Tens of thousands of fans waited outside Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee for a large street party to watch the game on big screens, and they went wild when the final buzzer sounded for Milwaukee’s 105-98 win. This was the lowest-scoring game in the series.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, a 6-foot-11 power forward who was the league’s back-to-back MVP following the 2019 and 2020 seasons, led the Bucks with 50 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Antetokounmpo won the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award.
Antetokounmpo wanted to bring a championship culture to the city, and he thanked his teammates, the organization and the city for letting the pieces fall into place. This included special thanks to teammate Khris Middleton, who’s been on the Bucks for eight years with Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo had a scary knee injury during the playoffs, and many wondered if he would return. He worked the kinks out from the hyperextended knee and finally made a comeback in Game 2 of the Finals, scoring 42 points in a loss that put the Suns ahead 2-0 in the series. Antetokounmpo dropped 41 points in a Game 3 win, and then 26 in a Game 4 win where teammate Khris Middleton scored 40.
Antetokounmpo had one of the most iconic NBA Finals performances of all-time with his series. By the end of the game, fans at Fiserv Forum chanted “MVP, MVP, MVP.”
It’s the first NBA title for the Bucks since the 1970-71 season, when Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) led them to the only title in team history. The Bucks made the Finals again during 1974 before losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games.
With 65,000 fans allowed outside the arena in the Deer District, Wisconsin ordered 150 national guard troops to mobilize in the area for post-game celebrations that could potentially get out of hand.
Kris Middleton scored 17 points for the Bucks.
Suns guard Chris Paul, who was in his first NBA Finals during his illustrious career, led Phoenix with 26 points.
The Bucks, which were seeded No. 3 in the Eastern Conference, swept the Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs. After dropping the first two games at the Brooklyn Nets in the conference semifinals, the Bucks won four of the next five games—including a Game 7 at Brooklyn—to advance to the conference finals.
The Atlanta Hawks won the first game in Milwaukee, and the Bucks won the next two. The Hawks tied the series at 2-2, and the Bucks won Game 5 in Milwaukee and Game 6 in Atlanta.
Had Phoenix beaten Milwaukee on Tuesday, then a series-deciding Game 7 would have been this Thursday in Phoenix.
This is a developing story.
