Chapter 385: Never Wake a Sleeping Tiger.
Unlike the Cavaliers, who breezed through the first round, the Philadelphia 76ers barely survived. It took them six grueling games to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks.
The turning point? A tense Game 5 showdown in Milwaukee, where the Sixers edged out a 120-115 victory.
Joel Embiid dominated with 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists. But Giannis Antetokounmpo answered right back, dropping 37 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
The chess match between both teams was fascinating.
Brook Lopez, who had developed a reliable three-point shot since his time with the Magic, was now attempting 6.3 threes per game at a respectable 36.5% clip. That forced Philadelphia to guard him with Embiid, pulling their defensive anchor away from the rim.
With Lopez stretching the floor, the paint was wide open for Giannis to attack. And once he got downhill? Nearly unstoppable.
On the other end, Dario Šarić pulled Giannis out of the paint, allowing Embiid to dominate Lopez in the post.
Milwaukee adjusted by sending Eric Bledsoe to help off Ben Simmons—daring the Sixers' point guard to shoot.
But instead of forcing jumpers, Simmons exploited the defense with perfectly timed cuts, catching feeds from Embiid for easy dunks.
Both teams played to their strengths, neither able to fully stop the other.
The deciding factor? Jimmy Butler.