The Milwaukee Bucks captured an NBA championship for the first time in 50 years.
Milwaukee defeated the Phoenix Suns 105-98 in Tuesday’s Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals to clinch its first title since the 1970-71 season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was unstoppable during what will be remembered as a legendary performance. He led the way for the Bucks who won the final four games within the matchup to win the championship. Giannis clearly cemented his name alongside some of the all-time greats with a showing that likely will never be forgotten in Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmposiod
The Finals MVP capped off the series by scoring 50 points to go along with 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. Jrue Holiday, a newcomer to the Bucks roster this season, proved he was the missing piece by recording 12 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and four steals.
Here are some more Giannis superlatives for you. The “Greek Freak” joins Michael Jordan as the only players in league history to build a resume that includes a Finals MVP, NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star Game MVP.
A respectable outing from Chris Paul was not enough for the Suns, who have lost all three of their NBA Finals appearances. Paul, still striving for a title, had a team-high 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting in the loss, but the rest of Phoenix’s starters made just 19 of their 52 field goal attempts (36.5 percent).
Back to Giannis. Giannis’ 50-point performances is up there with some of the all-time great Finals performances: there had only been six 50-point efforts in NBA Finals history, with Giannis’ game marking the seventh. Elgin Baylor (61 points, Lakers, 1962), Michael Jordan (55 points, Bulls, 1993), Rick Barry (55 points, Warriors, 1967), Jerry West (55 points, Lakers, 1969), LeBron James (51 points, Cavaliers, 2018) and Bob Pettit (50 points, Hawks, 1958) are the others.
