Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a historic NBA Finals closeout performance with 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 on Tuesday night, igniting celebrations throughout the southeastern Wisconsin city, as the Bucks won their first championship since the days of Lew Alcindor and Oscar Robertson 1971 by a 4 games to 2 margin.
After Phoenix won the first two games of the series in Arizona, Milwaukee roared back with four victories in a row, with Antetokounmpo finishing with eye-opening numbers of 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 61.8%, the first player in finals history to reach those heights. The championship clincher completed a swift and decisive turnaround for a franchise that was 15-67 in 2013-2014, with whispers of a potential move out of Milwaukee due to arena issues, new ownership, and small crowds.
In a season played played largely without fans, the Bucks had 65,000 of them packed into the Deer District outside, a wild party that figured to last deep into the Midwestern night. The party wasn’t bad inside, either: Confetti rained down inside as fans chanted “Bucks in 6! Bucks in 6!” – a hopeful boast by former player that turned out to be a prophetic rallying cry.
The Bucks became the fifth team to win the NBA Finals after trailing 2-0 and the first to do it by winning the next four games since Miami against Dallas in 2006.
Chris Paul scored 26 points to end his first NBA Finals appearance in his 16th season. Devin Booker added 19 points but shot just 8 for 22 and missed all seven 3-pointers after scoring 40 points in each of the last two games.
A parade through the streets of Milwaukee is planned for Thursday as the city celebrates its third major sports championship, joining the 1957 Braves and 1971 Bucks. The MLB Brewers may have the potential to reach that goal in 2021, leading the National League Central just past the mid-way point of the baseball season. The Bucks lost the 1974 Finals to the Boston Celtics and the Brewers lost the 1982 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals. The city lost the Braves to Atlanta in 1966, picking up the Brewers after one failed season in Seattle as the Pilots in 1970.