The Celtics couldn’t stop Jimmy Butler from maneuvering left. In the first quarter, he logged a dozen points, unbothered by his matchup, with two dimes, two rebounds and two steals.

In the first quarter, the Heat converted 52.4% of its attempts and half from deep. Yet, the visitor’s issue throughout the first half offensively was ball security. Three poor passes and an illegal pick resulted in four turnovers to Boston’s three.

The Celtics also picked up five offensive rebounds in the opening frame. This resulted in the hosts taking six more shots to start, but they only had a two-point lead to show for it.

Kyle Lowry kicked off the second quarter by attacking Robert Williams III in drop coverage. He logged every minute of the interval and made five straight buckets off the dribble or in a stationary position on the wing.

Without Lowry’s contributions before halftime, Miami would have been toast. He was the only Heatle to register more than one field goal in the second quarter while the defense reacted slowly to rim pressure. In a six-minute stretch, the Celtics went on a 25-10 run that included eight paint finishes without a miss.

Jayson Tatum repped the hosts with 18 points on 53.8% shooting with five rebounds in the first half. His partner Jaylen Brown had 11 coming from putbacks, transition attacks, two floaters and a cutting layup through the middle. Williams, too, was problematic for Miami, hitting five shots off putbacks and rim runs.

The Heat was down 57-66 at halftime. The White and Red made 53.7% of its tries, but the Green had taken five more shots from the field and six extra at the charity line.

In the third quarter, the Heat stormed back into the match, outscoring the Celtics 46-25. Five consecutive baskets by Max Strus, Kevin Love, Gabe Vincent and Adebayo ignited the group and cut its deficit to a point after being down 12 a minute into the frame.

Butler logged another dozen points, plus a steal. He took three trips to the line, making all five freebies, nailing buckets on the baseline and in the corner.

Strus led for the Heat with 13 on his scorecard for quarter three. Mad Max splashed two pull-up triples on the wings and one catch-and-release banger in the corner.

Miami entered the fourth quarter up 12 points, but the offense cooling down allowed Boston to get within four.

Tatum didn’t register a field goal attempt for the Celtics in the fourth, but he was fouled on three drives and scored six points at the line. Brown punctured the lane three times, taking advantage of Miami’s willingness to switch. Brown’s only misses late were behind the arc.

Yet the Heat had Butler. With over six minutes left, #22 stripped Brown and picked up two interceptions in the passing lanes, bringing his total to six takeaways. Shockingly, Al Horford tried a cross-court pass from corner to wing that Butler stole. Unsurprisingly, Tatum’s tunnel vision blinded him from seeing Butler camped out at the elbow as a spy, waiting for the dish to Brown.

In crunch time, Butler isolated White on the right wing and darted into the paint for a turnaround jumper. Next, he targeted Malcolm Brogdon on a switch and dribbled down to the baseline for a 13-footer. His last basket was a right-wing triple contested by Brogdon that briefly extended the Heat’s lead to 10 points with a minute left.

The Heat won Game 1 123-116.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said there wasn’t much said at halftime regarding the nine-point deficit.

“Our guys knew,” Spoelstra said. “Playing against a very good basketball team in the first half, we had 11 turnovers, and they had 40 in the paint. I can’t say that’s just all us. That’s what they are capable of doing if we are not really on top of our game… We’ve been in a lot of these situations where we have to battle back from deficits even on the road. So, we started to chip away at it and finally got the lead and were able to take control from there.”

When Butler was asked about taking away home-court advantage from the Celtics, he said, “We are just playing really good basketball. More than anything, we are staying together through the good and through the bad. It is a game of runs, and we can talk to one another. I think that’s what ultimately makes me smile is the fact that when things aren’t going our way, we can look at each other eye-to-eye and know when somebody is messing around. And we can fix it…”

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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.