When the second defeat could no longer be prevented, Giannis Antetokounmpo sat on the sidelines and looked exhausted into the raging basketball hall of the Phoenix Suns. The opponent's fans cheered on Thursday evening (local time) their stars Chris Paul (23 points) and Devin Booker (31) as well as the unexpectedly strong Mikal Bridges (27), who made it 118: 108 against the Milwaukee Bucks and the first two of them have already won the necessary four victories on the way to the first NBA title in the history of the Suns. The last injured Greek had to realize that it is not enough against this opponent if only he himself plays above average.
“We know what is important now, that's simple: we have to do our job. We have to go home and protect our home, "said the 26-year-old and repeated, also for himself, again and again at the press conference:" We will find a way to win. "Game three is on Monday night ( 2.00 a.m. / CEST) like game four in Wisconsin in front of your own fans.
All five Suns starting players got at least ten points - Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, with his 15 baskets from the game, had more than twice as many as anyone else in the Bucks jersey. The forward, who was twice voted the most valuable player in the NBA, recorded 41 points, plus twelve rebounds and four assists. Khris Middleton with eleven and Jrue Holiday with 17 points, however, fell short of expectations and could not fulfill their intended roles in the structure of the team in the second final game. "We need all three of the guys, they just have to keep working and then it'll be fine," said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer.
"We had a lot of free throws that we didn't do," said Holiday. “There are more than a few in and out in the first half. That's just the way it is sometimes, "explained Middleton, looking at the upcoming two home games:" It's going to be tough. We have to be ready for a dog fight. We've been in this hole before, we have to make it out again. ”The team were also 0-2 down against the Brooklyn Nets.
Antetokounmpo missed the last two games in the Finals of the Eastern Conference after he hyperextended his left knee. There was absolutely nothing to be seen of that, almost single-handedly he heaved his team back into the game in the third quarter when he scored 20 points in a quarter like no other NBA professional in a final game since 1993. " It's about the head, both teams have so much talent. Everyone gets tired at some point. You just have to keep applying pressure, that's what I tried to do, ”said Antetokounmpo.
"When we were 15, 16 points behind, Giannis took over a big piece and we were there with six points four and a half minutes before the end," said Budenholzer. But it stayed that way because the teammates failed to make their contribution. Middleton, for example, only hit two out of ten attempts by the middle of the third quarter. "Whenever they came up to six or seven points, we had an answer," said Suns coach Monty Williams.