Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily. NBA Finals are here!
Giannis Antetokounmpo has solidified himself as an all-time great as the Bucks win the NBA championship.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Sancya/AP.)
The MIlwaukee Bucks have won the 2021 NBA title. It is their first NBA championship in 50 years.
As if he was really focused on shutting up the haters, Giannis Antetokounmpo came up the biggest on the biggest stage. Remember that this man was pretty much thought to be done for the season about three weeks ago after he hyperextended his knee. But he came back stronger than ever and did what superstars do: put his team on his back.
Giannis Antetokounmpo went for a dazzling 50 points (one point for every year of their title drought!), 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks. The swats that he did on the defensive end were majestic. And while his free throw shooting had been criticized pretty much all season, he came up huge by making 17 of his 19 attempts. Everything was coming up roses for Giannis.
Even though Giannis did have 50, he had a lot of help. Khris Middleton hit huge shots at the end; he finished with 17-5-5 along with four steals. Jrue Holiday‘s shooting was much-maligned throughout the postseason but he nearly finished with a triple-double at 12-9-11 (he also had four steals). Holiday’s defense against Chris Paul and Devin Booker probably turned the tide on the series. Brook Lopez had a personal 6-0 run, including a jarring jam against Deandre Ayton. And Bobby Portis hit some shots that kept the Suns at bay; he put in 16 off the bench.
The Suns looked ragged. They lacked their usual ball movement or they were forced to make some errant passes. Booker couldn’t match his Game 4 or 5 production as he only scored 19. Paul had 26 but it nearly wasn’t enough. After having a sensational Western Conference run, Ayton looked baffled against Giannis. Mikal Bridges was a non-factor and Jae Crowder did what he could with 15 points and 13 boards. Cameron Payne had 10 early first half points but barely made a dent in the second half as Monty Williams decided to go all the way with his starters.
Try as they might, the Suns couldn’t get over the hump after they lost the lead in that aforementioned Brook Lopez personal run. Every time they tried to counter, it was countered back by Milwaukee. And fouling Giannis didn’t work this time as he got into a groove with his free throw shooting. It was just the Bucks’ night. And year.
For the Bucks, they finally did it. I was talking about how they might sneak in since they were more under the radar this year compared to the previous two seasons. They got revenge on the Miami Heat. They did defeat the Nets (even if they were mostly ravaged with injuries), who were spotlighted in the East throughout. And they were able to take care of business against a plucky Hawks team. Defeating this Suns team was no easy feat. And they were down, 2-0, against them!
Giannis now adds the Finals MVP to his hall-of-fame resume that includes two regular season MVP awards, a Most Improved Player accolade, and a Defensive Player of the Year award, among many others. You can make fun of his “lack of bag” or whatever but someone please tell me if he can be stopped, either way. Giannis averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.2 steals in the Finals. Woof. He’s come a long way from being a wide-eyed young man that had his first smoothie when he came to the States.
Khris Middleton was the perfect complementary player. In most years, he’d probably win the Finals MVP award with averages of 24-6-5. He came up big for the Bucks when they needed a clutch shot or a huge game. He’s quiet and unassuming but his impact was felt in these playoffs.
Jrue Holiday was acquired for these moments. His defense was HUGE in the Finals and even though he didn’t shoot very well in this postseason, he still had big moments on both ends of the court. Holiday really was the piece that Milwaukee needed.
The other Bucks stepped up when they needed to. When Giannis was out, Brook Lopez played like his New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets self and dominated the paint. Bobby Portis didn’t play much early in the postseason but stayed ready and contributed so big to the point fans were chanting his name. Pat Connaughton did all the dirty work and had huge three-pointers for the team. So did Bryn Forbes early in the playoffs. P.J. Tucker came into the team midseason and took on all the defensive assignments. Overall, a great great run for the 2021 Bucks.
Phoenix came so close and it would’ve been an amazing story as they went from a team from the bottom that fast-tracked their way to the top. Booker is a star and he’ll get better as he has experienced this spectacular but heartbreaking run. Chris Paul finally got to the Finals but it didn’t end so well for him. How many chances does he have left? The classy Monty Williams (who went to the Bucks’ locker room during their celebration to congratulate the winners) will do his best to motivate the troops again. The Suns WILL be back.
But this year belongs to the Milwaukee Bucks. Congrats to the 2021 NBA champions.
NBA Playoff Scoreboard
July 20, 2021
NBA Playoff Series Count
NBA FINALS
Bucks defeat Suns, 4-2. (BUCKS WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP)
EAST
#3 Bucks defeat #5 Hawks, 4-2.
#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
Giannis started the game with a chasedown block on Mikal Bridges.
Giannis defense to Giannis offense!
Game 6 underway on ABC 🍿 pic.twitter.com/98OuLO27uf
— NBA (@NBA) July 21, 2021
One of FIVE BLOCKS in the greatest game of his career.
Well, prophecy fulfilled for the Bucks, right?
Legendary.
The No-Look Pass will mostly be on a break during the Olympics. We’ll be back when the WNBA season resumes.
Thank you, everyone, for reading this NBA season!
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.