The 2021 NBA Finals was the
championship series
In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match sy ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
's (NBA)
2020–21 season and conclusion of
the season's playoffs. In this
best-of-seven playoff
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly ...
series, the
Eastern Conference champion
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
defeated the
Western Conference champion
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...
, 4–2, winning their first NBA championship in 50 years and their second title overall. Holding
home-court advantage
In team sports, the term home advantage – also called home ground, home field, home-field advantage, home court, home-court advantage, defender's advantage or home-ice advantage – describes the benefit that the home team is said to gai ...
, the Suns led the series 2–0 before the Bucks came back and won the next four games, becoming the fifth team in NBA history to win the championship after losing the first two games. Milwaukee's
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (born Adetokunbo; December 6, 1994) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Antetokounmpo's country of origin, in addition to his s ...
was named
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of e ...
(MVP).
With the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
altering the NBA's schedule for the second consecutive year, the start date of the series was pushed from its usual time in late May or early June to July 6, the second-latest start in Finals' history.
This was the first NBA Finals since
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
to not have
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...
or
Stephen Curry as one of the players.
Milwaukee and Phoenix were two of five teams in the league with an active
championship drought of 50 years or more. Prior to 2021, the Bucks won their only title in
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
, while the Suns have yet to win a title since joining the league in 1968. They were both making their third Finals appearance. Phoenix and Milwaukee each began play as
expansion team
An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
s in
1968. Both teams were involved in a coin toss for the rights to the
first overall pick in the
1969 NBA draft
The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 7 and May 7, 1969, before the 1969–70 season. In this draft, fourteen NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college bas ...
, which the Bucks won and used to select Lew Alcindor, later known as
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran.
Given name Karim
* Karim A ...
, from
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. He led the Bucks to their first championship in 1971. The 2021 Finals was the first since 1971 to not include any players who had previously won an NBA championship, and the first since 2015 that no players on the winning team had prior NBA Finals experience. The Suns'
Jae Crowder
Corey Jae Crowder (born July 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Not being heavily recruited out of high school, Crowder committed to South Georgia Technical ...
was the only player in the series who previously played in the Finals, making it just the second time since the first Finals that fewer than two players had previously appeared in the championship series; no players had previously played in the Finals in the
1977 series.
Background
Impact of COVID-19
The
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
impacted the NBA for the second straight year. The regular season was reduced to 72 games for each team, and was held from December 22, 2020, to May 16, 2021.
The playoffs started on May 22.
Milwaukee Bucks
![20140101 Jrue Holiday (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/20140101_Jrue_Holiday_%28cropped%29.JPG)
The Bucks finished with the league's best record in the prior two seasons before suffering disappointments in the playoffs. In the offseason, they were at risk of losing two-time
NBA Most Valuable Player Award
The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Starting with the 2022–23 ...
-winner
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (born Adetokunbo; December 6, 1994) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Antetokounmpo's country of origin, in addition to his s ...
in
free agency
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...
.
[ To improve their roster, the Bucks acquired guard ]Jrue Holiday
Jrue Randall Holiday (; born June 12, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins before being selected ...
, a highly respected defensive player and an All-Star in 2013, from the New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...
in a four-team trade, surrendering a bounty in starting point guard Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe (born December 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He plays the point guard position. After a season of college basketball with the Kentucky Wil ...
, George Hill, the rights to R. J. Hampton
Roderick "R. J." Hampton Jr. (born February 7, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NB ...
, and a package of future draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
picks.[ Milwaukee later re-signed Antetokounmpo, and had previously re-signed forward ]Khris Middleton
James Khristian Middleton (born August 12, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a three-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Bucks in 2 ...
and center Brook Lopez
Brook Robert Lopez (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played two years of college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal.
Lopez was selecte ...
. The team finished the season with a 46–26 record and clinched the 3-seed in the Eastern Conference.
In the first round, the Bucks won in a four-game sweep over sixth-seeded Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...
