Giannis Antetokounmpo: ‘Miami was built to be an NBA bubble team’

[TheLand13]

"wHaT dOes hE eVEn MeaN?"

How about the fact that most of the Heat players live a hop, skip and a jump away from Orlando and likely had the creature comforts associated with that i.e. family/friends. How about how MIL would have had a massive homecourt advantage in a normal setting. Are people being intentionally obtuse or do these things not cross your mind when you think about why he would say this? Teams play the season out so they can earn home court advantage due to having a better record. When you arbitrarily not only take that away from MIL but give the worse performing team the advantage, strange things can happen in a playoff series.

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention the HCA thing. Miami should have been playing every series with a disadvantage (they were the 5th seed), but every game was played in a neutral setting. It wasn't a level playing field as some people keep saying 18 months later. Instead, all of the higher-seeded teams were at a major disadvantage compared to a normal year whereas a few teams "built for the bubble" had great success. Miami probably gets by the Pacers pretty easily regardless of circumstances, but I have a tough time seeing them beating the Bucks and Celtics/Raptors in a 7-game series without HCA. Similarly, I don't think OKC takes Houston to the final possession of a 7-game series or Denver beats the Clippers in 7 in a normal year either.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using RealGM mobile app

So, wait, I want to get this straight, because this literally makes no sense; because it was a level playing field, it wasn't a level playing field.

Did I get that?

If you take two teams and put them on a neutral court for a playoff series, shouldn't the better team win?

Would Jordan's Bulls have lost during their reign if they didn't get the benefit of home court advantage, or would Jordan have still been Jordan and found a way?

As a top 4 seed, you're supposed to have the benefit of better talent. That's your advantage. You find a way to win, period. If you don't, you're not the better team! That's it! Anything else is an excuse...

Sent from my BE2025 using RealGM mobile app

And this is one of the reasons why I can't take anyone who tries to claim the 2020 championship doesn't count seriously. It comes across as just looking for reasons to discredit it because they don't like LeBron, and we all know there's a lot of people here who don't like him.

I'm not out here trying to claim Kevin Durant's rings shouldn't count. Do I think LeBron's 2016 title win does more for his legacy than Durant's do for his? Absolutely. But a ring is a ring. And trying to claim a particular title that was won under circumstances that were arguably the most difficult in the history of league is one of the most hilariously bad takes I've ever heard.

[BBallFreak]

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention the HCA thing. Miami should have been playing every series with a disadvantage (they were the 5th seed), but every game was played in a neutral setting. It wasn't a level playing field as some people keep saying 18 months later. Instead, all of the higher-seeded teams were at a major disadvantage compared to a normal year whereas a few teams "built for the bubble" had great success. Miami probably gets by the Pacers pretty easily regardless of circumstances, but I have a tough time seeing them beating the Bucks and Celtics/Raptors in a 7-game series without HCA. Similarly, I don't think OKC takes Houston to the final possession of a 7-game series or Denver beats the Clippers in 7 in a normal year either.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using RealGM mobile app

So, wait, I want to get this straight, because this literally makes no sense; because it was a level playing field, it wasn't a level playing field.

Did I get that?

If you take two teams and put them on a neutral court for a playoff series, shouldn't the better team win?

Would Jordan's Bulls have lost during their reign if they didn't get the benefit of home court advantage, or would Jordan have still been Jordan and found a way?

As a top 4 seed, you're supposed to have the benefit of better talent. That's your advantage. You find a way to win, period. If you don't, you're not the better team! That's it! Anything else is an excuse...

Sent from my BE2025 using RealGM mobile app

And this is one of the reasons why I can't take anyone who tries to claim the 2020 championship doesn't count seriously. It comes across as just looking for reasons to discredit it because they don't like LeBron, and we all know there's a lot of people here who don't like him.

I'm not out here trying to claim Kevin Durant's rings shouldn't count. Do I think LeBron's 2016 title win does more for his legacy than Durant's do for his? Absolutely. But a ring is a ring. And trying to claim a particular title that was won under circumstances that were arguably the most difficult in the history of league is one of the most hilariously bad takes I've ever heard.

Agreed! If anything, this was the most level playing field in the history of the league. This was just basketball at it's purest. You can argue that Robinson had an easier time shooting in an empty gym, but every other player has the exact same opportunity! You can argue that LeBron got to ready up beforehand, but so did every other player in the league!

