Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily. We are now in the Conference Finals!
Bobby Portis was one of four players that scored 20 or more points for Milwaukee.
So the situation was pretty peculiar for an Eastern Conference Finals game. The series is tied at two apiece and each team was two wins away from the NBA Finals. But each team didn’t have their #1 guy. Trae Young is still nursing a bone bruise on his foot. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a hyperextended knee.
But the game must go on.
And the Bucks pretty much went at it from the first second of the game. This is what they really should’ve done from the start of the postseason. Milwaukee took advantage of their size.
Brook Lopez, in particular, seemed like he had a renaissance in Game 5. They went to Lopez over and over in the paint. So many dunks by the big man. And if it wasn’t Lopez, it was “Crazy Eyes” Bobby Portis, who got his first start in the playoffs.
The perimeter guys had their fill, too. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton had their outside artillery and their playmaking. And P.J. Tucker was always down to do the dirty work.
The Hawks were really never in it, even when they were able to cut the deficit down to 7 points. Bogdan Bogdanovic fired at will; he scored 28 points off 10 of 22 shooting. Maybe in retrospect, Lou Williams should have shot the ball more (17 points off 15 attempts). John Collins and Danilo Gallinari scored 19 each. But the Bucks kept the Hawks out of the paint, especially with Brook Lopez manning the paint (he had four swats). I don’t want to say it was an easy victory by Milwaukee but the Bucks outscored the Hawks in the paint, 66-36.
It didn’t feel like the Hawks had the energy without Trae on the court. Trae Young mentioned he liked playing on the road but maybe his teammates needed that extra jolt of a home crowd. Milwaukee certainly got it and they were into it with chants of BOBBY for the embattled Portis.
Atlanta had to realize that the stakes were high, though. Now, even without Giannis, the Bucks are one win away from the NBA Finals. They haven’t been this close since 2001 and they haven’t been to the Finals in 37 years. Will this be it?
Or will Trae Young make a heroic return and force the series to go the maximum. Saturday may not be star-studded but it’s still definitely filled with intrigue as the war of attrition in the postseason continues.
NBA Playoff Scoreboard
July 1, 2021
NBA Playoff Series Count
EAST
#3 Bucks lead #5 Hawks, 3-2.
#5 Hawks defeat #1 Sixers, 4-3.
#3 Bucks defeat #2 Nets, 4-3.
#1 Sixers defeat #8 Wizards, 4-1.
#5 Hawks defeat #4 Knicks, 4-1.
#2 Nets defeat #7 Celtics, 4-1.
#3 Bucks defeat #6 Heat, 4-0.
WEST
#2 Suns defeat #4 Clippers, 4-2.
#4 Clippers defeat #1 Jazz, 4-2.
#2 Suns defeat #3 Nuggets, 4-0.
#1 Jazz defeat #8 Grizzlies, 4-1.
#4 Clippers defeat #5 Mavericks, 4-3.
#2 Suns defeat #7 Lakers, 4-2.
#3 Nuggets defeat #6 Blazers, 4-2.
Watch This Play
Brook Lopez was doing a lot of this but this was the most impressive jam.
Splash Mountain SLAM 🤯 on TNT! pic.twitter.com/2lschoGBQG
— NBA (@NBA) July 2, 2021
One more win left for the Milwaukee Bucks to get to the NBA Finals…
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.