5 Things that went wrong for the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals

The Phoenix Suns suffered a crushing 105-98 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals. After going 2-0 up, the Suns lost four straight games to the Bucks and missed a chance to give Phoenix its first-ever NBA championship.

It seems like an eternity ago when the Phoenix Suns won the first two games of the Finals by double-digits each time, prompting fans and the media to coronate them so early in the series. Needing to win just two more times in the next five games, the Suns couldn’t even beat the Bucks at least once in the succeeding four contests.

So what happened to the Suns?

Check out the 5 things that didn’t go the Phoenix Suns’ way in the 2021 NBA Finals:

#1 Chris Paul and Devin Booker didn’t always play well at the same time

Devin Booker #1 reacts in the final seconds in the team's loss.

Granted, Chris Paul and Devin Booker played excellently in Games 1, 2 and 5, but the duo shortchanged the Phoenix Suns when they had their worst postseason performances ever in two of the last four games of the NBA Finals.

Booker had a forgettable outing in Game 3 when he scored only 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-7 from 3-point territory in 29 minutes. He also made just 3-of-5 free throws (60%). The 24-year-old made up for it in the next two games when he scored at least 40 points or more.

In Game 4, it was Paul’s turn to score just 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field, including 0-of-2 from three. He had seven assists but turned the ball over five times.

By Game 6, it was Booker again who struggled to make his shots, going 8-of-22 from the floor and missing all seven of his 3-point attempts for 19 points.

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#2 The Phoenix Suns let their emotions get the best of them

Head coach Monty Williams talks with his players.

The Milwaukee Bucks never got too high or too low after each game, staying even-keeled regardless of the result. In contrast, the Phoenix Suns were a highly emotional group, celebrating wildly after each win and spurring on the crowd to get themselves pumped up emotionally for the games.

But their emotions ran amok in this series. After being the tamer team in the Western Conference Finals, the Phoenix Suns wore their emotions on their sleeves in the NBA Finals. They complained to the referees incessantly, committed frustration fouls after not getting calls, and looked overconfident after winning the first two games.

There were times when the emotionality of the Phoenix Suns was warranted, but head coach Monty Williams failed to restrain his players when they had to be reined in when things didn’t go their way.

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#3 The Phoenix Suns’ 3-point shooting abandoned them in Game 6

Mikal Bridges #25 shoots against Jrue Holiday #21.

The Phoenix Suns were seventh in the league in 3-point shooting percentage at 37.8 during the regular season. They were even better in the NBA Finals, making 60 of their 147 attempts (40.8%) from beyond the arc.

But after losing the last three games of the NBA Finals and facing the prospect of not winning a championship, the Phoenix Suns came out firing blanks from 3-point range in Game 6. They made just 6-of-25 from outside the arc for a frigid 24.0 percent 3-point shooting. If they had cashed in on just four of their attempts, they could have extended the series to a seventh game.

The Milwaukee Bucks actually had plenty of defensive miscues that allowed the Phoenix Suns to have several open looks at the basket. But the Suns also clanked a ton of the open threes handed to them and have no one to blame but themselves for not taking advantage of their opportunities.

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#4 No one could guard Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 celebrates during the second half in Game 3.

If there was one player that the Phoenix Suns could point to that dictated the series, that player would be Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak was unstoppable in the NBA Finals, scoring 40 or more points three times, including the 50-point performance in the Game 6 clincher.

In the NBA Finals, he averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

Antetokounmpo is the unlikeliest player to score so many points in the Finals given his limited range and poor free-throw shooting in the 2021 NBA Playoffs (58.7%). Nonetheless, these limitations didn’t keep the two-time MVP from attacking the basket and putting pressure on the Suns’ defense.

Deandre Ayton tried his hand at bothering Antetokounmpo with his length and size. But the 2021 NBA Finals MVP ran rings around him and all the other Phoenix Suns players who dared to get in his way. Ayton was in foul trouble in two of the six games and the Suns sent Antetokounmpo to the line 85 times in the six-game series. That’s a whopping 14.2 free-throw attempts per game by the Bucks big man.

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#5 Too many turnovers especially during clutch moments

Deandre Ayton #22 reacts against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5.

The Phoenix Suns are one of the most sure-handed teams in the NBA. During the 2020-21 regular season, they were fourth in the league with only 12.0 turnovers a game. In the playoffs, they tightened their handles and committed just 11.0 turnovers a game in the first three rounds.

But in the NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns uncharacteristically gave up the ball 12.3 times per game in the six games. It was even worse in the four losses, as they committed 53 turnovers for an average of 13.3 an outing.

Moreover, Paul and Booker were guilty of surrendering the ball to their opponent during the most crucial moments. In Game 4, Paul had two costly turnovers in the final four minutes. In Game 5, it was Booker’s turn to give up the ball with 16.7 seconds remaining. Finally, in Game 6, Booker had the ball stolen from him by P.J. Tucker with 4:12 remaining, and then fouled the Bucks forward out of frustration at the other end.

Perhaps it’s the glare of the Finals spotlight or the fact that this was their first time in the playoffs, but the Phoenix Suns’ poor execution, especially in crunch time, doomed them in the NBA Finals.

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