Absolutely nothing was different for any player or team. It's insulting to discredit what LA and Miami did because they did it under adverse circumstances is just preposterous...

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[pingpongrac]

"wHaT dOes hE eVEn MeaN?"

How about the fact that most of the Heat players live a hop, skip and a jump away from Orlando and likely had the creature comforts associated with that i.e. family/friends. How about how MIL would have had a massive homecourt advantage in a normal setting. Are people being intentionally obtuse or do these things not cross your mind when you think about why he would say this? Teams play the season out so they can earn home court advantage due to having a better record. When you arbitrarily not only take that away from MIL but give the worse performing team the advantage, strange things can happen in a playoff series.

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention the HCA thing. Miami should have been playing every series with a disadvantage (they were the 5th seed), but every game was played in a neutral setting. It wasn't a level playing field as some people keep saying 18 months later. Instead, all of the higher-seeded teams were at a major disadvantage compared to a normal year whereas a few teams "built for the bubble" had great success. Miami probably gets by the Pacers pretty easily regardless of circumstances, but I have a tough time seeing them beating the Bucks and Celtics/Raptors in a 7-game series without HCA. Similarly, I don't think OKC takes Houston to the final possession of a 7-game series or Denver beats the Clippers in 7 in a normal year either.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using RealGM mobile app

So, wait, I want to get this straight, because this literally makes no sense; because it was a level playing field, it wasn't a level playing field.

Did I get that?

If you take two teams and put them on a neutral court for a playoff series, shouldn't the better team win?

Would Jordan's Bulls have lost during their reign if they didn't get the benefit of home court advantage, or would Jordan have still been Jordan and found a way?

As a top 4 seed, you're supposed to have the benefit of better talent. That's your advantage. You find a way to win, period. If you don't, you're not the better team! That's it! Anything else is an excuse...

Sent from my BE2025 using RealGM mobile app

There has always been home-court advantage in the NBA where the top 4 teams of each conference during the season are guaranteed at least one series with HCA though. Saying the bubble was the most fair playoffs ever is disingenuous because teams that played so well during the season weren't rewarded with HCA in the playoffs for the first time ever.

Pitting two teams against each other on a neutral court should generally lead to the better team winning. Using a one-year sample size where there was a 5-month shutdown due to a pandemic (and various other issues on top of that as well) doesn't mean anything though. The better team (and generally the higher seed) would win more often than not and it was a fluke that Miami beat Milwaukee in 5. Similar to how the 8th-seeded Warriors beat the Mavs in 2007 or the 8th-seeded Sixers beat the Bulls in 2012.

Regarding the Jordan comment, I'm sure there would have been a fluke loss along the way somewhere. It's pointless to talk about things that wouldn't have ever happened in the past though. If the pandemic makes its way overseas a few months later in 2020, Milwaukee more than likely beats that Miami team. Also, let's not act like Miami dominated that series and would have definitely won regardless of circumstances. They played great in games 1 & 3 and squeaked out a win in game 2 because of a last-second foul then Giannis was out in game 5. Credit to them for taking advantage of the situation, but they were EXTREMELY lucky to not have to play any series at a disadvantage -- which would have been the case in every other NBA season in recent memory.

[Blame Rasho]

You are tempting fate by saying that and facing them this year and losing to them.

[BBallFreak]

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention the HCA thing. Miami should have been playing every series with a disadvantage (they were the 5th seed), but every game was played in a neutral setting. It wasn't a level playing field as some people keep saying 18 months later. Instead, all of the higher-seeded teams were at a major disadvantage compared to a normal year whereas a few teams "built for the bubble" had great success. Miami probably gets by the Pacers pretty easily regardless of circumstances, but I have a tough time seeing them beating the Bucks and Celtics/Raptors in a 7-game series without HCA. Similarly, I don't think OKC takes Houston to the final possession of a 7-game series or Denver beats the Clippers in 7 in a normal year either.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using RealGM mobile app

So, wait, I want to get this straight, because this literally makes no sense; because it was a level playing field, it wasn't a level playing field.

Did I get that?

If you take two teams and put them on a neutral court for a playoff series, shouldn't the better team win?

Would Jordan's Bulls have lost during their reign if they didn't get the benefit of home court advantage, or would Jordan have still been Jordan and found a way?

As a top 4 seed, you're supposed to have the benefit of better talent. That's your advantage. You find a way to win, period. If you don't, you're not the better team! That's it! Anything else is an excuse...

