Back in 1971, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship in franchise history. For a half-century, it was the only championship they ever won.
Until now.
For the last few years, the Bucks were a team that had championship aspirations with them. They came up short every time during the Giannis Antetokounmpo era. They had back-to-back years of first round exits in 2017 and 2018, where they lost in 6 and 7 games to the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, respectively. Then came a change in head coach from Jason Kidd to Mike Budenholzer. They made the conference finals as the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference in consecutive years. However, things didn't go as planned, as in 2019, they fell in 6 to the Kawhi Leonard-led Raptors, and in 2020, they lost their touch and the pressure of being the top-seeded team caught up with them as fell in 5 in the second round in a stunning upset to the Miami Heat.
It was at that point where GM Jon Horst and the Bucks' front office realized that changes need to be made. They were at risk of losing Giannis in the offseason, whether it be by trade or by free agency. Trade rumors circulated that he would go to the Raptors or the Golden State Warriors.
Horst had a busy offseason, upgrading the roster by taking part in a four-team trade that had the Bucks sending away Eric Bledsoe and George Hill while hauling in highly-respected defensive ace Jrue Holiday. That appeased Giannis and he stayed in Milwaukee, signing an extension. Other additions that Horst made to the team were bringing in Bobby Portis, Bryn Forbes, and PJ Tucker.
Although they ended up as the 3rd seed in the East, they looked like a team that can compete for the Finals. They had the pieces now. This was no easy championship win, as this Bucks team was basically built from scratch where they built around a star player, similar to the 2011 Dallas Mavericks and the 2015 Golden State Warriors.
On the way to the championship, they gone through challenges. Lots of them. But they kept pushing. They never quit.
First Round: vs. Miami Heat
The first opponent was the Heat, the very same team that beat them in the second round in five games last season in the Orlando bubble. While a few were expecting another upset by the Heat, the Bucks were more than ready for the Heat this time around.
In fact, it wasn't even close. It was total annihilation. Four straight games, four straight wins.
Game 1: Bucks 109, Heat 107 (OT) [1-0 Bucks]
Neither team was that great offensive, with the Bucks making 43.8% of their shots and the Heat making 36.4%, with the Bucks converting on 16.1% of their threes. Although Jimmy Butler forced overtime, Khris Middleton made sure that the 16.1% three-point shot rate did not matter with his game-winner to cap off his 27 point-night.
The Bucks also outscored the Heat 56-24 in the paint and outrebounded them 64-51.
Game 2: Bucks 132, Heat 98 [2-0 Bucks]
A 46-point 1st quarter for the Bucks paved the way to a 78-51 lead at halftime, and later, a blowout victory. Those 78 points was the highest 1st half point total in franchise playoff history.
The Bucks rebounded with 22 threes, the highest ever in a playoff game. 15 of those 22 threes came in the 1st half, and six of those 22 threes were from Forbes, whose addition wasn't that eye-catching up until this point.
Holiday's 15 assists tied a franchise playoff record for most assists in a playoff game with Robertson and Paul Pressey.
Game 3: Bucks 113, Heat 84 [3-0 Bucks]
By this point, the Bucks made the Heat look like an easy opponent to take down in comparison to last season.
Middleton dropped 22, and Holiday (19 pts, 12 ast) and Giannis (17 pts, 17 rebs) had double-doubles.
This game was also the 3rd game this season where the Heat lost by at least 29 points. Coincidentally, all were against the Bucks, who had leads of 51 and 36 against the Heat previously. This time around, the largest lead was by 32.
The Bucks also outrebounded the Heat 56-41, held the Heat to 38% shooting, and became the first team to defeat the Heat by at least 29 points twice in a playoff series.
The Heat were limited to just 8 points in the first 9 minutes of the game, the fewest they managed in a game-opening span since last August. That led them to scoring just 36 points in the first half, the fewest points allowed by the Bucks in the first half in over 3 seasons.
Game 4: Bucks 120, Heat 103 [4-0 Bucks]
Donte DiVincenzo's season-ending injury hardly impacted the Bucks at all, as the final game of this series showed that it was a complete mismatch in comparison to last season.
Six Bucks players finished with double digits in points: Giannis (triple double of 20 pts, 12 rebs, 15 ast), Middleton (20 pts), Holiday (11 pts), Brook Lopez (25 pts), Forbes (22 pts), and Portis (13 pts).
The Bucks outscored the Heat by 24 in the 2nd half on the way to their 5th sweep in a best of 7 series in franchise history, and their 2nd in three seasons. The 3rd quarter for the Heat was horrendous, as they made 8 of 24 buckets.
The 2020-21 Heat became the first team since the 2004-05 New Jersey Nets to sweep an opponent in the first round and then get swept in the first round the year after.
This series also marked the first time that a team with Andre Iguodala got swept, and the 3rd consecutive season where a team coming off an NBA Finals loss didn't win a playoff game (in fact, the 2019 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2020 Golden State Warriors missed the playoffs). This was also the first time since 2014 where Butler didn't have a 20-point game in a playoff series.
