The Lakers’ defense looked raggedy from the jump. Nothing in Nikola Jokić’s way could stop him as he nailed jump shots, broke inside the lane for layups, and scored putbacks won off 50-50 balls.

In the first quarter, he retrieved 12 rebounds, his most ever in an interval, yet six were offensive, and converted four of six shots. Anthony Davis stayed on his hip, forcing two misses- one on a retry layup and the other on a drive from the top of the key. But the Joker scored twice on him in the first quarter and would do so with ease as the game matured.

Yet, early, the Nuggets raced out to a 37-25 lead. Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray recorded eight of the host’s points on the break as LA failed to put pressure on the ball. Jokić’s sleight of hand produced five dimes before his first break at 43 seconds left in the frame.

The second quarter turned into a duel of giants between Davis and Jokić. AD dropped five buckets- a turnaround hook, a putback jam, two cutting layups, and a pull-up jumper at the elbow with the Big Tipper defending him. Jokić countered by beating Davis off the dribble from the wing to the cup and dusting him in the post as he sliced into the paint for a dunk.

At halftime, the Nuggets led 72-54. Jokić had 19 on his scorecard, Murray logged 17, and Michael Porter Jr. helped with 10. Bruce Brown contributed all of Denver’s 14 bench points on five of nine field goals.

Through 24 minutes, Denver had recovered 36 rebounds to Los Angeles’ 13. Thirteen were also on the offensive side for the Nuggets, which turned into 16 second chance points. Even with hosts registering two more turnovers, their work on the glass churned out seven additional field goal attempts over LA.

In the third period, Davis was immaculate from the field and didn’t sit a moment. Three of his five baskets were scored with the Joker defending an elbow jumper or two straight paint hooks. His partner LeBron James got his licks in, too, spinning past Porter and attacking Gordon in transition.

Although, their old cohort Kentavious Caldwell Pope, now a Nugget, carbonized his former pals. He hit a jumper against drop coverage, converted a right-wing triple when the Lakers inanely doubled the Joker in the post while Davis was on him and hit another trifecta behind a flare screen on the left side. Kenny the Pope matched Jokić with 12 points in the third quarter.

The Cookie Monster (Jokić) also had an unsullied stat line in the period, going five of five from the floor, with five more dimes and three boards. As LA cut its deficit to 11 points with six seconds left in the frame, the Joker dribbled up court and buried a stepback slingshot from 28 feet out over Davis. AD smiled as Jokić looked back and shrugged.

Murray scored the first six points for the Nuggets in the fourth quarter with jump shots in front of drop coverage. The Lakers’ defense didn’t show much resistance in the last gap, but it is where the hosts recorded its lowest field goal percentage. Still, the Nuggets tallied 26 additional points on half of its attempts. But the squad was dull on defense.

Denver’s worst habit was over-helping and leaving shooters behind the 3-point line open. When Rui Hachimura caught the rock in the post, guarded by Murray, Christian Braun came down from the top while Brown was already the low man in position to help. The ball swung to Austin Reaves on the right wing for three points. The damage Hachimura had imposed so far off the bench had rattled Denver’s senses.

Then, Murray decided to double James up top, letting Reaves waltz over to the left side. James instantly recognized the breakdown, dished the ball, and Hillbilly Kobe cut LA’s deficit to three points.

With over two minutes left, Denver was up six points. Again, James initiated offense through a screen at the key, and foolishly Murray blitzed once more. This allowed Reaves to comfortably catch-and-fire from the wing and cut the Nuggets’ lead in half.

James went for the tie, hoisting away from the key, but missed. Jokić drove into the paint on the next possession but was fouled and took a trip to the line, making two. While the Lakers were on life support, Murray poked the ball free from James’ grasp and Denver recovered it.

The Nuggets won Game 1 132-126. Jokić finished with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 dimes. On the other side, Davis had 40 points and 10 boards.

At the postgame presser, coach Mike Malone said his team’s defense needs to improve.

“Our defense has to be a hell of a lot better,” Malone said. “They shot 66% in that second half, and they didn’t feel us and they scored too [easily]… I’d much rather clean things up after a win in the Western Conference Finals than a loss. I will take it but [there is] much work to do.”

When asked about Hachimura’s impact when the Lakers went big, Jokić said, “ I had a couple of turnovers and missed shots. It doesn’t surprise us, but I think we are going to figure it out…”

Thankfully, Jim Jackson and Ian Eagle were in charge of the last two broadcasts for the Knicks-Heat series. Not that Turner’s coverage is groundbreaking; the audience still has to suffer the psychobabble of Reggie Miller and the thoughtlessness of Stan Van Gundy. But it’s not ABC.

During Game 3’s halftime analysis, Jalen Rose went unchecked, saying the Miami weather was affecting the series, regardless of the game played in a sufficiently ventilated space. Following Miami’s Game 4 win, on ESPN’s “Get Up” show, Mike Greenberg doubled down on Rose’s dopiness and said, “There’s the reality of the temperature change. The heat, the geography, being down there for three days. It sorta zaps a little bit of your energy and your strength…”

I instantly turned my TV off and felt sorry for whoever stayed listening.

