Game Two: Living by the Three
The Phoenix Suns take Game Two thanks to their 20 made three-pointers, and in spite of Giannis' spectacular performance
Proving that the third time really is the charm, the Phoenix Suns entered Game Two of the NBA Finals with a 1-0 lead in the championship series for the first time in franchise history. The Suns were looking to double their lead in Milwaukee, but much like Game One, the first quarter saw a slow start for from Phoenix. After 12 minutes, the Milwaukee Bucks led 29-26, but also like Game One, the Suns had a strong 2nd quarter--outscoring the Bucks 30-16. The Suns never looked back afterwards, and once the dust was settled, they emerged victorious--winning 118-108.
The Suns' victory came despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's big game and many efforts to bring the Bucks back. Gianns scored 42 points, with 20 of them coming in the third quarter alone. His 20 third quarter points set an NBA Finals record for points in a single quarter, surpassing iconic legends Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in that category. Giannis also racked up a dozen boards, but also shot 18 free throws--making 11 of them. The Greek Freak was at the line a lot; I believe it's because the Suns wanted their home crowd to do that count on him. Giannis' 18 free throws were more than the Suns' entire team (Phoenix only shot 14 free throws).
So how did the Suns counter against Giannis' big game? Simple. All they did was make 20 three-pointers. The Suns shot an even 50% from behind the arc, making 20 out of the 40 they took. The big star behind the three point line was Devin Booker, going 7/12 and scoring 21 of his 31 points from behind the arc. Mikal Bridges racked up 27 points of his own, while Chris Paul scored 23 points and had 8 assists. Jae Crowder and Deandre Ayton each had a double-double, and all of that added up to another Suns victory.
The Phoenix Suns are two wins away from their first NBA Championship. They have never won more than two games in either of their past trips to the Finals. The Suns are red hot and rolling, but they have to survive the next two games in Milwaukee. Even so, the pressure is all on the Bucks. The Bucks have to win both games at home to even this series and make it a whole new ballgame. The Suns only have to win one of the two to have a chance to clinch it on their home court.
Another thing: the reason why many sports fans were eager for this NBA Finals was due to their indignation over how the Stanley Cup Final was going. The Cup Final ended in five games, though the Tampa Bay Lightning had a chance to complete a four game sweep. Despite the NBA Finals being evenly matched on paper, this has been all Suns so far. Each of the two games saw the Bucks start well during the first quarter, only for the Suns to take over the second quarter and never look back. It really does look mostly similar to how the Stanley Cup Final started, with the Lightning dominating the Canadiens easily throughout the first three games.
So with that, are we due for an underwhelming NBA Finals? The next game will tell that story. Game Three is Sunday night in Milwaukee. That will be a very pumped up crowd, and I expect the Bucks to bring their A-game and fight back in this series, because if they don't, it's pretty much over for them.
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