Second Round: vs. Brooklyn Nets
The next matchup? The Brooklyn Nets, who were highly favored to win it all with the core of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. A battle between the two highest-scoring teams in the regular season meet in the playoffs.
Game 1: Nets 115, Bucks 107 [1-0 Nets]
Just 43 seconds into the series, Harden left with a right hamstring injury, but KD (29 pts, 10 rebs) and Kyrie (25 pts, 8 ast) made sure it wasn't that damaging. They also got help from Joe Harris (19 pts) and Blake Griffin (18 pts, 14 rebs).
The Nets were not known for defense, but they had 7 steals and 6 blocks while holding the Bucks to 13 points below their NBA leading average.
Giannis (34 pts, 11 rebs) and Lopez (19 pts) did the most for the Bucks, but it was not enough as Middleton (13 pts, 13 rebs) and Holiday (17 pts, 9 rebs) were inefficient this game, with Middleton going 6 of 23 and missing all 5 of his threes, and Holiday going 7 of 19, making just 2 of his 7 threes. Overall, the Bucks made just 6 of 30 threes.
This game was basically being played at a fast pace between the two teams, where after one team makes a bucket, all of a sudden, you find the other team attacking on the other side. That pace favored the Nets in this game.
Game 2: Nets 125, Bucks 86 [2-0 Nets]
This is definitely an off game for the Bucks, as KD's 32 points helped the Nets in the blowout victory, with Kyrie adding 22 and Bruce Brown, who filled in for Harden, with 13 points and 6 rebounds. This is KD's 6th game these playoffs with at least 25 points.
The Nets torched the Bucks defense by leading by as much as 49, shooting 52%, and converted 21 of 42 threes, while holding them to just 14 assists and to making just 8 of 27 threes, and held them to 34 points below their season average.
The Bucks' big three of Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday had 18, 17, and 13 points, with Giannis adding 11 boards, while Middleton missed his first 8 shots.
Game 3: Bucks 86, Nets 83 [2-1 Nets]
It's a throwback to the 1990s as Game 3 became a defensive slugfest.
The Bucks started the game leading 30-11 in the 1st quarter and led by as much as 21, but the Nets fought back and outscored them 31-15 in the 2nd quarter, reducing the Bucks' lead to 45-42.
Neither team led by more than 5 points in the 2nd half. Nets HC Steve Nash remarked that one of the two teams was going to win ugly here.
It was the Bucks.
Despite 6 of 31 for three in this game, they did just enough to preserve the W.
Down 83-82 with Brown missing a jump shot with 20 seconds left, the Nets expected the Bucks to call timeout. Surprise! They immediately get to work, feeding the ball to Holiday, who drove to the basket for the game-winning layup. Middleton sealed the deal with a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds left after Brown missed his own layup with 6 seconds left.
The Bucks survived a 30-point night from KD, who had the Nets' final 9 points of the game, but had his game-tying three rim out as time expired.
Giannis (35 pts on 12 of 25 shooting, 15 rebs) and Middleton (33 pts, 14 rebs) had 79% of the Bucks' scoring output in this game. Jeez... talk about putting the team on your back! Holiday may have had only 9 points on 4 of 14 shooting, but his game-winning layup came at the best possible time.
Game 4: Bucks 107, Nets 96 [2-2 Tie]
It's at this point where a 2nd round series that initially looked like a seemingly easy win for the Nets became up for grabs.
After the Nets scored 13 straight points to go up 34-23, the Bucks went on a 21-4 run, including a 12-0 string that involved a four-point play from Middleton, two corner threes from Tucker, and a Giannis dunk.
KD was the only Nets player with at least 25 points, where he finished with 28, but on 9 of 25 shooting, with none of those points in the 4th quarter, where he airballed twice, and was 1 of 8 from behind the arc, and was mostly held in check when guarded by Tucker, who played physical and tough defense. He did have 13 rebounds, however, but it wasn't enough.
The Nets' other concern by this point was the health of their superstar trio. Kyrie sprained his right ankle after landing on Giannis's foot and was ruled out for the series. Plus, Harden has not played since the opening minute of Game 1. This puts even more pressure on KC, as the only other Net who scored in double figures was Kyrie (11 pts).
Giannis led the way with 34 points and 12 rebounds, helped by Middleton (19 pts, 8 ast), Holiday (14 pts, 9 ast), Tucker (13 pts, previously had 9 combined points in the previous three games), and Forbes (10 pts). After shooting 20 of 88 from three in the first 3 games of this series, the Bucks shot 16 of 47 in Game 4.
Game 5: Nets 114, Bucks 108 [3-2 Nets]
KD is a top 25 player of all time. He is also the greatest pure scorer of his generation. This game is further proof of that.
The Nets needed more of him, and he delivered with a 49-point triple-double where he also racked up 17 rebounds and 10 assists while playing every second of the game, becoming the first player to record at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in a playoff game.
This is a historic performance from him, and it's impressive given that Kyrie was out and harden played while battling injury, and that KD shot 16 of 23, with 20 points in the 4th quarter.
The Bucks went up by 17 as the Nets went 4 of 20 in the 1st quarter (including 2 of 13 from three). Middleton made a three-point play to end off the quarter on the way to a 59-43 halftime lead.
