Milwaukee Bucks: Game 4 victory gives Bucks hope for history

The Milwaukee Bucks have that swagger back, with or without Giannis

Early in the second quarter of Game 4, down 3-0 in the series and with Giannis Antetokounmpo limping and clearly in pain towards the locker room, the Milwaukee Bucks had two options. They could either pack it in, sleepwalk the rest of the game, and fall into its, as most believe, inevitable fate, or they could fight for their playoffs lives.

On the back of Khris Middleton, the Bucks did the latter. Milwaukee outlasted the Miami Heat in overtime, 118-115, behind Middleton’s game-high 36 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists to stave off elimination.

Heading into Game 5, the Bucks have hope again. Even though many still won’t believe in this team, as we’ve seen in the past, sometimes all it takes is one victory to regain lost confidence. For a team that is the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, perhaps Game 4 was exactly what they needed.

It was far from ideal, especially considering that Giannis may not be ready to play in Game 5, though he’s going to try. When he went down with the injury, though, it’s almost as if a switch was flipped for the rest of the team. As champions do, Milwaukee didn’t shy away from the challenge that was presented. They stepped up.

Perhaps the two other biggest reasons why the Bucks managed to beat the Heat in Game 4? Eric Bledsoe and Done DiVincenzo played much better. The duo combined for 24 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. Both also played great on the other end of the floor, with Bledsoe doing a great job when he was asked to check Jimmy Butler late in the game.

Overall, the Bucks had much more ball movement and activity on the offensive end; they weren’t just waiting around for Giannis to make something happen on the offensive end anymore. That proved to be huge and could continue to play such a vital role in this series even if Giannis returns.

Middleton dominated the game and was the best player on the floor when he needed to be. No one on the Heat could slow him down when he was able to get to his spots, most notably the middle of the floor.

Even Mike Budenholzer’s coaching was better, finally allowing Middleton to break the 40-minute threshold. It seemed as if every move he made worked. While the questions ahead of Game 5 will revolve around the availability of Giannis, I don’t think the Bucks should be counted out either way.

If Giannis is able to play, that’s great. The gameplan shouldn’t change. Milwaukee found something that works against this Heat defense. Miami has game-planned thus far for Giannis. It’s almost as if they didn’t know how to defend the Bucks as soon as Giannis left the game.

In fact, the advanced stats would back that up.

The Milwaukee Bucks were the best team during the regular season. Without Giannis, they’re still a really good team. That was evidenced in Game 4. The Bucks have hope again. They have a chance at history.

With Giannis in the lineup or not, the Miami Heat will have their hands full in Game 5. Another opportunity for the Bucks to save their season