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The Milwaukee Bucks are on the verge of winning the NBA title when they meet the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals on Tuesday. The match will take place at the Fiserv Forum. Closing out a team in the playoffs is always a difficult task, and even more so when it’s the Finals.
Chris Paul and his Suns are not going down quietly after working immensely hard in the regular season and the playoffs to get to this point. Despite winning the first two games in the NBA Finals, Phoenix will be playing in an elimination game after losing the last three games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing lights out basketball in the NBA Finals. Averaging 32.2 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per outing in five games, the two-time MVP is aiming to become the Finals MVP if they win the title. But his eyes are on the moment and not a potential individual award in the future.
"I kind of try to focus on the moment, in the present,” Antetokounmpo said before Game 5. “That's humility. That's being humble. That's not setting no expectation. That's going out there, enjoying the game, competing at a high level. I think I've had people throughout my life that helped me with that."
Aside from humility, what else do the Milwaukee Bucks need to do to ensure that they win Game 6 and avoid going back to Phoenix for a potential Game 7?
#1 The Milwaukee Bucks need to get Khris Middleton going early
Khris Middleton plays much better at home than on the road and that’s a good sign for the Milwaukee Bucks, who will be playing in friendly confines on Tuesday. In his 10 games at home in the playoffs, Middleton is averaging 25 points on 46.8 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent on 3-pointers.
Moreover, the Milwaukee Bucks forward seems to get cooking earlier than usual when he’s at home. In the last two games of the NBA Finals, he has averaged 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Chances are, the two-time All-Star will remain on this hot streak heading into Game 6.
But the Milwaukee Bucks can’t bank on Middleton staying hot on his own. He and Giannis Antetokounmpo will have to work their two-man game early to make sure that the man fondly known as WD-40 has the best looks possible to begin the game. From there, the Milwaukee Bucks will also have to be determined in setting plays for him and giving him plenty of touches in the third and fourth quarters regardless of how he performs in the first half.
Also check out: Giannis Antetokounmp Contract Breakdown
#2 Bully the Suns in the paint
If there was one thing that the Milwaukee Bucks have that they could exploit against the Phoenix Suns, it’s their size. But Antetokounmpo and company haven’t always made use of their height advantage to the hilt which is why they lost the first game of the NBA Finals.
In Games 1 and 5, the Suns scored more points in the paint than the Milwaukee Bucks did. Although the Bucks won Game 5, they nearly gave away a 14-point lead after Chris Paul scored on a layup to cut it down to one. That’s not something that they can allow to happen in Game 6.
Apart from just outscoring Phoenix in the paint, Milwaukee’s defense should also keep them from entering the shaded area, especially during the final minutes of the ball game.
So far, the Milwaukee Bucks have controlled the boards in every Finals game. But when the margin is four rebounds or less, they have either lost the game (Games 1 and 2) or were in significant danger of losing it (Game 5).
For the Milwaukee Bucks to secure a Game 6 victory, Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez will have to put their height and heft to good use.
#3 Force the Suns to turn the ball over
The Milwaukee Bucks have hoisted up 91.0 attempts per game in the NBA Finals compared to just 84.8 for the Phoenix Suns. That’s mostly due to the fact that the Suns have averaged 13.0 turnovers a game in their last three games compared to just 10.5 in the first two.
Jrue Holiday is as integral to the Milwaukee Bucks’ success in the Finals as Antetokounmpo and Middleton. His hounding of Chris Paul has caused the 11-time All-Star to cough up the ball at a rate of 3.6 per game in the NBA Finals. For someone who has averaged 2.4 turnovers per game in his career (including 2.2 during the 2020-21 regular season and 2.1 in these playoffs), Paul is playing out of character and that’s a testament to Holiday’s defense.
In Game 4, the Suns had 17 turnovers, five of which were by Paul and it completely ruined their chances of going up 3-1 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Paul ultimately found a way to manage his turnovers in Game 5, but Booker gave up the ball to Holiday with 16.7 seconds left, costing them the chance to take the lead.
While Holiday has the primary responsibility of making it hard for the Suns to set up their plays, Middleton and reserve guard Pat Connaughton will also be tasked with the same when they’re guarding Booker and Cameron Payne.
If the Milwaukee Bucks are aggressive without fouling on defense, Phoenix will eventually make mistakes. When that happens, the Bucks have to make it a point to score on that extra possession.
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