The Milwaukee Bucks-Miami Heat first-round playoff series got off to an interesting start when the Heat upset the Heat in Game 1 to take a surprising 1-0 lead over the Bucks. Milwaukee picked up a win in Game 2 to even the series back out, but it was notable that two key players who got injured in Game 1 in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyler Herro were both off the floor. And if you ask Charles Barkley, that could be a death sentence for one of these teams.
Antetokounmpo is the star player in Milwaukee, so being without him for an extended period of time would seemingly be a huge loss for the Bucks. But according to Barkley, Miami being without Herro is a bigger loss than Antetokounmpo for Milwaukee in this series because the Bucks have proven they can without Giannis, while the Heat don't have a true isolation scorer on their roster aside from Herro.
“In this series, Milwaukee have a much bigger chance of beating Miami without Giannis [Antetokounmpo], than Miami beating them without [Tyler] Herro.”
Agree with Charles Barkley on the injuries in the Bucks-Heat playoff matchup? 🤔pic.twitter.com/qcQEHQzo3N
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 20, 2023
Antetokounmpo missed 19 games in the regular season for Milwaukee, with the Bucks going 11-8 during that stretch. On the other hand, Herro missed 15 games for Miami, and the Heat went 7-8 in those games. The Heat were able to squeak out a win in Game 1 of this series, but even without Giannis in Game 2, the Heat didn't stand much of a chance against the Bucks.
It's strange to think that Antetokounmpo's absence could be the second most important absence in this series, but you can't really argue with what Barkley is saying. Without Herro, the Heat only have Jimmy Butler as a true isolation scorer, and opposing defenses can key in on him more with Herro on the sidelines. Miami's task was already tough, but with Herro out, and Antetokounmpo's return seemingly right around the corner, it may be too much for the Heat to overcome.
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