, to whom they had lost in the previous season's conference semifinals. However, Milwaukee lost starting guard Donte DiVincenzo
Donte DiVincenzo (born January 31, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats, where he won national cham ...
for the season after he tore a ligament in his left ankle in Game 3. A two-way contributor, he was the team's sixth-leading scorer in the regular season, making 38% of his three-point field goal
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...
s. The Bucks then faced the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...
, losing the first two games before winning the series in seven.[ After taking a 2–1 lead in the conference finals against the fifth-seeded ]Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
, Antetokounmpo went down in game four with a hyperextension
Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...
to his left knee, allowing the Hawks to win game four and tie the series. Despite Antetokounmpo's absence, the Bucks were still able to close out the Hawks in six games behind the timely contributions of Lopez, Middleton, and Holiday to reach the Finals for the first time since 1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
.
This marked the first time a team from Milwaukee reached a championship series of the four major North American sports leagues since 1982 when the Brewers made the World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns had just a .302 winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...
in the previous five seasons entering the 2020–21 season, which is the worst winning percentage in the five years prior for a team advancing to the final playoff round in any of the four major American professional sports leagues. During the 2020 offseason, Phoenix acquired All-Star Chris Paul
Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and “The Point God”, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is widely regarded as one o ...
from the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
by trading away Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., and a future first-round draft pick. The Suns, led by Paul, rising star Devin Booker
Devin Armani Booker (born October 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of former basketball player Melvin Booker. After playing college basketba ...
, 2018 first overall pick Deandre Ayton
Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. (born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Conference in the 2017 ...
, and second-year head coach Monty Williams
Tavares Montgomery Williams (born October 8, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player and executive who is the head coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Williams played for five NBA ...
, finished the season with a 51–21 record as the No. 2 seed, their first winning season since the 2013–14 season, and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
.[ They also clinched the Pacific division for the first time since 2006–07.
Phoenix began their playoff run by defeating the seventh-seeded and defending ]NBA champion
The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series for the NBA held at the conclusion of its postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Con ...
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
in the opening round in six games. In the conference semifinals, they swept the third-seeded Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
. The Suns then defeated Chris Paul's former team, the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
, in the conference finals in six games, advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
. At 36 years old, Paul made his first Finals appearance after 16 seasons in the league and 10 All-NBA selections.[
This marked the first time since 2009 that a team from Phoenix made a championship series from the four major North American sports leagues, when the ]Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
reached Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
.
Road to the Finals
Regular season series
The Suns won the regular season series 2–0, with both wins decided by a single point.
Series summary
Game summaries
:''Note: Times are EDT ( UTC−4) as listed by NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.''
Game 1
Chris Paul
Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and “The Point God”, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is widely regarded as one o ...
scored 32 points and had nine assists and Devin Booker
Devin Armani Booker (born October 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of former basketball player Melvin Booker. After playing college basketba ...
added 27 points to lead Phoenix to a 118–105 win over Milwaukee. After he opened the third quarter with a jump shot for the first double-digit lead of the game, Paul later scored eight straight points for the Suns and scored 16 overall in the quarter. Phoenix led 88–68 with 2:20 remaining in the quarter after Paul passed to Deandre Ayton
Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. (born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Conference in the 2017 ...
, who was fouled and made two free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the Key (basketball), restricted ...
s.[ In his return from his knee injury, Bucks star ]Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (born Adetokunbo; December 6, 1994) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Antetokounmpo's country of origin, in addition to his s ...
returned and had 20 points, 17 rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
in limited minutes due to foul trouble, and made a chase-down block
Block or blocked may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting
* W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...
of a layup attempt by Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges (born August 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats, winning national championships in 2016 ...
that was reminiscent of " The Block" by LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...
on Andre Iguodala
Andre Tyler Iguodala ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The swingman was an NBA All-Star in 2012 and has been named to t ...
in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals.[ Antetokounmpo's availability was not confirmed until almost an hour before tip-off, and he played with few signs of injury.