But then KD got hot and the fire was not put out, making all four shots and scoring 11 points in the final 6:18 in the 3rd. To cap it off, he hit a three with 50 seconds left in regulation and the Nets held on.
Giannis, meanwhile, had his 3rd straight 30/10 game (34 pts, 12 rebs), Middleton added 25 points, Holiday put up 19, and Lopez had 15. It wasn't enough, unfortunately, despite all the momentum they had after two wins at Fiserv Forum.
For the Nets, in addition to KD's 49, Jeff Green had 27 and Blake Griffin added 17. Harden, who was initially listed as doubtful, and then questionable, and then was cleared to play after testing his hamstring, had 5 on 1 of 10 shooting. He didn't look like himself, and it was clear he was not at 100%. KD made sure it was no biggie.
SHEESH! What an all-time performance!
Game 6: Bucks 104, Nets 89 [3-3 Tie]
Facing elimination, Giannis and Middleton refused to fold under pressure.
Giannis (30 pts, 17 rebs) had his 10th straight double-double and his 4th straight 30/10 game, while Middleton added a playoff career-high of 38 points on 11 of 16 shooting and 11 of 12 free throws, plus 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. Holiday, despite his 8 of 21 shooting, had 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.
KD (32 pts, 11 rebs) looked as if he was about to lead the Nets to another comeback, cutting a 14-point deficit to just 5 points after scoring 10 straight, sparking a 10-0 run early in the 4th. Middleton responded by scoring the last 6 points of the 3rd.
The Bucks led by as much as 15 before the Nets tried to come back, with Harris's trey cutting the deficit to 82-77 with 8:41 left in the 4th. Middleton answered again, drawing a foul on Harris while shooting a three, sparking a 14-0 run that included 7 points from Giannis, including converting an offensive rebound into a dunk with 6:24 left.
That dunk sealed the deal on any questions on if they will meet in a Game 7.
The Nets used their 41st different starting lineup this season, and their 4th different starting lineup of the playoffs: Griffin, Green, KD, Harris, and Harden.
With KD's 32 points, he became just the 2nd player to score at least 30 points against the Bucks seven times in a season, after Michael Jordan in 1990.
Middleton shot 5 of 8 from three, while his teammates were a combined 2 of 25.
With the win, the Bucks finished 5-0 at home this season against the Nets.
Game 7: Bucks 115, Nets 111 (OT) [4-3 Bucks]
My oh my. This is a game for the ages.
In a series where the teams often didn't have this good quality of play, the first Game 7 to go to overtime since the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 119-111 in Game 7 of the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals after almost blowing a 3-1 series lead ended in an all-time classic.
Although the Nets would typically struggle with slow starts in Game 7s, this start for them was a good one, with KD's 10 points in the 1st quarter to get them to a 28-25 lead that turned into a 51-41 lead with 1:59 left in the half, on the way to a 53-47 halftime lead. Middleton and Holiday went a combined 2 of 11 in that half, even missing all six threes. It seemed as if the shooting struggles for the Bucks came back. Some misfires included a Giannis airball on a free throw and Lopez and Holiday each hitting the side of the backboard.
And then... here come the Bucks.
They came out of halftime on a 7-0 run to open of the 2nd half. This is when the game went back and forth, with a 79-74 Nets lead with under 2 minutes in the 3rd turned into an 82-81 Bucks lead entering the 4th.
It went down the wire, with the Bucks leading 109-107 before Middleton missed a three, and despite getting a rebound, they committed a shot clock violation, giving the ball to the Nets, who had a chance to win the game.
They indeed won with KD's turnaround jumper... for a moment.
It was ruled that his foot was on the line, mere inches from being a three!
So, instead of it being 110-109 Nets, it is now tied at 109. The Bucks had a chance to end it in regulation, but Giannis's own turnaround shot missed, and so, to overtime we go.
Brown scored on a follow shot to put the Nets up 111-109 just 22 seconds into the extra frame. The score would remain that way for 3:26 of game time.
With 1:12 left, Giannis made a hook shot to tie it up at 111. Lopez blocked KD's shot on the other end before Middleton broke the final tie of this series.
After a timeout, KD tried to win it with a three, but Holiday was there to lock him down in the clutch, forcing KD to shoot an airball.
After Lopez's pair of free throws, it was over. The Bucks withstood KD's 48 points on 17 of 36 shooting (his 3rd 40-point game of these playoffs; beforehand, the Nets ) to advance to the Conference Finals for the 2nd time in three years.
Giannis (40 pts, 13 rebs) had his 5th straight 30/10 game, tying the franchise record set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1974, and had his 11th straight double-double. Middleton added 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals, Holiday had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, Tucker had 11 points, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, and Lopez had 19 points and 4 blocks.
This marks the 3rd time in NBA history where the road team won a Game 7 in overtime, after the Mavs did so against the Spurs in 2006 and the Los Angeles Lakers did that against the Sacramento Kings in 2002. For the Bucks, this was their first road Game 7 win in franchise history, having gone 0-7 previously.