In Game 5, Max Strus led the Heat to a 24-10 advantage in the first quarter. Jimmy Butler was more concerned with setting up teammates after a steal, sparking transition, or getting rid of the ball when doubled.

Miami contained the Knicks to six out of 20 makes in the first frame. Julius Randle played every first quarter minute, but as he rested on the bench, the hosts went on runs without him.

The lead seesawed between New York and Miami early in period two. The hosts were operating so well without Randle that he wasn’t checked in until three minutes were left in the half.

While Randle was on the floor in the first interval, he sucked the air out of the ball. He registered one out of seven makes, with one assist to two turnovers, while on a 33.3% usage. The Knicks in the period totaled four dimes.

The Heat struggled to suppress the Knicks’ ball movement in the second quarter. All seven New York assists in quarter two came while Randle was on the bench. The Knicks also raced out to 10 fastbreak points

On the other side, Bam Adebayo hit four straight shots before the half. He dribbled into the lane for a hook over Isaiah Hartenstein, a layup past Mitchell Robinson, and two fastbreak slams. The second dunk was off a Butler miss. Hartenstein went up for the rebound, but Adebayo exploded behind him, grabbed it first and threw it into the cylinder.

At intermission, Miami’s best attack was scoring on second tries. The Heat was down 47-50, taking four more shots but recovering eight offensive boards that turned into 17 second-chance points to New York’s three. Adebayo and Butler each had 12 on their scorecard.

The third quarter was the worst defensive sequence for the visitors. The Knicks scored 34 points on 68.8% shooting from the field and 62.5% efficiency behind the arc. The Heat was caught overhelping on opposing drives and closing out too hard, which exposed areas of the perimeter.

The Heatles endured three scoreless minutes in the third quarter, missing six consecutive tries. The Knicks climbed to its largest series lead (19) midway through the frame.

To start the fourth quarter, the Heat was down 10.

Lowry converted two jumpers by getting M.Robinson and Hartenstein to bite on his fake before hoisting to the side. Duncan Robinson’s sharp shooting, plus Adebayo and Butler’s rim pressure brought Miami to within a possession of the lead with two minutes to go.

The Knicks countered with RJ Barrett driving left on Gabe Vincent. RJ was a step ahead of his man, but an adequate contest was managed. Although Butler left Hartenstein alone to help bother, but his man picked up the miss and went back up for a dunk.

With Miami down four, D. Robinson launched a top-of-the-key triple, but it missed. Butler then bumped into Barrett’s back and was called for a loose ball foul.

The Knicks won 112-103. It was the first match since Game 2 in Milwaukee that Butler had just 12 field goal attempts. In the Heat’s seven postseason wins, Butler averages 23 tries a night.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said nothing is easy in the Playoffs.

“We expected this to be tough,” Spo said. “They played well…They really dominated those first seven minutes of the third quarter. We fought back to get it to a possession game in the fourth quarter. I really felt like we needed to get it to at least a tie, or [within] one point, or take the lead. That could have changed things, but you have to give them credit. They made plays when they needed to, and they also earned that 18-19 point lead that they had in the third quarter.”

The series heads back to Miami for Game 6, and the Heat will not practice Thursday.

It’s a shame the basketball gods aren’t real to curse the Milwaukee Bucks with decades of misery.

Thursday, the op canned coach Mike Budenholzer. In his service, the group earned a 39-26 playoff record in five seasons, which included a championship. In that span, his outfit won 271 games in the regular season, third most in franchise history, and lost 120. He was let go while grieving the loss of his brother, who died in a tragic car accident.

Round one against the Heat ended on April 26. It was an unceremonious finale that will haunt the Bucks and its supporters for years. The squad had the top record of 30 teams, led by a man who resembles a demi-god more than a mortal on the court. But he only logged 38% of the minutes in the series. In contrast with Miami’s Jimmy Butler, who recorded 77.5% of the allowed time in round one.

The Bucks are now the sixth first seed in NBA lore to lose to the eighth spot. I suspect future generations won’t be kind to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bud when dusting off the history books and spewing an ill-informed take about something they never saw. Damn them, from now.

There are people today, scribes, TV personalities, fans and ex-leaguers, ripping the Bucks’ racks off—especially Giannis’s answer when asked if the season was a failure.

“Do you get the promotion every year at your job? So every year your work is a failure? Yes or no? No. Every year you work, you work towards a goal…”

It doesn’t seem like Milwaukee’s’ execs took what he said seriously. The Bucks only permitted Budenholzer eight days before telling him to clean his office. Never mind Giannis was hurt. Budenholzer lost family. When people suffer a loss like that, it takes a long time to recover and think clearly.

