, defending hard and forcing the Magic to make many mistakes on offense. Without letting Nikola Vucevic gain confidence in attack, the Bucks knew full well that it was going to be a long night for Orlando. A reaction from Terrence Ross, a few buckets from DJ Augustin, but nothing to shake the number 1 of the Eastern Conference who knew very well what was the objective to be fulfilled tonight: to take his ticket for the semi-finals in the East, and to scout the Heat with an orange juice this Sunday. Unsurprisingly, we found Antetokounmpo in his works (28 points and 17 rebounds in 28 minutes), but also Khris Middleton (21 points) and the excellent contribution of Marvin Williams who this time slammed the strings rather than the buttocks of James Ennis (12 points). It is the veteran, in particular, who returned the last shoot ‘cover’, the one who closed the hopes of Orlando in the money-time of this Game 5. No surprises therefore, neither in the final result of this series nor in the semi-final that we will have this Monday. Bucks versus Heat, that was the poster tentatendu of this second round. While it will obviously take a few hours and a good wet towel on the back of your neck to approach this duel with serenity, impatience is palpable among players and fans alike. We are talking about two teams that will not let go, defend hard and can certainly get on the face if necessary.
Orlando side, disappointment certainly on this series which had started with great hopes, but not enough to imagine a feat either. Without being able to count on Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac or Snow White, the friends of Disney World could not compete with the leaders of their conference. We will obviously note the very complicated series of Evan Fournier, which has been more than once in the pocket of Wes Matthews and outside defenders of Milwaukee, but also the lack of offensive creativity expressed by Steve Clifford, a subject that has been put on the table more than once. That being said, beyond these purely basketball considerations, this day was not marked by a dynamic of sporting enthusiasm. Between the events and deaths of this week, it is in a particularly gloomy mood that this first meeting of recovery began. The NBA had done the necessary, with a moment of silence planned in particular for Cliff Robinson, Lute Olson and actor Chadwick Boseman, but it was especially necessary to restart the machine after an interruption damn loaded with emotions. Not easy for everyone, from commentators to referees, including coaches and players, everyone has done their part and we will have to get used to this kind of second recovery that will take several days. While waiting for the performances and interventions of several stars expected at the turn, the NBA resumes its rights and its flow with its Playoffs this weekend. All we hope is that the madness of last weekend will return in a warmer and less disturbing environment. Because yes, even if for most people it may seem crazy, Luka Doncic’s buzzer shot against the Clippers took place six days ago.
The NBA is back, a sentence we never thought to write again. But it is so, and so much the better. The whole basketball family on the Orlando side gets back to work, with a bit of bitterness in the background but a few balls that also bounce. The Bucks have plenty to take care of, there is Miami to challenge this Monday and basketball to put back as much as possible at the center of their motivations.
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