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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Today’s Bucks-Heat game saw the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo. It was his first 30-plus scoring game of the season, and it was a no-holds-barred drubbing for the Heat. For someone who is not subtle about expressing his feelings, Giannis came to the post-game press conference in an avatar that was symbolic of his performance.

While the Greek Freak is celebrating Halloween, we got to see Jimmy Butler’s emotional avatar on the first media interaction day. Was that a premonition of sorts for the Heat’s season? Or will Jimmy’s Heat surprise us one more time as the season develops?

Giannis is scary

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Giannis put on a show against the Heat and appeared in his Hulk costume for the press conference. Though he uttered “don’t be scared” in his raspy voice, the Eastern Conference should be apprehensive if the Bucks continue in this trajectory. But for now, it is only Halloween.

In today’s face-off, the Miami Heat were on a handicap right from the word go. They were missing their all-star center, Bam Adebayo, due to a hip injury. Even with him on the lineup, it would have been difficult to contain the Greek Freak as there were other monsters prowling on the arc. With so many toll-free lanes on offer, Giannis had an easy 33 to lead the Bucks to a dominant win. Damian Lillard, who had a tough game against the Atlanta Hawks, also had a wonderful outing, with 25 points.

There are some takeaways for the Heat as well. Tyler Herro, who had many sleepless nights because of being in the trade block again, showed the Heat organization that he is a bankable star too. He scored 35 points, while Jimmy only had 13 points in his 29 minutes on the court.

Khris Middleton, the deciding factor

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There was a night and day difference between the Atlanta Hawks game and today’s game. If we credit that on Khris Middleton, it wouldn’t be wrong at all. Though Khris only played for 17 minutes, he had 5 points to go along with 5 assists and 2 rebounds. There is something about his presence that brings the Bucks together. Giannis also plays with a lot more poise with him on the court.

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Milwaukee does not have to ride hard on Middleton, & still can be a top 3 team easily. Imagine the Bucks team, with fully healthy Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Giannis, along with Damian Lillard on the court in the playoffs. With so much length and shooting, which team other than the Nuggets has a chance against them? Now this is scary for the East, isn’t it?

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