Firing him now was classless. Budenholzer treated the team like his blood by not taking off to be with his kin. It wasn’t enough for management. Perhaps they, too, are brainwashed by the toxic ring culture in the league, or a sacrifice was needed for the blame of losing in a historic fashion.

Good coaches don’t grow on trees. Budenholzer was adequate enough and achieved the peak of the profession with the team that hadn’t done it in 50 years. It’s revolting that significant accomplishments are easily forgotten in Milwaukee.

Fun fact: Budenholzer is the first NBA coach to get axed when the one seed loses to the eighth. George Karl (1994), Pat Riley (1999), Avery Johnson (2007), Gregg Popovich (2011) and Tom Thibodeau (2012) all kept their jobs.

In his five years as coach, Budenholzer’s team won the most regular season games of 30 groups at 271. Those 39 playoff wins as a coach are the second-most in Bucks history after Don Nelson. Following Budenholzer in regular season wins is Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets with 248 dubs.

I don’t expect Budenzholzer to stay on the market long, unless it’s by his choosing. Apart from coaching, he’s a well-rounded dude who can discuss politics, philosophy and economics with anyone.

Budenholzer deserved better from the Bucks. Hopefully, his next team will be more grateful.

Referee ineptitude, late mistakes, and Julius Randle’s return helped even the Knicks-Heat series at 1-1. While Miami was without Jimmy Butler, it still contended with New York until the last minute. As the hosts took a late lead in the fourth quarter, Carmelo Anthony and John Starks celebrated like they had the winning lottery numbers.

Caleb Martin had not started since Feb. 15. But he filled in for Butler as the group’s source of offense until Gabe Vincent almost set MSG ablaze in the second half. For as long as it could, the Heat made the game as muddy as the Delta Blues.

The Heat got started by putting Mitchell Robinson in foul trouble. He picked up two penalties in fewer than three minutes defending Bam Adebayo. Isaiah Hartenstein was summoned for the rest of the first quarter, significantly reducing the protection around the rim.

RJ Barrett and Randle fuelled New York’s barren attack in the first half, combining for 12 of the team’s 16 makes. In the second quarter, Miami flashed its 2-3 zone, and the hosts turned into mainly jump shooters, converting just 20% of deep tries. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau looked repulsed as his unit ignored shattering the coverage by attacking the middle.

Through 24 minutes, Martin had a dozen, Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo logged eight points apiece, and Max Strus and Duncan Robinson each had six.

The Knicks routinely blitzed ball handlers turning past screens. Vincent and Kyle Lowry dissected these doubles by locating the closest snipers on the perimeter.

In the second half, Brunson erupted for 23 points. He darted past defenders for layups, and splashed deep jumpers in front of switches or when left open. His first step also put defenders on his back hip as he gored the lane.

On the other side, Miami’s lead guard, Vincent, countered with 18 points in quarters three and four. He isolated Randle on the wing for a triple and went one-on-one with Barrett for a long baseline jumper. His next two baskets were top of the key trifectas in front of Quentin Grimes and Hartenstein. His last couple of buckets were layups blowing past Barrett and some ballet around Robinson.

In the fourth quarter, the refs blew multiple calls. On one with 5:29 left, Lowry was boxed out by Randle, waiting for a miss to trickle down, but he got flattened like a pancake and was called for the foul. With three minutes left, the Heat was called for a shot clock violation when Vincent recovered Martin’s miss. The ball kissed the rim as the buzzer horned, but Miami never got 14 seconds back. Coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game it was unchallengeable.

The Heat made two significant mistakes in the fourth quarter. Adebayo rammed through Hartenstein’s pindown for Brunson, resulting in a four-point play, and Hart was left open in the corner because of miscommunication.

In the middle of the last frame, New York went on a 14-6 run to take a three-point lead. It climbed to eight, the host’s largest of the night, and Miami had to play the free throw game with seconds left. A quick layup, an inbound turnover by Randle, and a D. Robinson right-side triple cut the deficit to three with 22 seconds remaining.

The Heat failed to get the steal on the following inbound and burned too many seconds before fouling Hart. The Knicks won 111-105.

At the postgame presser, Spo said, “I think we did everything we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win on the road. But you do have to credit New York. When it becomes those moments of truth, you have to make plays. We did make some plays, but they made more ball in the air, ball on the floor plays that really ended up deciding the game. Those offensive rebounds and extra possessions…”

With the series heading to Miami for Games 3 and 4, the Heat accomplished its objective by splitting the series on the road. Winning Tuesday would have put the Heatles in a commanding position, but the effort the group gave without Butler, the V-12 engine of the squad, is admirable. In his absence, the group still personified his identity.

The next match isn’t until Saturday, giving Butler three days of recovery in between. When he comes back, the Knicks are in danger.

There’s something different about the Heat. They don’t look like a team that had senioritis during the regular season or lost in the first play-in game. Giannis Antetokounmpo hurt his back 11 minutes into round one.  Then the White and Red’s confidence spiked higher than radiation levels in Chernobyl.

Dare I say it? It’s starting to feel like a bubble run.