Milwaukee pulled to within seven points midway through the fourth quarter, but Paul passed to Booker for a 3-pointer and then stole the ball from the Bucks' ]Khris Middleton
James Khristian Middleton (born August 12, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a three-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Bucks in 2 ...
and hit a jumper to extend the lead to 106–94. Ayton finished the game with 22 points and 19 rebounds for Phoenix.[ Middleton scored 29 on 26 shots for the Bucks, but did not attempt a free throw. Teammate ]Jrue Holiday
Jrue Randall Holiday (; born June 12, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins before being selected ...
shot just 4 for 14. Milwaukee center Brook Lopez
Brook Robert Lopez (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played two years of college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal.
Lopez was selecte ...
was targeted on switches
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...
by the Suns, and he was on the bench for most of the second half while Antetokounmpo played center.
The Suns had 26 free throw attempts in the game, 10 more than the Bucks. Phoenix made their first 25 free throws and nearly set a record for most free throws in a game without a miss until Jae Crowder
Corey Jae Crowder (born July 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Not being heavily recruited out of high school, Crowder committed to South Georgia Technical ...
missed with 24.8 seconds left in the game. The Suns finished 25 of 26 on their free throws compared to the Bucks' 9 for 16.[ The loss by the Bucks marked the third straight series in which they trailed.][
]
Game 2
Booker scored 31 points and Paul had 23 as the Suns won 118–108 to take a 2–0 series lead. Phoenix made 20 of its 40 three-pointers, including seven makes from Booker. Bridges added 27 points and seven rebounds for the Suns, and Paul also had eight assists.[ Antetokounmpo had 42 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee.][ Phoenix was up 65–50 towards the start of the third period, but Antetokounmpo scored 20 points in the quarter, including a stretch of 13 consecutive points for the Bucks, to keep his team in the game.][
The Bucks outscored the Suns 20–0 in the ]key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
in the opening period, but Phoenix made eight 3-pointers and trailed just 29–26. With less than five minutes remaining in the first half, the game was tied at 41 before Phoenix ended with a 15–4 run.[ On their last possession, the Suns made 10 passes, with every team member touching the ball, culminating in Bridges passing the ball to Ayton, who laid it in while being fouled.][ Phoenix weathered Antetokounmpo's 20-point quarter in the third, when he joined ]Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...
, Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for ''NBA TV''. The 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as well as the 75 Grea ...
, and Joe Dumars as the other players to score at least 20 in a quarter during a finals game.[ Milwaukee cut the lead to six in the fourth quarter, but a 3-pointer by Paul and a basket by Bridges expanded the lead back to double figures,][ and Booker made three of his 3-point shots to fend off the Bucks.][
Antetokounmpo had more than twice as many ]field goals
A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
as any other teammate, shooting 15 for 22 from the field, and 11 for 18 from the free-throw line.[ Holiday scored 17 for Milwaukee on just 7-for-21 shooting, and Middleton had 11 points but was 5 for 16.][ Crowder bounced back from an 0-for-8 shooting performance in Game 1 with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix.][
]
Game 3
Antetokounmpo had 41 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and Milwaukee won 120–100 at home to cut Phoenix's series lead to 2–1. He received more support from his teammates in Game 3. Holiday scored 21 points and was 5 of 10 on 3-pointers,[ and Middleton scored 18.] The Suns got 19 points and nine assists from Paul,[ but his fellow guard Booker was limited to 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting, as the Bucks sent multiple defenders at him.][
The Suns started the game strongly with Ayton scoring 12 points in the first quarter. However, he was limited by foul trouble the rest of the game. Milwaukee took control of the contest with a 30–9 run to end the first half and a 16–0 finish to the third quarter. The Suns pulled to within 74–70 in the third after outscoring the Bucks 14–5, but Milwaukee closed out the quarter with a 24–6 scoring run to lead 98–76.][ The Bucks were 14 of 36 from three-point range for the game after making just 5 of 18 in the first half.][ They limited Phoenix to just nine 3-pointers,][ though Crowder was 6-of-7 from behind the arc and scored 18 points. The Bucks also outscored the Suns 54–40 in the paint,][ and all 14 of Antetokounmpo's field goals were within of the basket.]
