Middleton missed one foul shot, made the next with 9.8 seconds left to win the game and swing the series.Īll Angles: Holiday's clutch steal leads to Giannis' slam.Īs big a blow as that defeat was, as lacking as these relatively tender Suns are in battle scars and callouses, coach Monty Williams said he thinks they have a resiliency to go with their single-mindedness now of just winning one game.
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When the Greek Freak missed his and-1 free throw, it was Holiday again, batting the ball loose after Antetokounmpo’s tip until Khris Middleton secured the ball and was fouled. Then he dribbled into the frontcourt and fired a high-risk lob pass to the streaking Antetokounmpo to bump Milwaukee’s lead to 122-119. Holiday was the hub of all that, ripping the ball out of Devin Booker’s hands when the Suns wing seemed in position to put his team in front. Milwaukee fell behind by 16 early, erased all of that to lead by halftime, pushed its own margin to double digits, then had to hang on via a stunning sequence in the final minute.
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Game 5 in Phoenix, the first time in this series the road team won, had a similar feel late. His denial of Suns center Deandre Ayton at the rim on an alley-oop with 1:14 left protected a two-point lead in what became a 109-103 Bucks victory. Less so in Game 3 (a 120-100 Milwaukee victory) than Game 4, when Antetokounmpo came up with one of the best blocked shots in Finals history. I think those two games we had on the road previously in the series, we gave ourselves a chance to win the game.” You’re just looking to try to come out with a win. “You’re not looking to play a perfect game. They were down 2-1 to the Lakers in the first round and turned that bit of urgency into nine consecutive victories, eliminating LeBron James and his crew in six games, sweeping Denver, then taking a 2-0 lead against the Clippers.Ĭrowder, as a member of the Miami Heat last year in the Orlando bubble, got beat by the Lakers in six games, facing the same 3-2 deficit the Suns face. This is only the second time this postseason Phoenix has trailed in a series. How can the Suns shake off a crushing home loss to force Game 7? It brings a sense of collectiveness within your group, knowing what you’re battling and knowing what you’re going up against.” As a player, it brings out a sense of urgency. “The difference is basically, it’s win or go home,” Suns forward Jae Crowder said. Genuine, not from concentrate, nothing artificial. Maybe they can trick themselves, maybe they can’t. The Bucks can feign desperation, playing a mental game to sharpen their focus when in fact they have another opportunity if they need it.
Like we said, we got a good win that fifth game, but the job is not done.” “Playing like it’s the last game of the season. “Honestly, I think it’s about playing desperate,” he said. Remember, the Bucks trailed 2-0 to start these Finals and were down 3-2 against Brooklyn in the East finals. The Phoenix Suns, however, have one thing the Bucks do not: Desperation.Īnswering a question about close-out games, veteran Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday flipped the script and answered from the side of a team trailing or facing elimination. They even have an intangible that’s tough to measure but impossible to deny: A rabid crowd inside and out, 17,000 in the former, an expected 65,000 in the latter in the burgeoning “Deer District” plaza pandemonium. They deploy the best player in the series, Giannis Antetokounmpo. They hold home court for what could be the clincher, with a 9-1 mark at their arena in the postseason.
MILWAUKEE – On the brink of winning their franchise’s first NBA championship in 50 years, the Milwaukee Bucks will have a lot on their side entering Game 6 (9 ET, ABC) Thursday at Fiserv Forum. Can the Bucks muster the same desperation to clinch the title that the Suns will have to force Game 7?
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