Sent from my BE2025 using RealGM mobile app

There has always been home-court advantage in the NBA where the top 4 teams of each conference during the season are guaranteed at least one series with HCA though. Saying the bubble was the most fair playoffs ever is disingenuous because teams that played so well during the season weren't rewarded with HCA in the playoffs for the first time ever.

Pitting two teams against each other on a neutral court should generally lead to the better team winning. Using a one-year sample size where there was a 5-month shutdown due to a pandemic (and various other issues on top of that as well) doesn't mean anything though. The better team (and generally the higher seed) would win more often than not and it was a fluke that Miami beat Milwaukee in 5. Similar to how the 8th-seeded Warriors beat the Mavs in 2007 or the 8th-seeded Sixers beat the Bulls in 2012.

Regarding the Jordan comment, I'm sure there would have been a fluke loss along the way somewhere. It's pointless to talk about things that wouldn't have ever happened in the past though. If the pandemic makes its way overseas a few months later in 2020, Milwaukee more than likely beats that Miami team. Also, let's not act like Miami dominated that series and would have definitely won regardless of circumstances. They played great in games 1 & 3 and squeaked out a win in game 2 because of a last-second foul then Giannis was out in game 5. Credit to them for taking advantage of the situation, but they were EXTREMELY lucky to not have to play any series at a disadvantage -- which would have been the case in every other NBA season in recent memory.

If you're the better team, and they were supposed to be much better, you win. Period.

Did Miami get the benefit of not having to go to Milwaukee? Sure. Conversely, Milwaukee wasn't tempted by South Beach. Is that a reason for Miami to win the series? No. The better team won. Milwaukee then went and got better, just like they were supposed to.

Miami used the circumstances to their benefit but they were not unfair circumstances. They were the same circumstances for everyone...

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[Harry Garris]

They definitely were but they also executed The Wall defense perfectly and Giannis got frustrated and didn't adjust.

Except he did in the offseason. Miami tried the same defensive strategy the next year when they faced the Bucks on the first round and Giannis didn't struggle at all and the Bucks blowtorched them.

[ejn1214]

You are tempting fate by saying that and facing them this year and losing to them.

Bucks swept Miami last year in the playoffs...

[homecourtloss]

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention the HCA thing. Miami should have been playing every series with a disadvantage (they were the 5th seed), but every game was played in a neutral setting. It wasn't a level playing field as some people keep saying 18 months later. Instead, all of the higher-seeded teams were at a major disadvantage compared to a normal year whereas a few teams "built for the bubble" had great success. Miami probably gets by the Pacers pretty easily regardless of circumstances, but I have a tough time seeing them beating the Bucks and Celtics/Raptors in a 7-game series without HCA. Similarly, I don't think OKC takes Houston to the final possession of a 7-game series or Denver beats the Clippers in 7 in a normal year either.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using RealGM mobile app

So, wait, I want to get this straight, because this literally makes no sense; because it was a level playing field, it wasn't a level playing field.

Did I get that?

If you take two teams and put them on a neutral court for a playoff series, shouldn't the better team win?

Would Jordan's Bulls have lost during their reign if they didn't get the benefit of home court advantage, or would Jordan have still been Jordan and found a way?

As a top 4 seed, you're supposed to have the benefit of better talent. That's your advantage. You find a way to win, period. If you don't, you're not the better team! That's it! Anything else is an excuse...

Sent from my BE2025 using RealGM mobile app

And this is one of the reasons why I can't take anyone who tries to claim the 2020 championship doesn't count seriously. It comes across as just looking for reasons to discredit it because they don't like LeBron, and we all know there's a lot of people here who don't like him.

I'm not out here trying to claim Kevin Durant's rings shouldn't count. Do I think LeBron's 2016 title win does more for his legacy than Durant's do for his? Absolutely. But a ring is a ring. And trying to claim a particular title that was won under circumstances that were arguably the most difficult in the history of league is one of the most hilariously bad takes I've ever heard.

Absolutely right about the bolded. The fact that the Lakers won the title in a dominant fashion in the most level playing environment in NBA history is something in favor of them and LeBron rather than some sort of asterisk. The funny thing is that the Lakers and LeBron struggling at the beginning of the bubble before the playoffs and after game 1 vs. the Blazers was in part attributed to “pure basketball environment” in which there’s no favorable treatment of LeBron. Soon as he begins to roll, then the narrative shifts.