Antetokounmpo became the second player to have consecutive Finals games with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds, joining Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
in 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
. He also posted his 11th game in the playoffs with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran.
Given name Karim
* Karim A ...
's team mark set in 1974 for most in one postseason.[ Antetokounmpo was an improved 13 of 17 on his free throws, as Bucks fans chanted "M-V-P", compared to fans on the road mocking him with a sped-up timer count,][ as his lengthy deliberate free throw routine could take longer than the league's 10-second rule to shoot which would result in a violation.
]
Game 4
Middleton scored 40 points, including 10 straight for Milwaukee in the closing moments, and the Bucks won 109–103 to tie the series 2–2. Booker rebounded from his Game 3 struggles to score a game-high 42 points, but his playing time was restricted late by foul trouble. The Suns led for 37:55 of the first 44 minutes of the game.[ With 3:42 left in the fourth and the Suns up by three Jrue Holiday attempted a layup and received a great deal of contact from Devin Booker with no call (the play was determined to be a foul by the NBA in the Last 3:30 Report after the game). If Devin Booker had received the foul, it would have been his sixth, resulting in him being ejected and hugely affecting the game. This sparked a lot of controversy online, with the decision to not call the foul being criticised by fans and sports media. They were up two with minutes remaining when Middleton scored the next eight points in the contest.][ He made consecutive midrange jump shots to place Milwaukee up for good at 101–99 with 1:28 in the game.] Jumping off the left leg that he hyperextended two weeks earlier,[ Antetokounmpo blocked a potential game-tying ]alley-oop
An alley-oop in basketball is an offensive play in which one player throws the ball near the basket to a teammate who jumps, catches the ball in mid-air and dunks or lays it in before touching the ground.
The alley-oop combines elements of team ...
by Ayton with 1:14 left,[ prompting fans and media to debate the play's standing among the greatest blocks of all-time.] After Paul lost his balance of his own accord and turned over the ball, Holiday picked up the loose ball and Middleton made a fast-break layup and with 27.2 seconds left for a four-point lead.[ He capped off his run with four free throws to bring the score to 107–101.][ The Bucks outscored the Suns 33–21 in the fourth quarter.] Antetokounmpo finished with 26 points along with 14 rebounds and eight assists.[
Phoenix made 51.3% of their shots compared to Milwaukee's 40.2%, but they took 19 fewer shots (78–97) due to turnovers and offensive rebounds, outperformed by the Bucks 17–5 in both.] The Bucks scored 24 points off turnovers,[ and their offensive boards led to 19 second-chance points.][ Crowder scored 15 points for Phoenix, while Paul was held to 10 points on 5–13 shooting and committed five turnovers. Holiday scored 13 on just 4 for 20 shooting, but he added seven rebounds, seven assists and only one turnover, while his defense disrupted Paul.][ The Bucks also got 14 points from Lopez and 11 points and nine rebounds from ]Pat Connaughton
Patrick Bergin Connaughton ( ; born January 6, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he primarily plays as a shooting guard.
Connaughton previously played ...
.[ Middleton and Antetokounmpo became the third set of teammates to score 40 or more points in games in the same Finals series, joining Abdul-Jabbar and ]Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...
with the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
(1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
) and LeBron James and Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Andrew Irving (; lkt, Ȟéla, italic=no, ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected b ...
while with the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
(2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
).