KD fell to 3-2 in Game 7s, although his points per game rose from 33.3 to 36.2, the highest of any NBA player, besting LeBron James (34.9 PPG in 8 games) and MJ (33.7 PPG in 3 games), whom he trailed entering this game.
2021 NBA Game of the Year, anyone? Because this gets my vote for it.
East Final: vs. Atlanta Hawks
The Bucks' third opponent... the Atlanta Hawks? Who would've thought back when they were 14-20 in the Eastern Conference at one point of the season that they would go on to make the Conference Finals? And by taking down the Knicks and the 76ers in the first two rounds as well? Replacing Lloyd Pierce with Nate McMillan really paid dividends.
Game 1: Hawks 116, Bucks 113 [1-0 Hawks]
Trae Young continued to show that he is an All-Star, and it was evidenced by his 48-point outing in this game that included 11 assists, therefore becoming the first player to have at least 45 points and 10 assists in a Conference Finals Game. John Collins (23 pts, 15 rebs) and Clint Capela (12 pts, 19 rebs) contributed big time as well.
Giannis (34 pts, 12 rebs, 9 ast) had the first six points of the game as part of a 9-0 run that turned into a 98-96 deficit and later a 105-98 lead with 4:18 left before the Hawks scored the next five points on the way to the win.
Middleton missed a pull-up jumper with 43 seconds left with the Bucks leading 111-110. While Young missed his own shot, Capela got his 19th rebound and made the put-back that got the Hawks in front. After Pat Connaughton airballed a three, Young made two free throws with 17.3 seconds left. Giannis made his own pair of free throws with 5.3 left, but Young closed it off with two more free throws of his own with 4.6 left on the way to handing the Bucks their first (and only) home loss of the 2021 Playoffs.
This game marked Giannis's 12th straight double-double and his 6th straight 30/10 game, while Holiday had 33 points and 10 assists. Middleton didn't have that same spark, as he had 15 points on 6 of 23 shooting and missing all 9 threes.
Game 2: Bucks 125, Hawks 91 [1-1 Tie]
The key to getting past the Hawks is to hold Young in check. The Bucks did that this game, limiting him to 15 points on 6 of 16 shooting, 1 of 8 on threes, and forced him to commit 9 turnovers.
The Bucks never trailed, scoring 43 points in the 2nd quarter alone, including 20 straight, and let by as much as 41 during the 2nd half.
Both teams rested their starters for the 4th quarter, thus bringing Giannis's double-double streak to an end. What a run, though. The last player to have six straight 30/10 playoff games was Shaquille O'Neal in 2002.
Giannis still finished with 25 points and 9 rebounds, though, while Holiday added 22 points and 7 assists, Lopez with 16 points and 3 steals, Middleton with 15 points and 8 assists, and Tucker, despite only having one point, with 3 steals.
The Bucks made 52.1% of their shots, the first time in the entire 2021 Playoffs they shot over 50%.
Young, Collins (11 pts), Danilo Gallinari (12 pts), and Cam Reddish (11 pts in his first game back from an Achilles injury since February 21st) were the only Hawks to score in double figures. Even so, they weren't that flashy.
For the Bucks, this win improves them to 12-3 at Fiserv Forum all-time in the playoffs.
Game 3: Bucks 113, Hawks 102 [2-1 Bucks]
After the blowout in Game 2, the series shifted to State Farm Arena, where the Hawks were eager to get a better start.
They did get that better start and opened by way of turnovers from Middleton and Giannis that led to dunks by Capela and a three from Kevin Huerter to make it 7-0. The Hawks led by 13 at one point, holding Giannis to just 5 points in the 1st quarter.
However, Giannis regained his scoring touch in the 2nd, scoring 11 of his 33 points in that quarter as the Bucks evened the score at 56 by halftime after a Connaughton three with 12 seconds left in the half.
The Bucks finally got their first lead of the game, 82-80, on a Portis (15 pts) bucket, but the Hawks responded with a Gallinari three to get an 85-83 lead at the end of the 3rd.
And then Middleton took over the game, scoring 20 of his playoff career high-tying 38 points in the 4th, with 11 in the clutch, outscoring the Hawks by himself 20-17. The Hawks led 95-88 before Middleton made his first of three treys during a 15-3 run. He and Giannis added 11 rebounds each, with Middleton getting 7 assists, while Holiday had 12 assists.
Young had 35 points, but was slowed down in the 4th after stepping on an official's foot, twisting his right ankle.
Game 4: Hawks 110, Bucks 88 [2-2 Tie]
With young sidelined with a right ankle injury, it seemed that their Cinderella story would soon come to an end. Young was declared out 45 minutes before tipoff, having suffered a bone bruise in the twisted right ankle.
Giannis had a dismal 1st half, with only 6 points and a pair of airballs from the free throw line, leading to a 51-38 Hawks lead at halftime, the lowest-scoring half of the playoffs for the Bucks. He rebounded with 8 points in the first 4:30 of the 3rd quarter, including a step back jumper that cut the Bucks' lead to 62-54.
However, in what Thanos could describe as "A soul for a soul," Giannis also got injured, as he hyperextended his left knee.
