The 2021 season of the NBA will be one for the memories. The finals would clash the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks in what would be one of the most unpredictable Finals in recent years.
Let's check
the paths that both teams had to go through in order to reach the last stage.
In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns had to face first none other than
Lebron James' Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers, the defending champions came as
the favorite for the match, however, some unfortunate events occurred. The most
significant one was Anthony Davis getting injured in game 4 leaving only Lebron
James as the reference. Even though the series started off with a 1-1 with the
Lakers winning one game in The Valley, Phoenix went up 3-1 and the series ended
4-2 in favor of the Suns with outstanding games from their franchise player
Devin Booker. Phoenix then went on to the WCSF where they'd find the Denver
Nuggets of the season’s MVP Nikola Jokic, who had eliminated Damian Lilard's
Blazers. The Phoenix Suns swept the Nuggets 4-0, team that had the considerable
absence of Jamal Murray's. Now, with an ensured spot in the WCF (they hadn't
been in the WCF since 2010, where Stoudamire and Steve Nash lost to Los Angeles
Lakers of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol). The Phoenix Suns had to deal with Los
Angeles Clippers, headed by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who first eliminated
Luka Doncic's Mavericks and then Donovan
Mitchel's Jazz. Unfortunately, Kawhi Leonard tore his ACL (anterior cruciate (KROO-she-ate) ligament) and missed the rest of the series.
Nonetheless, The Clippers wouldn't make it easy for the Suns after Paul George
and Reggie Jackson's performances. It’s important to mention that the Suns lost
Chris Paul for most of the games because of the COVID-19 security and health
protocols. The Clippers would take the Suns to game 6, where they lost. The
Suns made it to the finals, after 36 years.
On the
Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks were not the favorites either. All the
looks were on the Brooklyn Nets who had signed James Harden from the Houston
Rockets in a move that shocked the NBA. The Milwaukee Bucks had to face the
last year's finalist, the Miami Heat of Jimmy Butler. Surprisingly, the Bucks
swept the Heat in 4 games, sending Butler back to Miami in the first stage of
the Playoffs. Then, the real challenge emerged. The Milwaukee Bucks had to face
none other than the Brooklyn Nets in the ECSF who'd ended Tatum's Celtics hopes
in only 4 games. Brooklyn, with their iconic trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving
and James Harden were seen as favorites not only to win the EC, but to become
NBA champions. Nevertheless, some events would change the entire series. James
Harden missed the first 5 games of the series due to an injury. Kyrie Irving
and Kevin Durant would make it 2-0 in Brooklyn, but the Bucks would take 1 game
in Milwaukee. In the fourth game, Kyrie Irving would get a serious injury after
accidentally landing on Giannis Antetokoumnpo, leaving Durant as the only
reference for the Nets. The Bucks made it 2-2 in Milwaukee, the Nets went to Brooklyn and won making it 3-2, and
the Bucks won game 6 back in Milwaukee. It will all be decided in game 7. Game
7 will be remembered as one for the ages. The game was tied and sent to
overtime after Brook Lopez wasted one attack opportunity. Kevin Durant would
send it again to overtime after an epic shot on the 3 point line that, if not for
his large foot, would have been a 3 pointer. Khris Middleton came in with the
clutch shot in the last minutes and given the pressure of the last play,
Durant air-balled the last shot ending with the Nets' aspirations. This series
is memorable thanks to the legendary performance of Kevin Durant, who almost
single-handedly outplayed the Bucks. After one of the most contested series of
the last years, the Bucks had a relatively easier rival, the Atlanta Hawks of
Trae Young, who was playing his first playoffs and was already showing up. The
Bucks lost the first match in Milwaukee, then made a 2-1 comeback that would be
tied in Atlanta. Trae Young would suffer from an injury in game 4 that would
sideline him for 1 match. Giannis on the other hand would suffer from a knee
hyperextension that would leave him out of the last games of the series. After
stunning performances from Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, and of course Khris
Middleton, the Bucks would win the ECF.
THE
FINALS
Phoenix
Suns vs Milwaukee Bucks
In my case, there was not a favorite for these finals. The Phoenix Suns had solid a Playoffs run and came 2nd in the West, just behind Utah Jazz. They were seen as a big surprise after finishing last in the past season. Whereas the Milwaukee Bucks came 3rd in the East. Representing Phoenix Suns there were 2 names of relevance. Chris Paul and Devin Booker. The former is one of the best PG in the history of NBA, the later is one of the rising stars of the league. Milwaukee had none other than The Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his wingmen Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. Milwaukee kicked off the finals the worst possible way, losing both games in Phoenix. It's important to note down that Giannis was not fully fit, as he didn't play the last games against the Hawks. Once back in Milwaukee, the Bucks tied it. Game 4 was memorable, as Chris Paul underperformed, and Giannis had one of the best blocks in recent years on DeAndre Ayton. It was 2-2. The Suns confidence was at a low point after losing a 2-0 lead, but the home advantage kept hopes up. The Suns were not in for a shock, when the Bucks stole game 5 from their own hands, after a remarkable play from Jrue Holiday, who stripped the ball from Devin Booker's hand and assisted Giannis Antetokounmpo in an unforgettable alley-up play. The Bucks went back to Milwaukee with a 3-2 lead and with one game away from winning it all. The Suns' frustration was evident, and in contrast to the Bucks, they were one game away from losing it all. Back in Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo made sure to seal the series by dropping 50 points. He is the only player to have done that in a finals match, along with Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Elgin Baylor, Bob Pettit, Rick Barry, and Jerry West.
The Bucks were then crowned the NBA champions after 50 years of drought since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson's championship. In my opinion, this is one of the most unpredictable series and most thrilling ones in recent years. It was a delightful spectacle that triggered many emotions and didn't disappoint.
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