2021 NBA Finals: 5 Thoughts from Game 2
Mikal Bridges starred as the Phoenix Suns shot the Bucks out of the building, despite a dominant game from Giannis.
The last time the Milwaukee Bucks were down 2–0 in these playoffs, they were able to rally and defeat the Brooklyn Nets in 7 games but not without luck being in their favour, as Brooklyn suffered from injuries to both Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
As the series moves to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4, you’d have to wonder how the Bucks can dig themselves out of this hole again given how well this Suns’ team has been playing on both ends. Despite the god-like performance from Giannis, Milwaukee will need more from their other star players if they want to protect their home court and get themselves back into this series.
5 things really stood out to me during the Suns Game 2 win over the Bucks:
Mikal Bridges is a Winner
The 10th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Bridges was labeled as a prototypical “3-and-D” player who could contribute to any team with just that — hitting open 3s and playing great defense on opposing wings.
But for anyone who watched Suns games over the past 3 seasons, you’ll know that Bridges’ game is more than just 3 point shooting and elite defense. On “The Void with Kevin O’Connor” Bridges spoke about how the “3-and-D” label was “inadequate” for a player with his skill set, and as an NBA player, he likes to try and do everything and in Game 2, we got the full Mikal Bridges experience.
Finishing off with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, Bridges played the game of his life, showcasing his versatile offensive skill set and playing elite defense as the primary matchup on Khris Middleton (11 points, 5–16 FG).
As a 2-time NCAA Champion out of Villanova, winning is a part of his DNA and there’s no better stage than in the NBA Finals to show out and perform like Bridges has.
Giannis Really is a Freak
I have to keep reminding myself that just over a week ago, Giannis had suffered from a pretty bad leg injury where it looked like his whole leg had momentarily snapped at the knee.
Coming into the Finals, it was the biggest story: “how would Giannis’ injury affect the series?” but all doubts should be cast aside after his display in Game 2.
Finishing off with a game-high 42 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks, the 2-time MVP did everything in his power to keep the game alive for Milwaukee, playing the role of destroyer and flying all over the court on both ends.
In the 3rd quarter alone, Giannis scored 20 points, going on his own personal 7–0 run in just over a minute and hitting some nice shots including this bucket at the 6:29 mark in the 3rd:
Unfortunately, the Bucks were still staring down at a double-digit deficit by the end of the quarter, with the rest of the Bucks shooting only 33.9% through three quarters.
As Games 3 and 4 return to Milwaukee, Giannis will need the rest of the Bucks to step up if they’re going to have any chance of coming back in this series.
Where were the rest of the Bucks?
I loved the aggression and intensity that Jrue Holiday came out with, looking for his shot on 3 straight possessions to open up the game for the Bucks.
However, that aggression just couldn’t seem to translate over into made shots, and alongside Khris Middleton, the two co-stars for the Bucks finished off with a combined 12 of 37 from the field.
A lot of shots looked force from the pair, as the Suns’ defenders put them into bad positions and rushed them into making poor decisions on offense — Jrue Holiday was 5 of 12 in the restricted area.
I did like the Bucks’ small ball 5 lineup that was thrown out there in the last quarter, and to their credit, they battled hard in the 4th cutting down the Suns’ lead to 6 at one point.
The Bucks will need both Holiday and Middleton to step up and channel the confidence that they played with in the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals to help out Giannis and give themselves a chance as the series goes to Milwaukee for the next 2 games.
The Suns were HOT!
Phoenix came out firing, knocking down 11 triples in the 1st half and finishing the game with 20 made 3s from 40 attempts.
Led by Booker (7 3PM), Phoenix came out firing, knocking down 11 triples in the 1st half and finishing the game with 20 made 3s from 40 attempts.
One thing that stood out to me from the Suns’ 3-point barrage was the timeliness that these shots had come. It seemed as if every time that the Bucks would make a push to cut down the lead, Phoenix would come back and answer with a 3-pointer.
Aside from their 3-point shooting, Phoenix’s offense is a thing of beauty. They make excellent reads, bending the Bucks’ defense with clever passes, purposeful cuts, and smart drives to the basket — they had an answer to EVERYTHING the Bucks threw at them.
How can you even stop this?
This Sun’s Crowd is WILD
I’m so happy for the Phoenix fans.
After missing the playoffs for 11 years, and going through multiple years of being a bottom dweller of the NBA, the fans have been treated to amazing basketball and it comes at the perfect time where they have only recently been allowed to enter into the arenas again.
It’s awesome seeing just how much fun these fans are having and it’s one of the loudest crowds I’ve heard through my stream during these playoffs.
I’m expecting a similarly wild crowd back at Deer District in Milwaukee but I’ll miss the sped-up countdown of seconds during Giannis’ free throw routines.
