Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t explicitly say that the Miami Heat won a Mickey Mouse conference title in 2020, but that seems to be what he thinks.
The Milwaukee Bucks star was interviewed this week by The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. In the interview, Antetokounmpo spoke on the 2020 Orlando bubble and dissed the Heat, who beat the Bucks in the second round that year.
“Year 7. Ended with Miami,” he said. “I don’t make excuses as an athlete, but it wasn’t a satisfying year for me because I felt like if it was a normal situation, it wouldn’t end up like that. But at the end of the day, I felt like Miami was built to be an NBA bubble team, you know?”
The Bucks lost to the Heat in five games during the bubble in what was a massive disappointment for Milwaukee. Miami then went on to win the East. The two teams met again during last year’s playoffs with the Bucks sweeping the Heat in the first round and eventually winning it all. This season, Miami is 28-16 while Milwaukee is not too far behind at 27-19.
Antetokounmpo can blame the bubble all he wants, but the Bucks were not championship material in 2020. They had a number of holes on their roster, which they were able to plug during the offseason. Milwaukee added players like Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, and PJ Tucker, all of whom ended up being massive contributors to their eventual 2021 title. They got their revenge on the Heat in the process, but Miami was hobbled by their extremely short offseason at the time.
This is not the first time the Heat have faced questions over the legitimacy of their Finals run, and they have offered a response to their doubters. Perhaps a rubber match against Milwaukee in this year’s playoffs would be the best way to settle the rivalry once and for all.
Photo: Oct 23, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) warms up before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