When Lou Williams worked with a pick-and-roll with Capela, Giannis tried to contest the dunk, but landed awkwardly and had to be helped to the locker room. He returned to the bench, but didn't make it back to the court.
After Giannis's injury, the Hawks outscored the Bucks 25-8 to take an 87-62 stranglehold. Their 25-point lead at the end of the 3rd was their largest lead of the game.
The Hawks showed that they are not a one-man team.
Williams, long one of the best bench players in the NBA, filled in nicely starting in place of Young, with 21 points and 8 assists, with Bogdan Bogdanovic adding 20 points and 4 steals.
The Bucks made only 14 of 41, including 5 of 23 behind the arc, and 15 turnovers. Middleton and Holiday were each 6 of 17, with Middleton recording 16 points and missing all 7 of his threes, and Holiday putting up 19 points and 9 of the Bucks' 19 assists.
Game 5: Bucks 123, Hawks 112 [3-2 Bucks]
Now it's the Bucks' turn to show that they can get it done without their best player.
They indeed got it done.
Four of the Bucks' starters broke the 20-point plateau: Portis (22 pts, 3 stl), who started in place of Giannis, Holiday (25 pts, 13 ast), Middleton (26 pts, 13 rebs, 8 ast), who rebounded from a down Game 4, and Brook Lopez (33 pts, 4 blks), who set a new playoff career-high in points.
Only one player on the Hawks had at least 20 points: Bogdanovic (28 pts). The only others with double figures were Collins (19 pts), Gallinari (19 pts), and Williams (17 pts).
Bucks fans were chanting "Bobby! Bobby!" on multiple occasions in support of Portis, a trend that started during Game 2 of the Bucks' blowout over the Hawks.
The Bucks never trailed this game and led by as much as 20 points in the 1st quarter, making most of their shots and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities, eventually leading 36-22 by the end of the 1st quarter, where they outscored the Hawks 28-8 in the paint. The Hawks didn't get their first defensive rebound of the game until 8 minutes in, when Reddish did exactly that.
This game marked the 3rd time in 4 games this series where there were no lead changes.
The Bucks made their first two threes but missed their next 12, going on to finish 9 of 29 from beyond the arc. Portis, Holiday, Middleton, and Lopez made sure it was no biggie.
Game 6: Bucks 118, Hawks 107 [4-2 Bucks]
The Bucks didn't even need Giannis to lock up their spot to advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974 (47 years!).
Middleton and co. had his back, with Middleton putting up 32 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals, and Holiday racking up 27 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.
Although Young returned to the Hawks' lineup, he only got 14 points on 4 of 17 shooting, with 6 of those points coming on free throws.
Neither team looked like they were going to win the first half. The Hawks were 15 of 49 (30.6%), including 4 of 16 for three, with 9 turnovers, while the Bucks were a little better but not by much: 17 of 44 (38.6%) and 5 of 19 from the arc. They also had 10 turnovers, split evenly by Middleton and Holiday.
Fittingly, with all these misses, the half ended with Capela missing under the basket off a lob pass from Bogdanovic, as the Bucks led 47-43 at halftime.
The Hawks had a chance for their first lead of the game when Young made a behind-the-back pass to Huerter, who had an open look for a three. The shot rimmed out, and then Middleton scored the Bucks' next 13 points to give them a 60-45 edge in the 3rd. Young broke up the one-man show with a driving bucket, but Middleton's three gave him 16 straight Bucks points. He finished with 23 points, almost outscoring the Hawks by himself, as Atlanta scored a combined 29 points in the 3rd.
The Hawks cut a 22-point deficit down to 6 in the closing minutes, but it ended in the 4th time in the span of 5 games where there were no lead changes, the 3rd of such which that had the Bucks leading from start to finish.
The Hawks focused on doing better in the lane, holding Lopez to 13 points and Portis to 12 (although he had 9 rebounds). Connaughton had 13 points and Jeff Teague, who played under Mike Budenholzer for the Hawks in 2015, had 11 points in 12 minutes off the bench.
2021 NBA Finals: vs. Phoenix Suns
With the Bucks in the Finals now, they were set to do battle against the Phoenix Suns, a team that was not expected to be in the Finals at the start of the season, yet had aspirations to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010. The stellar play of Devin Booker and the addition of Chris Paul elevated the Suns big-time, along with Coach of the Year Runner-Up Monty Williams, going from 19-63 in 2019 to an 8-0 record in the bubble in 2020 to a Finals appearance in 2021. Interestingly, both teams got into the league in 1968, with the Bucks winning a coin toss on the 1st overall pick, who they used to select Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In their first playoff matchup since 1978, this should be an interesting Finals, as either one of these two teams were guaranteed their first championship in at least 50 years. Time for some chaos, chaos!
Game 1: Suns 118, Bucks 105 [1-0 Suns]
CP3 waited 16 years to get to the NBA Finals, leading a team hungry to win its first title. In his NBA Finals debut, he put up 32 points and 9 assists, with 16 of those points coming in the 3rd quarter.
It was well worth the wait.
