Phoenix Suns 98-105 Milwaukee Bucks
After a half-century of wait, the Bucks are kings of the NBA once again.
Giannis Antetokounmpo completed one of the greatest NBA Finals ever with 50 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks to complete their rousing comeback after being down 0-2 against the Suns.
The Greek Freak also claimed his first-ever Finals MVP award for good measure, adding another silverware to his ever-growing trophy case.
Khris Middleton was the Bucks’ second leading scorer with 17 points while Bobby Portis gave them a much-needed spark off the bench with 16. Jrue Holiday nearly had a triple-double with 12 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds to go along with his stellar defencive effort.
Meanwhile, Chris Paul topscored for the Suns in the losing effort with 26 while Devin Booker added 19 but only shot 8-for-22 from the field after scoring 40 points in each of the last two games.
The Deer District in Milwaukee was in pandemonium with 65,000 fans celebrating as they were fervently shouting their rally cry “Bucks in 6!” while the confetti was raining down from the rafters.
More importantly, it was a crowning moment for the kid in Athens, Greece as he finally got the ring that he deserves.
Highlights of the game
The Bucks’ momentum from their three-game winning streak carried over to start Game 6 as they outscored the Suns 29-16 despite committing a couple of turnovers and missing a handful of shots early on.
The Suns, however, managed to regain the lead in the second quarter as Cameron Payne came off the bench and sparked a 10-0 run. Phoenix found their rhythm on the offencive end and they led halftime with a 47-42 score.
In the third quarter, Milwaukee started to show signs of life on the offencive end as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez relentlessly attacked the paint with Deandre Ayton in foul trouble.
Milwaukee went up by three points midway into the third. However, Phoenix did just enough to keep the game level at 77 points apiece heading into the final period.
As the fourth quarter got underway, the Bucks claimed an 84-82 lead courtesy of Bobby Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo but the Suns didn’t fold just yet.
When the Bucks held a 94-90 lead with under five minutes to go, Khris Middleton shook off his offencive struggles and knocked down a key midrange shot to extend the lead while PJ Tucker got a crucial stop when he stole the ball from Devin Booker.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s forays to the basket pushed their lead to 100-92, but the Suns cut the deficit to four points inside of two minutes.
With 1:14 left, Khris Middleton hit a big-time fadeaway from midrange to extend their lead to six and Milwaukee held on through a couple of defencive stops and by making their free throws.
With less than 30 seconds remaining, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 49 points and fans were clamoring for him to get to the charity stripe when the Suns resorted to fouling in order to stop the clock.
And when he was fouled with nine seconds to go, the Greek Freak went 1-for-2 from the free throw line to officially reach 50 markers as well as capturing their first title since 1971.
Key statistics
Not only did Giannis Antetokounmpo served NBA fans with a ton of NBA 2021 highlights, but he also achieved several milestones with his historic production.
The Greek Freak joined Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win MVP, Finals MVP, and Defencive Player of the Year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo also became the seventh player in NBA history to have 50 points in the Finals and he is the first player to have recorded a 50-10-5 playoff game since blocks were first tracked in the 1973/74 season.
The Bucks’ resiliency has become a recurring theme since they’re the second club in NBA history to erase multiple 2-0 series deficits in a single postseason run.
On the other hand, Chris Paul’s chase for that elusive ring continues. Unfortunately for him, he is on a 13-game losing streak in the postseason with Scott Foster as one of the referees.
What’s next?
With the 2020/2021 season now over, basketball fans now turn their focus to the Tokyo Olympics and the NBA Draft.
Tip-off of the Olympic Basketball games will start on July 25 while the NBA Draft will be on July 29 at the Barclays Center.
Check out our analysis of the upcoming draft class here at SBOTOP as we previewed the best young prospects available.
Cade Cunningham is the consensus top overall pick as per the NBA 2021 odds, and the Pistons are poised to select the Oklahoma State standout.
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