Middleton Explodes In 2nd Half, Bucks Headed To The Finals! 7.3.21
It’s another day of NBA playoff action and we have Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Hawks and Bucks.
(3) Milwaukee Bucks vs (5) Atlanta Hawks
Milwaukee Bucks (4-2)
The Bucks took care of business, surprisingly. Without Giannis again, the first half was ugly offensively but Khris Middleton went berserk in that 2nd half, the offense in general was great and the Bucks comfortably won this game. Middleton and Holiday were great once again, the bench and role players were very good as the Bucks are going back to the Finals for the first time since 1974, setting themselves up against the Phoenix Suns.
Khris Middleton was 2/7 in the first half with just 5 points. The Bucks still led by 4, but they would need more from him. You could say they got that from the 2x All-Star. Middleton went 8/12 from the field, for 23 points in the 3rd quarter. The Bucks hit 9 3’s in the 3rd quarter, 44 points overall to blow the game open. Middleton finished with 32 points and 7 assists, another great game from him.
Jrue Holiday had 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists with 4 steals. He was very good. Lopez, Portis, Teague, and Connaughton were all in double figures as well as the Bucks finally got some balanced scoring.
The offense looked really good and so did the defense as Trae Young was ineffective with that ankle. The series with the Suns will be very tough. Without Giannis, the Suns are the much better team. The Bucks coaching and bench are both weaknesses, if Giannis doesn’t play, I find it hard to believe that the Bucks win the NBA Finals. Maybe Giannis’s knee is less severe than we originally thought, but a hyperextended knee does take a few weeks to recover from, so it’s also likely that he doesn’t play. Nonetheless, the Bucks finally break through to the Finals and we’ll see what they can do against the Suns in what should be a good series.
Atlanta Hawks (2-4)
You fought to the end, but injuries hurt you. Trae Young’s ankle was obviously bothering him, didn’t have that elite quick first step and burst he normally does, he was off. No De’Andre Hunter in the past two series and Cam Reddish was playing his first minutes of the playoffs in this series. Reddish had 21 points in this game and was great, but he only played 26 games during the regular season and only played in the conference finals. Having him would have helped a lot.
The Hawks are a very young team with a bright future. John Collins is somebody I would bring back this summer, but they’re going to need a few things. Perimeter defense mainly, they only have wing/interior defenders. Bogdanovic/Huerter/Young/Williams can’t be your perimeter defenders if you want to win. You need a better backup guard, Kris Dun didn’t work and Lou Williams is a scorer, not a floor general.
But if the Hawks can keep guys like Reddish and De’Andre Hunter healthy? They’ll be set. Hopefully, Nate McMillan stays on as coach, he was the fill-in for Lloyd Pierce. Onyeka Okongwu looks to be good as a backup, the Hawks have the talent and they’re maybe one-two guys away from being championship contenders. This was a great season, giving them a lot of experience for the future, which is a very bright one for a Hawks team trying to breakthrough in the Eastern Conference.
What Are Your Thoughts From Game 6? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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