Booker added 27 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals, while Deandre Ayton, who came into the Finals making 70.6% of his shots, became the first player to have a 15/15 game in his NBA Finals debut since Tim Duncan in 1999, with 22 points and 19 rebounds.
There were so many NBA Finals debuts by a lot of players in this game, with Jae Crowder of the Suns being the only player from either team with prior Finals experience, starting in 6 games in last year's Finals with the Miami Heat.
On the first possession of this game, the Bucks threw a lob to Giannis, in his first game back from a hyperextended knee, a play similar to the one he was defending when he had that injury in Game 4 of the ECF. He attacked the basket like he did, with 20 points and 17 rebounds, his 12th such 20/10 game these playoffs.
In the 3rd quarter, CP3's opening jumper got the Suns their first double-digit lead of the game, followed by a four-point play on their next basket, then later, scoring 8 straight Suns points, with a three, dancing around Portis for a layup, and then another three. The lead extended to 88-68 with 2:20 left when he found Ayton, who drew the foul and made both free throws.
The Bucks cut it to 7 midway in the 4th before CP3 got the Suns' lead within a safe margin. He connected with Booker for a trey, stole the ball from Middleton (29 pts), and then hit a jumper to increase the lead to 106-94.
Although the Bucks lost, their biggest highlight was Giannis's chase-down block on a layup attempt by Mikal Bridges that looked very similar to "The Block" by LeBron on Andre Iguodala in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
The Suns made 25 of 26 free throws compared to the Bucks' 9 of 16, and went without a missed free throw until Crowder missed with 24.8 seconds left.
Game 2: Suns 118, Bucks 108 [2-0 Suns]
The game started with the Bucks outscoring the Suns 20-0 in the paint in the 1st quarter, but 8 of the Suns' 9 buckets came on threes, so the Bucks fell behind 29-26. Only two fouls were called—both on the Suns.
The game was tied at 41 with less than 5 minutes left in the 1st half before the Suns stomped their way on a 15-4 run with precision offense and lockdown defense, with the only Bucks points coming from Giannis, who tried to fire up his teammates with some screaming during a timeout, to no avail. The Bucks were 6 of 25 in the half and made just 2 of their 12 threes.
The end of the half culminated in the highlight of the game: The Suns' 10-pass play.
The Suns threw the ball all around the perimeter for the final bucket, from CP3 to Crowder to Bridges back to Crowder to CP3, then back over to Crowder and then Bridges, who finally fed it to the inside to Ayton, who put it in and drew the foul with 14.9 seconds left for a 56-45 lead at halftime.
The Suns opened a 65-50 lead with a nice start in the 3rd, but Giannis kept the game from slipping out of reach for the Bucks, scoring 20 of his 42 points in the 3rd, the first 20-point quarter in the Finals since MJ in 1993. Coincidentally, MJ also had his 20-point quarter against the Suns. Giannis joins MJ, Isiah Thomas, and Joe Dumars as the only players in NBA history to score 20 points in a Finals quarter. In addition, Giannis added 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, making it his 13th 20/10 game of these playoffs, and his 10th 30/10 playoff game, tying Abdul-Jabbar in 1974 for the most by a Bucks player in a playoff run.
It wasn't enough as Middleton finished with 11 points on 5 of 16, and Holiday, although he played a little more aggressive than in the previous game, with 17 points, but shot 7 of 21.
That had Giannis carrying the load even more on his bad left leg. His 15 field goals were more than twice than any other Bucks player. They got it to 6 in the 4th, but CP3 hit a three, followed by a Bridges bucket to get the lead back to double digits and secure the W.
Booker made seven threes, finishing with 31 points, and the Suns were 20 of 40 from beyond the arc. Bridges had 27 points, and CP3 had 23 points and 8 assists.
Game 3: Bucks 120, Suns 100 [2-1 Suns]
When Giannis hyperextended his left knee, the worst-case scenario for the Bucks was that he would miss the rest of the season. He himself even feared that he could miss an entire season, too!
But he refused to stay down, and, along with him, the Bucks refused to wave the white flag.
In the first Finals game in Milwaukee since 1974, he put up 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists, his 11th 30/10 playoff game, passing Kareem for most 30/10 playoff games in a single playoff run in franchise history, and becoming the second player to have consecutive 40/10 Finals games since Shaq in 2000, and entering an exclusive list of players to have consecutive 40-point outings in consecutive Finals games, joining Jerry West, Rick Barry, MJ, Shaq, and LeBron James.
All 14 of his field goals were within 5 feet of the basket, and he also was an improved 13 of 17 on free throws, as the Bucks chanted "MVP! MVP!", compared to fans on the road using a sped-up free throw timer count, being ridiculed for his free throw routine.
Holiday bounced back from two bad outings with 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting, making 5 of 10 threes, to go with 9 assists. Middleton added 18. The Bucks also held CP3 (19 pts, 9 ast) and Booker (10 pts, 3 of 14) in check. Ayton and Crowder had 18 each.
Fans broke out the "Bucks in 6! Bucks in 6!" chants as the Bucks pulled away in the first half and then as the benches emptied in the final minutes.