Game 5
With Milwaukee leading by one with about 16 seconds remaining in the game, Holiday stole the ball from Phoenix's Booker and passed to Antetokounmpo for an alley-oop and a free throw (fouled by Paul on the finish) to secure the game for a 123–119 Bucks' win and a 3–2 series lead. Milwaukee recovered from an early 16-point deficit to outscore Phoenix 87–57 from the start of the second quarter to around the nine-minute mark of the fourth quarter. The Suns were down 10 with minutes left in the game before a basket by Paul cut it to 120–119 with 56 seconds to play.[ Holiday had 27 points, 13 assists and three steals.][ Antetokounmpo had 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Middleton finished with 29 points.][ Booker had a game-high 40 points,][ his second-straight contest with at least 40.][
Phoenix made 14 of 19 shots in the first quarter, including a stretch of 11 straight makes,][ and led 37–21 after the first period.][ However, Milwaukee outscored them 21–5 to open the second quarter, tying the game at 42 on a 3-pointer by Connaughton with 7:48 left in the half.][ Holiday scored 14 in the quarter,][ when the Bucks scored a record 43 points in a quarter by a road team in the Finals, and they led 64–61 at halftime.][ After three quarters, the Bucks had made 62.1% of their shots, rivaling ]Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...
's single-game Finals record of 62.5% in Game 3 of the 2009 finals against the Lakers. Milwaukee led 108–94 after a basket by Holiday with about nine minutes remaining in the game, but the Suns mounted their comeback to pull within one in the final minute.[ After a Holiday miss, Booker rebounded the ball and dribbled it upcourt himself. He stopped and pivoted in the paint, when Holiday forcefully pulled the ball from his hands for the steal.][ After initially intending to run down the clock,] Holiday instead passed it for the dunk by Antetokounmpo, who was begging for the ball. Fouled on the play by Paul, Antetokounmpo missed the free throw,[ making just 4 of 11 in the game.][ However, he volleyed the ball for an offensive rebound by Middleton, who made one of two free throws for the final score of the game.][
Milwaukee became the first team in the series to win on the road.][ Antetokounmpo, Holiday and Middleton combined for 88 points, becoming the fifth trio to each score 25 points on 50% shooting in a single Finals game, and the first to accomplish the feat since the Lakers' Abdul-Jabbar (36 points), ]James Worthy
James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers ...
(33), and Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...
(26) in 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
. Phoenix lost three straight games for only the second time in the season, the first occurring six months earlier.[ Paul ended the game with 21 points, 11 assists and one turnover,][ while Ayton finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Booker became the first player in the Finals to score at least 40 in consecutive games and lose both.][ Antetokounmpo and him were the first pair of players to score 40+ twice in the same Finals.][ Bucks' role player ]Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Athanasios Rotimi "Thanasis" Antetokounmpo, (born Adetokunbo; July 18, 1992) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at 6 feet and 7 inches, he plays the ...
, the older brother of Giannis, and assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer were away from the team due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The NBA also replaced referee Sean Wright after he entered health and safety protocols.[
]
Game 6
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a playoff career-high 50 points and added 14 rebounds and five blocks to lead the Bucks to a 105–98 victory to win the series in six games. The 50 points tied a Finals record for the most scored by a player in a series-clinching game, set by Bob Pettit
Robert Lee Pettit Jr. (born December 12, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965). In 1956, he became the first recipient of the NBA's Mo ...
of the St. Louis Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
in 1958. After his dominant performance in the series, including his third game with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds, Antetokounmpo was named the Finals MVP,[ the youngest winner at age 26 since ]Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...
(22) in 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. Antetokounmpo made 16 of his 25 shots, and was a surprising 17 for 19 on his free throws after hitting just 55.6% in the playoffs. The game was tied at 77 after three quarters before he scored 13 in the final period to lead Milwaukee to its first championship since 1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
, when they were led by Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...
. Paul led the Suns with 26 points.
Middleton scored 17 and reserve Bobby Portis
Bobby Portis Jr. (born February 10, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks, earning consensus second-team ...
added 16 for the Bucks. Holiday had 12 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. His defense helped limit Booker to 19 points on just 8-for-22 shooting, missing all seven of his 3-point attempts. Milwaukee became the fifth team to come back from a 2–0 deficit in the Finals, and the first to do so by winning the next four games since Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
defeated Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
in 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
.[ They also became the second team in NBA history to come back from down 2–0 twice in the same playoffs after the 2020–21 Los Angeles Clippers also did so in consecutive rounds. The Suns have won two games in each of their three Finals appearances.][ Paul became the first player in NBA playoff history to lose four series in which his team led 2–0.
