The 2021 NBA Playoffs can only be summed up by the following:
Survival of the Fittest.
Milwaukee were dealt a major blow today to their Championship hopes, with 2 time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo suffering a brutal left knee injury, which could see him miss considerable time.
Time in which the Bucks can’t afford to be missing their star player.
Giannis will undergo an MRI tomorrow morning, and NBA Fans will be hoping this isn’t the last we’ve seen of him this season.
Take nothing away from the Hawks today, who were outstanding without their own superstar.
Trae Young missed today’s game with a Right Ankle injury, and you could forgive the Hawks for caving in without him.
They did the exact opposite.
Atlanta blitzed Milwaukee in the opening half, going in with a 13 point lead.
It was a lifeless display from the Bucks, maybe thinking this would be a walk in the park without Young.
Milwaukee came out strong to start the 3rd, Giannis being super aggressive getting the game back within reach.
Then came the knee injury.
Milwaukee looked lost on offence without the Greek Freak, getting blown away with Atlanta’s intensity on defence, while offensively just about everyone gave the Bucks problems.
Bogdanovic looked back to his normal self, going off for 20 points, while Huerter and Lou Will chipped in 15 and 21 of their own.
Atlanta will hope the late hit to the head on Capela is nothing heading into Game 5, but once again, it’ll be next man up mentality and survival of the fittest to finish this playoff run, with no teams looking for excuses with it all to play for.
Phoenix will try and finish off the Clippers in LA tomorrow, another team dealing with an injury to their superstar, Kawhi Leonard.
That hasn’t stopped Paul George from producing some of the best basketball of his career, carrying this team with the help of Reggie Jackson (yes Reggie Jackson), to two wins away from the NBA Finals.
Phoenix will be bitterly disappointed that they didn’t finish off the Clippers on their home floor, especially considering the Clippers were without the services of Ivica Zubac in Game 5.
They were severely under sized, yet Phoenix avoided the mismatch they had with DeAndre Ayton like the plague, continuing to fire away from the outside rather than feed their big who has had a phenomenal series.
Kawhi is already ruled out for tomorrow’s elimination game, so the Clippers will once again need all hands on deck to pull off an unlikely Game 7, and give their superstar a chance at returning to help them get to the NBA Finals.
It’s sure to be a big news day in the NBA tomorrow morning *activates Woj Twitter Alerts*, as the Bucks will eagerly await the results of the scans to their MVP, as well as Atlanta hoping their superstar guard can get his clearance for what’s bound to be a huge Game 5 in Milwaukee on Friday.
Bauky