They didn't cheer as much as they wanted to in the opening frame after a strong start from the Suns behind Ayton's 12 points, but Ayton was slowed down by foul trouble, and this is when the Bucks were rolling.
Giannis had 7 straight points to finish a 9-0 run in the 2nd quarter to give the Bucks a 6-point lead, and, after the Suns cut the deficit to 2, took off once again with a 16-3 run. Portis had the last two baskets of the half, finishing off a fast break with a dunk in one of them, and it was 60-45 Bucks at halftime.
They led by 13 with under 8 minutes left in the 3rd before Cam Johnson took a pass at midcourt with an open path to the hoop. Tucker tried to stop Johnson, but it was too late, as Johnson SLAMMED it home and drew the foul. JEEZ, what a dunk!
That dunk sparked the Suns to go on a 14-5 run to cut the deficit to 74-70, but as fast as the Suns seemed to be back in the game, they were also quickly out of it.
Within the next minute, Holiday made two threes that pushed a 9-point lead into a 22-point rout, 98-76.
The Bucks brought back Bully Ball to take out the smaller Suns, leading to a 20-2 advantage in second chance points.
On the way to the win, the Bucks limited the Suns to just 9 threes, and outscored them 54-40 in the paint.
Game 4: Bucks 109, Suns 103 [2-2 Tie]
No matter how poorly he starts, Middleton has the confidence that he can turn things around.
His 40 points, including 10 straight down the stretch, was one factor that turned the tide of this series.
With him and Giannis scoring 40 in a game in this year's Finals, they join Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson from the 1980 Lakers and LeBron and Kyrie in the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers as the only pairs of teammates to score 40 or more points in games in the same Finals series.
Booker had 42 for the Suns, but foul trouble cost them a chance to grab the lead in the 2nd half and a 3-1 series lead. CP3 also had his troubles too, with just 10 points, 5 turnovers, and 5 of 13 shooting.
Before Middleton had his night, it appeared that Booker was going to go off, bouncing back from a rough Game 3. But he had to spend time at the bench during the 2nd half after picking up fouls and his teammates couldn't handle things without him.
With both teams facing pressure, it was a clash of turnovers early on, diving on the floor in desperate attempts to save the ball. The Bucks turned apparent lost possessions into buckets that way in the 1st quarter, which boosted them when their shooting was off.
They carried that 2nd quarter magic from Game 3 over to Game 4, with a nice stretch with an 8-0 run, giving them a 4-point lead. Then it became back and forth, with both teams exchanging points, until Middleton's three tied it at 52 at halftime.
Although Booker had a big finish in the 3rd to pull the Suns up 82-76 heading into the 4th, he had his 5th foul within the first minute of the quarter and had to be benched for roughly 5 minutes. The Bucks got three points off the lead before his return midway in the 4th, but Middleton made sure that they kept pace in the clutch.
The Suns led for 37:55 of the first 44 minutes of the game, being up with 2 and a half minutes left, before the 9-year veteran scored the next 8 points, with consecutive midrange jump shots to get them leading 101-99 with 1:28 left.
And while Giannis dominated on the offensive side of the court, he left his mark on the other end, another factor on the Bucks' turnaround of this series.
It looked as if the Suns would tie it up as Booker lobbed to Ayton, but Giannis, jumping off his bad leg, saw it coming and blocked it! Man, this block should be a top 2 block in Finals history!
Later, CP3 lost his footing and fell down, losing the ball while dribbling. Holiday wasted no time in picking up the loose ball and found Middleton, who made a fast-break layup, adding on four free throws, to make it 107-101 Bucks with 27.2 seconds left to virtually seal the win.
Along with his block, Giannis added 26 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals, making his 15th 20/10 playoff game this postseason, tying Abdul-Jabbar in 1974 for the most in franchise history.
The Suns made 51.3% of their shots compared to the Bucks' 40.2%. However, they had 19 fewer shots because of turnovers and offensive rebounds, where the Bucks had a 17-5 advantage. The Bucks also scored 24 points off turnovers, and their offensive boards resulted in 19 second-chance points.
With the win, the Bucks improved to 9-1 at home these playoffs
Game 5: Bucks 123, Suns 119 [3-2 Bucks]
If you count him sitting courtside in this game, LeBron technically has 11 Finals appearances in his career. While he was cheering on his good friend CP3, the series shifted from a best-of-7 to a best-of-3.
While the home team has won every game of this series by this point, that was about to change.
The fans at what is now the Footprint Center were loud.
And not just loud... they were LOUD loud.
So loud during the Suns' fast start in the 1st quarter that nobody even heard a foul called on PJ Tucker after a turnover to prevent a breakaway.
The Suns passed it to Booker, who threw down a dunk as Giannis sprinted back and grabbed his arm in what would otherwise be a flagrant foul. Not making that dunk didn't slow the Suns down, as they scored the next seven points to grab a 32-16 lead on Bridges' three.
The Suns made 14 of 19 shots in the 1st quarter to grab a 37-21 lead. But Booker was on the bench to begin the 2nd quarter as the Bucks opened up with a 21-5 pounding to quickly tie it up at 42 with Pat Connaughton's three with 7:48 left in the half. A 16-point deficit was erased, and it turned into a 64-61 halftime lead for the Bucks, becoming just the 2nd team in Finals history to lead at halftime after trailing by at least 15 at the end of the 1st quarter.