Teams had to hedge against NBA players shooting in an empty gym, players who could get hot at any moment. To dismantle teams the way the Lakers did shows how good they were in an equal playing envirnonment.

2020 Lakers’ Playoffs

Game 2 vs. Blazers: +33, 7:58 left
Game 4 vs. Blazers, +38, 8:38 left in 3rd quarter
Game 4 vs. Rockets, +23, 7:21 left
Game 5 vs. Rockets, +29, 4:33 left
Game 1 vs. Nuggets, +27, 5:03 left
Game 1 vs. Heat, +30, 4:25 left in 3rd; +24, 6:08 left in the game
Game 6 vs. Heat, +36, 3:29 left in 3rd; +22, 2:05 left in the game

Look at these margins. If not for historically bad garbage time minutes, the Lakers would have had a top 5ish all time playoff run in terms of dominance in an absolutely equal playing environment.

[rate_]

They definitely were but they also executed The Wall defense perfectly and Giannis got frustrated and didn't adjust.

Except he did in the offseason. Miami tried the same defensive strategy the next year when they faced the Bucks on the first round and Giannis didn't struggle at all and the Bucks blowtorched them.

Miami couldn't replicate that defensive strategy nearly as well after they replaced Jae Crowder with Trevor Ariza. Crowder added size at the 4 Ariza just couldn't replace. Also, Miami/Lakers were coming off the shortest offeseason in NBA history. Neither team probably wanted to advance, to rest up anyways. I think the Bucks replacing Bledsoe with Jrue also had an effect on their makeup, but Miami have done well addressing their PG and PF issues from last season, too. Would like to see these 2 matchup again for a rubber series.

Oh, and Giannis averaged 23.5 PPG on <50% TS that series, which are way below his season averages. So even though Miami lost the series handily, they still were able to contain GIannis as well as anyone.

[PhilBlackson]

You are tempting fate by saying that and facing them this year and losing to them.

Not to mention PJ Tucker's role is so underrated.

He was pivotal in tiring out KD, not to mention Book & Bridges. Now he's gonna be the one (in combination with Butler) getting into Middleton and making his life hell as the guy that MIL relies on to close out big games. Not to mention will know a lot of the schemes MIL runs, helping with Jrue & Giannis as well. PJ just works hard and inspires his teammates which I think is another big intangible.

Overall MIA just matches up very well with MIL. They've ALSO added Lowry that Jrue now has to shift some of his defensive attention off a Jimmy & Herro, so those guys should do a bit better and Khris will need to expend more energy defensively as well. Lowry will orchestrate the team, make sure the offense is running efficiently while making some timely shots too. Then Bam matches up well with Giannis. MIA has a couple of scorers in the clutch with Jimmy or Herro. More workload on Jrue & Middleton...

This is as close to a 50/50 series as I see.

[Pachinko_]

You are tempting fate by saying that and facing them this year and losing to them.

Not to mention PJ Tucker's role is so underrated.

He was pivotal in tiring out KD, not to mention Book & Bridges.

Yeah he was so tired he literally had the best series of his life.

[PhilBlackson]

You are tempting fate by saying that and facing them this year and losing to them.

Not to mention PJ Tucker's role is so underrated.

He was pivotal in tiring out KD, not to mention Book & Bridges.

Yeah he was so tired he literally had the best series of his life.

The only reason Bucks got through is KD ran out of steam (well besides being the lone healthy star player left for the Nets).

[Pachinko_]

Not to mention PJ Tucker's role is so underrated.

He was pivotal in tiring out KD, not to mention Book & Bridges.

Yeah he was so tired he literally had the best series of his life.

The only reason Bucks got through is KD ran out of steam (well besides being the lone healthy star player left for the Nets).

Look I love PJ as much as the next guy but you can't say his D was great but the other guy scored 50... you just can't. It's like saying the surgery was successful but the patient died (just a dumb example, you get my point)

[PhilBlackson]

Yeah he was so tired he literally had the best series of his life.

The only reason Bucks got through is KD ran out of steam (well besides being the lone healthy star player left for the Nets).

Look I love PJ as much as the next guy but you can't say his D was great but the other guy scored 50... you just can't. It's like saying the surgery was successful but the patient died (just a dumb example, you get my point)

KD did or did not run out of energy, yes or no?!?

