Bucks Big 3 Seals Game 5! Bucks One Game Away From Championship! 7.17.21
It’s another day of NBA basketball and we have Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Bucks and Suns.
(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs (2) Phoenix Suns
Milwaukee Bucks (3-2)
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. WHAT A GAME! This game was a roller-coaster of offense, some incredible shot-making, but in the end, the Bucks Big 3 came up with the huge stop and score that now gets them one win away from their first championship since 1971. Here’s how things went down.
The Bucks came out flat and sluggish. They just looked a step slow in that first quarter. Maybe it was that intense Game 4, maybe it was that momentum had shifted their way in the series. Whatever it was, that first 12 minutes was ugly. The Bucks had 5 turnovers in Game 4. They had 7 in the first quarter of Game 5 alone. They were sloppy and Giannis wasn’t involved. Khris Middleton was also not getting the same looks, as he started the game shooting 1/7 from the field.
All of that culminated in the Bucks falling behind by 16 and allowing 37 points in the first quarter and allowing the Suns to shoot 74% from the field and 83% from 3. Yeah, not the best start in the world. But as Zig Ziglar said, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
That’s what the Bucks did. Like turning a switch on, they dominated the 2nd quarter. Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges went out of the game and the Bucks scored at will. The Bucks started the 2nd quarter on a 16-3 run and they scored a whopping 43 points in the 2nd quarter on 71% shooting. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday were rolling, the Bucks went from looking dead in the water to taking the lead at the halftime break.
Their defense wasn’t even good overall in that first half. It’s just that their offense was exploding. Jrue Holiday was 8/11 from the field in the first half and the Bucks Big 3 combined for 39 points in the first half. The Bucks also got 18 points from Connaughton and Bobby Portis off the bench.
The Bucks offensive onslaught continued in the 3rd quarter. It was just tough shots after tough shots after tough shot. The Bucks scored 36 more points in the 3rd quarter and shot a scorching 71% from the field. Devin Booker got going early but as soon as they put Jrue Holiday on him, he was quieted. Interesting to see how that Booker matchups develops for Game 6/maybe Game 7.
The Bucks led by 10 entering the 4th and they had all the momentum. With 3:25 left, the Bucks led 117-107. All they had to do was control the clock and get some stops, game over. Easier said than done, apparently. Chris Paul and Devin Booker got the Suns back into the game. A incredible Booker fadeaway 3 with 1:24 left cut the lead to 7. Chris Paul scored with 57 seconds left to cut the lead to one.
So the Bucks went from in control to at risk of blowing the game. The Suns were on a 12-3 run and the crowd was going nuts. But the Bucks buckled down and held the fort. Jrue Holiday missed and with 30 seconds left, the Suns had the ball with a chance to win. Devin Booker drove down the lane and was stopped. He turned and met a wall. That wall is Jrue Holiday.
Holiday just ripped Booker and that led to a fastbreak. It was a 2 on 1 and I fully expected Jrue to hold back and get fouled. Instead, he threw a perfect pass to Giannis. Giannis slammed it and he was fouled. Bucks up 3 with 13.5 seconds left, chance to ice the game.
Then Giannis misses, but he misses so badly that the Bucks get the rebound. Khris Middleton hits 1/2 free throws and the Bucks win. Absolute madness. Bucks up 3-2 heading back to Fiserv Forum.
Giannis had 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Shot 61% from the field and made some really big, timely passes that led to open shots.
Khris Middleton started off 1/7 but had 20 of his 29 points in the 2nd half. 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists for K-Midd.
Jrue Holiday was on fire from the jump. 27 points and 13 assists, with the game-saving defensive play and alley-oop to Giannis.
The Big 3 was dominant. That’s why they were brought together. For the biggest game, for them to pull through. And they did. But the Bucks help was also excellent. Brook Lopez was actually decent with 9 points. Pat Connaughton had 14 off the bench and Bobby Portis added 9. The Bucks support has been great in their 3 straight wins.
The Bucks had 21 fastbreak points and they won the bench battle. 11 offensive rebounds and 12 second chance points were also huge. The Bucks offense was great. They took advantage of the Suns switching and pick and roll defense and they shot 58% from the field, unheard of in a Finals Game. Their Big 3 was excellent and they’re now just one game away from the finals. Let’s see if they close it out and finally get a championship back to Milwaukee.
Phoenix Suns (2-3)
You had it. You really did. A 12-3 run in the final minutes got you back into the game but Devin Booker was kind of out on control and that led to your demise. The defense was horrendous and the offense wasn’t consistent enough. Not that you played poorly, but the Bucks played better. The Suns started this game off so well but they lost that lead in the blink of an eye. They dug themselves a hole that proved to me too big to overcome in the end. Now the Suns are one game away from elimination as they just look shell-shocked from these past 3 games.
Devin Booker was great with 40 points, but I feel like he didn’t get the ball a lot in the 4th. Or not enough for a guy who had 40 points. There were a few possessions where he didn’t get the ball and it didn’t end well. He had that big shot late but I feel like the Suns should have called timeout. Biggest possession of the game, most important game of the year, draw up your best play. That’s just my opinion on the matter. Booker was great, but I feel like he could have gotten the ball more.
The Suns also need to get PJ Tucker/Pat Connaughton on Booker as much as possible. Booker is just too quick for Tucker and was a lot worse when Holiday was on him, that’s for sure. But again, Booker has been awesome in these last two games.
Chris Paul was ok. He claims his hand isn’t hurting him but he hasn’t been the same since the start of this series. He looked better with 21 points and 11 assists, but he just looked off. Some errant passes, some poor decisions, not the same level of Chris Paul we’ve seen in the playoffs. Didn’t have that takeover moment when the Bucks were growing that lead in the 3rd quarter.
The support offensively was again worse than the Bucks. Crowder and Bridges combined for 23, Ayton had a 20-10 game but the bench was awful. Cam Johnson was a +/- of -19 in 21 minutes. The Suns bench hasn’t been the same without Saric to anchor them and Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis have just been miles better.
The defense wasn’t bad, but they couldn’t get the Bucks to miss. Sure, the Bucks made a lot of tough shots. They have great players who can do that. But the Bucks got 11 offensive rebounds, they got more free throws, the Suns just haven’t been able to solve their rebounding problem since the Saric injury in Game 1.
The Suns looked good in that first quarter on both ends. They just have to do that for the whole game. I thought Bridges didn’t play enough. 32 minutes in the biggest game of the year doesn’t seem like enough, especially because he was so good on Middleton in the first half. Middleton got going with shots over Booker and Crowder. I think that Bridges has to be on Middleton for more time than he was in this game.
The rebounding has to be miles better. The Suns solves their turnovers problem, but the Bucks length just overwhelms them at times. They have to send 2-3 guys to boxout down low otherwise just Ayton isn’t going to be enough. Bridges and Crowder have to give what they did in this game, maybe more. Ayton has to give a similar offensive output. The Suns just need to play Suns basketball. Intense tough defense, fundamentally sound, getting out in transition.
This is it. This is the time where you find a lot about certain players and teams. Absolutely no momentum, tired, exhausted, heading back to Milwaukee, where the Bucks are 9-1 this postseason, to try and keep your season alive. Chris Paul and Devin Booker are going to have to lead the way, because Game 6 is going to be hard. But that’s the task at hand for the Phoenix Suns as they look to try and keep their season alive.
What Are Your Thoughts From Game 5 of the NBA Finals? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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