By the end of the 3rd, the Bucks shot at 62.1%, challenging the Orlando Magic's 62.5% mark against the Lakers in Game 3 of the 2009 Finals.
Holiday's bucket had the Bucks in good shape as they led 108-94 with 9 minutes left.
But the Suns pushed on. And pushed on. And pushed on.
Down 10 with 3 and a half minutes left, Booker made a three and CP3 made his own bucket to cut it to 120-119 Bucks with 56 seconds left.
Holiday wasn't having any of that.
After missing a jump shot, he ripped the ball off of Booker's hands and threw it up to Giannis for the game-sealing dunk.
Giannis finished with 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, with Middleton adding 29 points, and Holiday racking up 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 steals. They became the 5th trio to each score at least 25 points on at least 50% shooting in a Finals game, and the first to do so since Abdul-Jabbar (36), James Worthy (33), and Magic Johnson (26) in 1985.
Booker had 40 points, thus making it the first time in Finals history where there was a player from each team that had consecutive 40-point games. While he joined West, Barry, MJ, Shaq, LeBron, and Giannis in this exclusive list, he is the first player to lose both games.
This was only the 2nd time this season that the Suns lost three straight games, with the first time occurring six months prior.
Game 6: Bucks 105, Suns 98 [4-2 Bucks]
When Giannis was at the end of the Bucks' bench in a 2014 game after a 100-71 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, he felt like it was his last chance that he would be playing for the Bucks. He was 20 years old in his rookie season, where the Bucks went 15-67, the worst record in the NBA.
He took to Twitter to say, "I'll never leave the team and the city of Milwaukee till we build the team to a championship level team."
Seven years and five days since that tweet, he ended one of the greatest NBA Finals EVER with 50 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks to finish off the Suns in 6, with 13 of his 50 points in the 4th quarter after the game was tied at 77 at the end of the 3rd.
He became the 2nd player ever to have three 40/10 games in a Finals series, and he also was the first player with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a Finals game, joining Shaq in both categories. This was also his 16th 20/10 playoff game this postseason, the most ever in a single postseason run in Bucks franchise history.
With a Finals average of 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 5.0 APG, he became just the 2nd player to average at least 35/10/5 in a Finals series, joining LeBron in 2015, and the first to do this in a series victory (although to be fair, LeBron didn't have Kyrie or Kevin Love because both were out with season-ending injuries). He is also the first player in Finals history to record those numbers on at least 60% shooting (his shooting percentage was 61.8%).
In this game alone, he shot 16 of 25 and made 17 of his 19 free throws, which is spectacular for anyone, let alone someone who made just 55.6% of his free throws and was ridiculed repeatedly for his free throw routine.
The Bucks won the Finals largely because of him. The two-time regular season MVP raised his game even higher in the Finals and was voted the unanimous Finals MVP.
He was the star of the Finals in every fashion, from dominating the paint to his humble thoughts in his interviews to taking time after the game to find children to high-five in the midst of the celebrations.
He teared up afterwards when he talked about the sacrifices that his family went through when he was poor while growing up in Greece.
He weathered the storm in the end.
The Bucks were ready for this moment at long last.
And all this is not to say that Giannis is not a one-man show.
Middleton added 17 points and 4 steals, Holiday had 12 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, and 4 steals, and Portis, a fan-favorite in Milwaukee, had 16 points off the bench as fans were chanting "Bobby! Bobby!" on multiple occasions.
The fans love his energy.
He added that coming to Milwaukee was "the best decision I have made in my career."
Holiday's defense helped limit Booker to just 19 points on 8 of 22 shooting and missing all 7 of his threes. CP3 had 26 points to cap off his first Finals appearance, and Crowder added 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals.
The Bucks became just the 5th team to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the Finals, and the first to do so by winning four straight games since the Heat defeated the Mavericks in 2006. They also became just the 2nd team in NBA history to come back from down 2-0 in two separate playoff series in the same postseason after the Los Angeles Clippers did so in the first two rounds of this year's playoffs.
Interestingly, the Bucks, who have PJ Tucker, defeated a team with one of Tucker's former teammates from the 2018 Houston Rockets' starting lineup in each round of the playoffs: Trevor Ariza in the first round, James Harden in the second round, Clint Capela in the Conference Finals, and CP3 in the NBA Finals.
In each of their three Finals appearances, the Suns won two games.
As for the fans, Fiserv Forum had a sold-out crowd, as all 17,341 seats were occupied, plus 56 more in the arena. The Deer District was packed, with 65,000 spectators watching the championship win outside of the arena.
The confetti rained as Bucks fans chanted "Bucks in 6! Bucks in 6!". A boast that originated from an incorrect prediction by Brandon Jennings saying that the Bucks would defeat the Heat in the first round of the 2013 Playoffs turned into a rally cry.
In the end, 50 long years of pain and suffering are finally over.
Congrats, Bucks. You earned this.
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