KEY POINTS
- The Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA title since 1971
- Giannis Antetokounmpo has had significant help from his teammates heading into Game 6
- The Bucks' best three-point shooter in the finals isn't a starter
Aside from being the most dominant player in the Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo also had a reliable support system that helped him win his first chip.
The Milwaukee Bucks snapped their 50-year championship drought by beating the Phoenix Suns, 105-98, in Game 6 of this year’s NBA Finals.
As expected, Antetokounmpo put on another monster performance, registering 50 points and 14 rebounds.
But while “The Greek Freak” was easily the man of the hour, a host of Bucks’ supporting casts have been instrumental as well, especially en route to Game 6.
In Game 5, the Bucks’ trio of Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday combined for a whopping 88 points to seal a 123-119 victory over the Suns.
The said feat saw the Bucks’ "Big Three" became just the fifth trio in NBA Finals history to each score 25 points on 50% shooting in a single game.
Another historic moment that happened in the said game was Holiday’s game-winning steal from Suns’ marksman Devin Booker.
The Bucks’ guard went on and threw a highlight-worthy alley-oop to the speeding Antetokounmpo, who completed the crucial play with a dunk.
"The pass was all about trust," Antetokounmpo said after the game. "Obviously, he [Holiday] could have pulled the ball out, let the clock run and get a good shot. But he trusted me, threw the ball out there, and we were able to get a bucket."
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrates defeating the Phoenix Suns in Game Six to win the 2021 NBA Finals at Fiserv Forum Photo: Getty Images | Jonathan Daniel
Prior to the trio’s historic Game 5, it was Middleton who stole the show in Game 4.
Apart from Antetokounmpo, only Middleton scored 20 points and above, dropping 40 points on the Suns.
"Late in the fourth quarter, we just ran sets that enabled me to get to my spots," Middleton said of his performance after Game 4. "After that, I've just got to make reads. Thankfully, I hit some shots."
In almost every NBA championship team, there’s always the one player who unexpectedly steps up to help his teammates. In the Bucks’ case, it was Pat Connaughton.
When Connaughton signed to a three-year deal with the Bucks in the offseason, many were skeptical about his game.
However, the former Portland Trail Blazer shocked everyone when he registered an incredible stat line in the finals.
In the first two games of the series, Connaughton shot 50 percent on the floor with a combined 47 percent from the three-point line.
What’s even more interesting, Connaughton--despite not scoring a single point in Game 6--was the Bucks’ best three-point shooter in the entire NBA Finals, shooting an astonishing 62% from beyond-the-arc.