]
Rosters
Player statistics
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 6 , , 40.2 , , .455 , , .268 , , .875 , , 3.5 , , 4.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 28.2
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;,
, 6 , , 6 , , 37.3 , , .550 , , .522 , , .750 , , 2.7 , , 8.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 21.8
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 6 , , 37.5 , , .531 , , .000 , , .909 , , 12.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , 14.7
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 6 , , 32.0 , , .531 , , .429 , , .917 , , 4.2 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 12.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 6 , , 37.2 , , .412 , , .410 , , .857 , , 8.5 , , 1.7 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 11.7
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 0 , , 22.7 , , .486 , , .435 , , 1.000 , , 3.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 8.5
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 0 , , 15.7 , , .463 , , .357 , , .500 , , 2.5 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 7.3
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 4 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .667 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 3.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 0 , , 10.7 , , .400 , , .300 , , .500 , , 1.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.8
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 1 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 2 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0
, -! style="background:#FDE910;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:left; background:#FDE910",
, 6 , , 6 , , 39.8 , , .618 , , .200 , , .659 , , 13.2 , , 5.0 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , 35.2
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 6 , , 42.5 , , .448 , , .356 , , .889 , , 6.3 , , 5.3 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 24.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 6 , , 41.7 , , .361 , , .314 , , .917 , , 6.2 , , 9.3 , , 2.2 , , 0.7 , , 16.7
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 6 , , 24.5 , , .483 , , .238 , , .800 , , 5.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.7 , , 11.5
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 6 , , 31.3 , , .500 , , .500 , , .000 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 0 , , 30.0 , , .475 , , .441 , , .500 , , 5.8 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 9.2
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 0 , , 16.7 , , .425 , , .438 , , 1.000 , , 4.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 7.7
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 3 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .300 , , .333 , , .000 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 3.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 1 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 3.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 6 , , 0 , , 9.3 , , .200 , , .333 , , .667 , , 0.8 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 1.5
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 3.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 1 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;",
, 1 , , 0 , , 0.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0
* Bold: team high
*Source:
Sponsorship
As part of a multiyear partnership since 2018, the internet television service YouTube TV
YouTube TV is an American streaming television service operated by YouTube, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google. Announced on February 28, 2017, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor offers a selection of live linear channel f ...
was the presenting sponsor of the NBA Finals. YouTube TV introduced a new multi-platform ad campaign during the series featuring a grandmother using the service to watch NBA games on-demand.
Media coverage
The Finals were televised in the United States by ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
for the 19th consecutive year, and broadcast through ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...
nationally. Each of the games' intro videos were directed by Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
.
As with the previous years, the series was called by Mike Breen
Michael Breen (born May 22, 1961) is an American play-by-play sports commentator for '' NBA on ABC'' and is the lead announcer for New York Knicks games on the MSG Network. Breen also calls NBA games for ESPN and was formerly a play-by-play anno ...
on play-by-play with Jeff Van Gundy
Jeffrey William Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962) is an American commentator for ESPN and former basketball coach. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his t ...
and Mark Jackson as analysts. Rachel Nichols was originally to be the sideline reporter, but Malika Andrews
Malika Rose Andrews (born January 27, 1995) is an American sports journalist and reporter. She is the host of '' NBA Today'', which replaced '' The Jump''. She joined ESPN in October 2018 as an online NBA writer and debuted as its youngest side ...
took over due to a leaked audio of Nichols saying racist comments against Maria Taylor.
Viewership
References
External links
2021 NBA Finals official website
at Basketball-Reference.com
{{NBA on ESPN Radio
2020–21 NBA season
National Basketball Association Finals
Phoenix Suns games
Milwaukee Bucks games
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
2021 in sports in Arizona
2021 in sports in Wisconsin
Sports competitions in Phoenix, Arizona
Sports competitions in Milwaukee