Don't act like PJ didn't make KD work hard for everything he got on him. Not to mention how different the series might've/would've been if Jrue & Middleton had to be the ones wearing out their legs all game trying to guard KD the entire games. It's not really much speculation that it would effect how much physically they could exert themselves on both ends ie/ less offensive production and you guys needed every bit of it.

So one way or the other PJ absolutely made a difference how a 7 game series went, where say it again...KD just ran out of steam and PJ's the guy who's most to thank for it.

[Rendei]

The only reason Bucks got through is KD ran out of steam (well besides being the lone healthy star player left for the Nets).

Look I love PJ as much as the next guy but you can't say his D was great but the other guy scored 50... you just can't. It's like saying the surgery was successful but the patient died (just a dumb example, you get my point)

KD did or did not run out of energy, yes or no?!?

Don't act like PJ didn't make KD work hard for everything he got on him. Not to mention how different the series might've/would've been if Jrue & Middleton had to be the ones wearing out their legs all game trying to guard KD the entire games. It's not really much speculation that it would effect how much physically they could exert themselves on both ends ie/ less offensive production and you guys needed every bit of it.

So one way or the other PJ absolutely made a difference how a 7 game series went, where say it again...KD just ran out of steam and PJ's the guy who's most to thank for it.

KD averaged 42.7 MPG in that series. I think that's most to blame for him running out of gas.

Not trying to knock Tucker. He did his job. But he's not the only guy out there who could be physical with Durant while watching him drop 50.

[Bobbymcgee]

Giannis adding fuel to the flame if they meet the Heat in the playoffs.

Eastern Conference playoffs are going to be rough this year. Bucks, Heat, Brooklyn and Philly are all legit contenders. And, you still have the Cavs, the Bulls and now the Celtics playing well too. Also, Hawks, Raptors and Hornets are decent. Brutal.

[Ballerhogger]

If he means the team that go to the finals that year than yes. I except a good battle between them in the playoffs.

[greekbuck34]

The Bucks were nowhere close to their normal selfs in the Bubble. They were struggling even against the Orlando Magic in the first round. First you spent the whole season to get the 1st seed and the HC advantage, then you lose it to play in Disneyland sitting at a hotel away from your family, a guy gets murdered a few miles from your practice center and your whole mind is focused on Black Lives Matter instead of basketball.

[theFireBlanket]

The Bucks were nowhere close to their normal selfs in the Bubble. They were struggling even against the Orlando Magic in the first round. First you spent the whole season to get the 1st seed and the HC advantage, then you lose it to play in Disneyland sitting at a hotel away from your family, a guy gets murdered a few miles from your practice center and your whole mind is focused on Black Lives Matter instead of basketball.

Yeah, the #1 3pt shooter in the NBA that year only said this:

Read on Twitter

And then he played like complete sh--. Cause he obviously didn't care.

It's all good. That bubble fiasco led to Jrue being in Milwaukee!

[Harry Garris]

They definitely were but they also executed The Wall defense perfectly and Giannis got frustrated and didn't adjust.

Except he did in the offseason. Miami tried the same defensive strategy the next year when they faced the Bucks on the first round and Giannis didn't struggle at all and the Bucks blowtorched them.

Miami couldn't replicate that defensive strategy nearly as well after they replaced Jae Crowder with Trevor Ariza. Crowder added size at the 4 Ariza just couldn't replace. Also, Miami/Lakers were coming off the shortest offeseason in NBA history. Neither team probably wanted to advance, to rest up anyways. I think the Bucks replacing Bledsoe with Jrue also had an effect on their makeup, but Miami have done well addressing their PG and PF issues from last season, too. Would like to see these 2 matchup again for a rubber series.

Oh, and Giannis averaged 23.5 PPG on <50% TS that series, which are way below his season averages. So even though Miami lost the series handily, they still were able to contain GIannis as well as anyone.

The problem with the "wall" defense is yes you can contain Giannis getting to the basket, but you're giving up a wide open catch and shoot 3 on basically every possession you do it which is the second most efficient shot in basketball after a lay-in/dunk. The main reason the "wall" worked so well in 2020 is because the Bucks role players couldn't hit a shot despite getting awesome looks every time down the floor.

The Bucks role players shot pretty poorly in 2021 as well but the key difference was Tyler Herro cooled off and Butler was beyond awful in that series and cost the Heat any chance of winning with his poor play.