The Suns further established their position as the best team in the league by beating the 2 seed in the eastern conference and reigning NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks. The suns came out on a mission and shut down the 2 time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo early in the game. The Greek Freak was unfazed and got his teammates involved, keeping the game close till the end of the 1st half. The Suns extended the lead in the last few minutes in the half and carried over that momentum into the 2nd half to blow the Bucks out.
The Bucks did come out lacking a little bit of energy, especially Giannis. He wasn’t as aggressive as he was throughout the season, even though a lot of it had to do with the Suns clogging the paint with the big bodies they signed throughout the season. The Finals MVP only had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. While Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton both had 21 points, it was not enough to overcome the suns who had 7 players with double-digit scoring.
The Suns were led to victory by the Point God Chris Paul who had 17 points and 19 assists. The Suns exploited Milwaukee’s lack of size ( Robin Lopez injured ) and went to their big man Deandre Ayton who led the game in scoring with 27 points. The suns were abused in the paint by Giannis in the finals when he dropped 50 points in game 6 of the finals to seal the deal. They have signed big men throughout the season to combat their lack of size. It proved extremely useful in this game as the suns dominated the paint by exploiting defensive mismatches.
The Bucks have addressed their lack of size by trading for big man Serge Ibaka from the Los Angeles Clippers. Serge is a champion and great rim protector that can also spread the floor offensively. The big will be a welcome addition to the team with Robin Lopez’s status being uncertain, especially after the bucks got dominated in the interior against the suns.
With the win, the suns solidify their position on the top of the western conference and continue to have the best team in the league. The way the suns look and are playing right now, they seem to be on the path to the NBA Finals with the only possible roadblock in the west being a healthy Golden State Warriors. The team is playing some great basketball and looks like they are ready to win it all this season. Who knows. They just might.
