NBA playoffs: Khris Middleton leads Giannis-less Bucks to first NBA Finals since 1974
For the first time since the days of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Milwaukee Bucks are headed to the NBA Finals.
The Bucks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 118-107 on Saturday to win the Eastern Conference finals in six games, despite missing Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) for the last two-and-a-half games. Milwaukee will now face the Phoenix Suns for their first championship since 1971.
Game 1 of the Finals is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, broadcasted by ABC.
Complete #NBAFinals broadcast schedule ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fx4DOD0iZ5
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 4, 2021
In Antetokounmpo’s stead, Khris Middleton upgraded from sidekick to hero. The Bucks veteran went off for 31 points on 10-of-22 shooting (4-of-10 from deep), seven assists, four rebounds and three steals with 23 of those points coming in an incredible third quarter:
“Khris Middleton is putting on a show!”
23 POINTS in the 3Q for Khris on TNT. 😳 pic.twitter.com/fIhSO3HOJk
— NBA (@NBA) July 4, 2021
Jrue Holiday was the Bucks’ other player to step up big, scoring 27 points with nine rebounds, nine assists and four steals.
The Bucks led for the entire game, racing out to a 15-4 lead in the first quarter, then blowing the game wide open in the third. They led by as much as 24 points early in the fourth quarter, but still had to hold off an Atlanta rally that cut the deficit to as little as six points.
Bucks finally break through
Since Antetokounmpo ascended to stardom, the Bucks have cultivated — fairly or unfairly — a reputation for regular season success and postseason failure.
That narrative became fully formed in 2019, when the top-seeded 60-22 Bucks lost four straight to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference finals. A five-game elimination at the hands of the Miami Heat followed in next season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Bucks entered last offseason at a crossroads, with many openly wondering if Antetokounmpo could be on the way out if the Bucks couldn’t break through in the East. He put those concerns to rest by signing a supermax extension in December, but the hard part still remained. And now, as it turns out, the team didn’t even need him to put away a Hawks team that looked dangerous at the beginning of the series.
Was Trae Young healthy?
News of Young’s availability was enough to make the Hawks 3.5-point favorites at BetMGM entering Game 6, but he didn’t exactly play like the offensive dynamo he was before sustaining a foot injury in Game 3.
Young finished with 14 points on 4-of-17 shooting, never really looking right after missing two games. The Hawks can hardly complain about injuries with the Bucks without a two-time MVP, but it’s still a significant what-if for the team’s fans.
Hawks’ surprising run comes to an end
The Hawks might have looked outmatched toward the end of the series, but there is still plenty to like about one of the NBA’s rising teams.
Young looks legitimately ahead of schedule as a franchise superstar at the age of 22. The Hawks have managed to surround Young with help young (John Collins, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish) and old (Lou Williams, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari). The Hawks defeated an upstart New York Knicks team then took out the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers despite missing De’Andre Hunter, arguably their second-most important player, for the entire postseason.
Plenty can change at a moment’s notice in the NBA, but it’s hard not to like what Atlanta has going right now.
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo be ready for the NBA Finals?
No question looms bigger over the NBA Finals than the health of Antetokounmpo, who hyperextended his left knee in Game 4 and has not played since.
The good news for the Bucks is Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reported Friday that there was a belief Antetokounmpo would have suited up for a Game 7 if the Hawks had come out on top Saturday. Game 1 of the NBA Finals is obviously a smidge less serious than a do-or-die Game 7, so winning in six might allow the Bucks to be more cautious with their star.
If Antetokounmpo is ready to go, the Bucks will be the team closest to full strength the Suns have seen in the playoffs.
So far, Phoenix’s path has been through the Los Angeles Lakers with Anthony Davis fighting a groin injury, the Denver Nuggets without Jamal Murray and the Los Angeles Clippers without Kawhi Leonard. With Antetokounmpo back in the lineup, the only Bucks injury of note is Donte DiVincenzo, who has been out since May with an ankle injury.
Of course, even facing opponents missing stars, the Suns have been more good than lucky. Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton have all shown out at different times, while Monty Williams has operated the team like a Coach of the Year winner.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
_(cropped)_(cropped).jpg) Antetokounmpo with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018
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| No. 34 – Milwaukee Bucks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 6, 1994 Athens, Greece |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 242 lb (110 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15th overall |
| Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks | |
| Playing career | 2011–present |
| Career history | |
| 2011–2013 | Filathlitikos |
| 2013–present | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (/ˈjɑːnɪs ˌɑːntɛtəˈkuːmpoʊ/ YAH-nis AHN-tet-ə-KOOM-poh;[1] Greek: Γιάννης Σίνα-Ούγκο Αντετοκούνμπο, IPA: [ˈʝanis a(n)detoˈkumbo]; born December 6, 1994) is a Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Greece to Nigerian parents, Antetokounmpo began playing basketball for the youth teams of Filathlitikos in Athens. In 2011, he began playing for the club’s senior team before entering the 2013 NBA draft, where he was selected 15th overall by the Bucks. Antetokounmpo’s nationality, in addition to his combination of size, speed and ball-handling skills earned him the nickname “Greek Freak”.
In 2016–17 he led the Bucks in all five major statistical categories and became the first player in NBA history to finish a regular season in the top 20 in all five statistics of total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. He received the Most Improved Player award in 2017. Antetokounmpo has received five All-Star selections, including being selected as an All-Star captain in 2019 and 2020, as he led the Eastern Conference in voting in these two years.
Antetokounmpo won back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Awards in 2019 and 2020, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to win two MVPs before turning 26. Along with his MVP award, he was also named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, becoming only the third player after Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) to win both awards in the same season.
Awards and honours
- 2× NBA Most Valuable Player: 2019, 2020
- NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2020
- 5× NBA All-Star: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
- NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2021
- NBA Most Improved Player: 2017
- 5× All-NBA Selection:
- 4× All-Defensive Selection:
- NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 2014
- Euroscar European Player of the Year: 2018
CONGRATULATIONS TO
