Giannis Antetokounmpo's reputation questioned after Bucks' meltdown against Heat

Dan Bernstein

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Giannis Antetokounmpo's reputation questioned after Bucks' meltdown against Heat image

Giannis Antetokounmpo is staring down a second-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Heat after his Bucks were outscored 40-13 in the fourth quarter of a 115-100 loss on Friday night.

For a player in the running to win his second straight NBA MVP honor, such an exit would leave a stain on his otherwise sterling reputation. He shot 7 of 21 in Game 3 — including an 0-for-7 mark from deep — and watched Jimmy Butler put up more points than his entire team in the final period (17-13).

Antetokounmpo, so often the darling of social media for his style of play, received a hefty dose of criticism for his latest showing. There were also increasing murmurs about how long he'll stick around in Milwaukee.

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Antetokounmpo isn't the only one under fire because of the loss — coach Mike Budenholzer is taking blame for capping the minutes of his starters and not adapting to the brick-wall defense Miami is successfully deploying against his top weapon. Still, the star player always takes most of the blame, especially when he's the lead MVP candidate.

Here's a sampling of what people were saying about Antetokounmpo after Game 3:

Dan Bernstein