The crowning of the 2021 NBA Champions is upon us, as Game 1 of the NBA Finals, featuring Phoenix Suns vs Milwaukee Bucks is officially in the books. The Suns won at home, at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, 118 – 105. This was the franchise’s first Finals win since 1993 against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately, the Suns lost the series and now look to the future to clinch their first NBA title. As for the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s been an even longer time since the franchise has been to the NBA Finals, dating back to 1974; having not won a title since 1971.
Last night’s game was primarily dominated by the Suns. Both Chris Paul and Devin Booker controlled the floor, showing no mercy and total confidence in every shot. The Suns had a total of six players in double digits including Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Cameron Payne. Booker commented after the game saying,
“It’s hard to get butterflies because you understand your brother has your back, it takes a lot of pressure off you. . . You’re not pressured to go out there and play a perfect game, you can go out there and play your game.”
There were moments when the Suns allowed Milwaukee to close a 20-point gap that got as low as seven in the fourth quarter. However just as Milwaukee seemed to creep back in with some nice shots and defensive plays, it was the Suns that were able to find Milwaukee’s weak spots in transitions and turnovers. Phoenix finished the game with a total of nine steals and fewer than ten turnovers. The Suns also went 25/26 at the free-throw line, 96.2%, while the Bucks struggled going just 9/16, 56.3%, from the line.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, the team’s chemistry saw more lows than highs. It kept the team from being able to truly close the point difference. Yes, Milwaukee was blessed with having their MVP player Giannis Antetokounmpo be able to take part in Game 1 after being injured in the previous series. Unfortunately, he could not defeat the Suns alone. Only four players scored in double digits including Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Jrue Holiday. Holiday only had ten points in 40 minutes, compared to his last three games averaging 20.7pts.
During the Bucks post-game, Holiday has some things to say about his performance,
“I think I had a bad shooting night, I had a lot of opportunities to make layups and shots and they were not falling…”. Holiday also stated that he feels that he is more than just a scorer, but like tonight was able to contribute in other ways on the court through making plays and assists.”
Overall, the Suns definitely used their home-court advantage to the best of their abilities. We have to remember this is just Game 1 and that Milwaukee didn’t get this far just to back down. The battle between these two teams is going to be a good one!
Next Game: Thursday July 8th, 6:00 PM MST @ Talk Stick Resort Arena.
