Heat vs. Bucks
The Miami Heat pulled off a surprise victory in game 1, but it was expected that the Bucks would bounce back in game 2. Going down 2-0 was very unlikely for a team that had hopes of going to the championship. The Heat have shown in this series that they are not going anywhere, and that the Bucks will need to take them seriously.
The Heat jumped out to a quick 9 point lead at the end of the first, and it seemed like they were playing even better then game 1. This is what the Heat needed, if they were going to survive the Bucks attacks. While the Bucks were looking to close the lead, the Heat were keeping themselves in front and held on to a 6 point lead by the end of the first half. The Bucks leaned on their stars such as Giannis and Khris Middleton who were great players but also needed some help. The Milwaukee Bucks continued to close the gap, but were never close enough to take the lead. They had cut the gap to 4 points by the end of the third, and the fourth quarter was set to be a tight ending. In the fourth, the Heat held on to their lead and would not give the Bucks a chance to take the lead. The Heat had a 3 point lead with 4 second left, and after a controversial three point foul on Goran Dragic, the Bucks were able to tie the game. While many people were ready for a tight overtime game, Giannis Antetokounmpo made a tough foul call with time expiring to give the Heat one last chance at the game. With Jimmy Butler going to the line, the Heat were able to close out the game and take a 2-0 lead in the series. The Heat were playing together and got great performances from players up and down their roster. They had 7 players go into double digits, and got another great game from Goran Dragic, 23 points to lead the team. One of the biggest surprises for the Heat was that Jimmy Butler only had 13 points and yet the Heat were able to sneak out a win from the number 1 seed in the East.
The Milwaukee Bucks played much better then they did in game 1, but so did the Heat. This created a very close game, and if not for an untimely foul this game would have gone into OT. This game should set the stage for a very exciting and thrilling series to come.
Final Score: MIA 116 MIL 114
Rockets vs. Thunder
In the second game 7 of the bubble, this game was filled with action from the beginning to the end. Both teams wanted to win, and we got a huge fight for a spot in the second round.
The game started out very tight, and it seemed like that would be how the rest of the game went. OKC was able to grab a very small 1 point lead at the end of the first. Both teams continued to battle for the lead, and Houston was able to squeeze out a 2 point lead by the end of the first half. The Thunder got a huge game from Lu Dort, 30 points, who was open at the three point line,after having a horrible shooting night in game 6, and kept knocking down his shots. James Harden had a very tough offensive night, 1 for 9 from three, and was only able to find points around the basket and at the free throw line. Even with a tough night from Harden, the Rockets were able get hot from three to build a 5 point lead by the end of the third and seemed to be finding some kind of rhythm at the three. This game continued going back and forth, until Robert Covington took advantage of his trip to the free throw line with 1 second left on the clock to put the Rockets up by 2. This was all set up by a great defensive stop by James Harden, forcing Lu Dort to turnover the ball and give the Rockets some breathing room. The Thunder tried to draw some kind of play, but the Rockets were able to steal the ball and take the win. The Rockets did not get a great game from James Harden, but the three point shooting of Robert Covington, 6 made three and 21 points, and offensive ability of Russell Westbrook,20 points, helped the Rockets hang on.
Final Score: HOU 104 OKC 102
HOU wins series 4-3
Top Image: AP Images/Mark J. Terriell