NBA Finals: Series Tied at 2-2 Going Into Game 5 Tonight

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The Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks have now evened out the NBA Finals at two games apiece!

Going into the 2021 NBA Finals, the expectations for one team to run off with the series early was very low. Both Phoenix and Milwaukee have played lights out all season long while transitioning that same energy into the playoffs and throughout it.

The Bucks finished the regular season with the most points per game in the whole league at 120.1 while holding the second-best offensive pace. Their offensive rating was sixth in the entire NBA during the time earning the tenth spot for their defensive rating. They were top five in rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game, and three-pointers made per game this last season.

During the playoffs, Milwaukee showed the world that they aren’t the same team from last year or the year before that by losing legitimately early. This year, the Bucks defeated the defending Eastern Conference champions in the Miami Heat in four games. A clean sweep. After the first round, they faced a juggernaut but injured squad the Brooklyn Nets in the semi-finals. This series was one of the most exciting ones to watch all 2021 playoffs because it had two of the greatest players in the world in today’s game. The series went onto seven games where it was anyone’s game to the last final second. Milwaukee was able to overcome the three-headed monster. After advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, many people already picked the Bucks to advance to the NBA Finals because they were going to face a young, fast, tough Atlanta Hawks team. The Hawks gave the Bucks a fight for their money, but it wasn’t nearly close enough to what they needed to win this series. Milwaukee won their first-ever Eastern Conference Finals in six games.

Phoenix was another team that shined all season long including in their first-ever playoffs since 2010. Since the start of the season, the Suns have been on a tear. They finished fifth in offensive rating and ninth in defensive rating which makes them better than the Bucks in these two categories. Also, they finished the season with 115.3 points per game which place them seventh throughout the whole league while holding opponents to 109.5 points per game additionally placing them seventh in the NBA. The Suns were top five in different categories this season which included in free-throw percentage per game, three-pointers made per game, field goal percentage per game, assists per game, and rebounds per game.

All through the playoffs, Phoenix has been forcing the fans of the game to open their eyes to see the amazing on-court performances that they provide. They did not make the playoffs for many years and now they earned the second seed in the Western Conference. In the first round, they played the defending NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers which made Phoenix the ultimate underdog even though they were the better seed. The Suns beat the Lakers in six games to advance to the semi-finals against the Denver Nuggets. Many people were expecting to see a long, hard-fought series, but Phoenix had other ideas. They defeated the Nuggets in four games sending them home with no confidence in their squad. In the Western Conference Finals, the Suns faced off against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers had a team that never knew how to quit but fell short to Devin Booker and the Suns. Phoenix advanced to their first-ever NBA Finals in nearly three decades.

Now, The Bucks and Suns come together to put on a show for all NBA fans and have not disappointed up to this point. Phoenix has home-court advantage throughout this whole series and they are making sure to win these home games. The first game was a very entertaining one which had either team winning the game before half-time, but then the third quarter came along and the Suns just went off scoring 35 points. Milwaukee ended up winning the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to win the game. Next game, the first quarter started off fairly even, but then the Suns went on a tear in the second quarter which put them up 11 at the half. It was still anyone’s game of course, but both teams keep fighting really hard so, Phoenix maintained the league to end the game. The series went on to Milwaukee with the Phoenix Suns up 2-0.

Holding onto a powerful 2-0 lead going into Milwaukee’s house, Phoenix had all the confidence in the world, but the Bucks were not going to give up so easily. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished Game 2 with 42 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and one steal so, he did what he had to do, but wasn’t enough. In Game 3, he made sure he did the same thing again to help his team win. He scored 41 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out six assists, and got one steal. Back to back 40+ points for the Greek Freak! The Bucks finally win a game and make the series 2-1. For Game 4, it was a back and forth game until the last few minutes of the game where Milwaukee just took over. Devin Booker and Khris Middleton were going at each other’s necks all night long. Both of them scoring 40 or more points in the game. Giannis was able to make a huge block on a potential game-winning dunk from Deandre Ayton. The Bucks end up winning Game 4 which has tied up the series at two each.

Game 5 will be in Phoenix again and if the same situation keeps happening where the home teams win their home games then a potential Game 7 could be upon us next week. Tonight we will see if the Suns can keep that home-court advantage or if the Bucks upset the Suns and steal a game in their house!