GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO ended one of the greatest NBA Finals ever with 50 points — and a championship Milwaukee waited 50 years to win again, after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson led the Bucks to the championship in 1971. Antetokounmpo had 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 to win the series 4-2 Tuesday. It was the third game this series with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds for Antetokounmpo, a dominant, debut finals performance that takes its place among some of the game’s greatest. He shot 16 for 25 from the field and made an unbelievable 17-of-19 free throws — a spectacular performance for any shooter. The Bucks became the fifth team to win the NBA Finals after trailing 2-0 and the first to do it by winning the next four games since Miami against Dallas in 2006. The Bucks won them largely because of Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP in the regular season who raised his game even higher in the finals and was voted the NBA Finals MVP. Khris Middleton scored 17 points for the Bucks and Bobby Portis came off the bench with 16. Jrue Holiday had 12 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to go along with his usual sturdy defense that helped finally cool off Booker. The game was tied at 77 after three quarters but Antetokounmpo had 13 points in the fourth to make sure Milwaukee wouldn’t have to go back to Phoenix for Game 7. The Suns returned to the postseason for the first time since 2010 but remain without a title and have never won more than two games in their three appearances in the NBA Finals. (SD-Agencies) |