What Happened Last Night: NBA Finals Game 5

The soon-to -be signature dunk as Antetokounmpo (34) absorbed contact from Paul (3)  to put the dagger in the heart of the Suns for Game 5. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)

Forging a legacy of mental toughness, big shot-making and a certain unstop-ability of their superstar, the Milwaukee Bucks took a big step to claiming their championship rings in Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns and cementing said legacy. Massive performances from their big three and stout defense kept the Bucks in the game even when the Suns looked unstoppable early on. This same attitude helped them stretch their lead and when that lead evaporated late in the fourth, they found a way to close the game and win 123-119 following a late Suns’ run taking a first-time Finals lead. 

The Suns and the Bucks looked to move on from Game 4, but for different reasons. Following their disappointing finish, the Suns felt the pressure having seen a 2-0 lead evaporate before their eyes in an eventful trip to the northern Midwest. The Bucks looked to move on from their victory as to not get complacent for the next game.

With their egos dented nearly as much as their former Finals lead, the Suns came out in Game 5 with a sense of urgency. The Suns came out of the gate with their hair on fire, showing extreme precision with 83% shooting from the three-point line and remarkably hitting 73% of all their shots in the first quarter. This offensive explosion led to 37 points and a 16 point lead over the Bucks. Balanced scoring from Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and Jae Crowder all shooting efficiently from the field and putting clamps on the Bucks’ players only allowing 21 points in the period.

The Suns’ hot shooting wouldn’t last past the first quarter as they faltered down the stretch even with Booker (1) matching Antetokounmpo (34) stride for stride in scoring. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)

The trend would not continue into the second quarter as the Bucks flipped the script and began to claw back into the game with robust defense and Giannis Antetokounmpo turning into a fantastic distributor allowing the Bucks to space out their offense and punish the Suns for focusing much of their defensive attention on Antetokounmpo. 

The Bucks would continue to make the right passes with Jrue Holiday waking up on offense on their way to 43 second quarter points, a three-point lead and all of the momentum in the game heading into halftime. This avalanche was aided by a 16-3 run at the beginning of the quarter, a portion of which with Antetokounmpo on the bench assisted by a spark off the bench mixed with consistent shooting from Pat Connaughton adding nine points during the half. 

Questions must be asked if Chris Paul is healthy or if the bright lights of the Finals are getting to him as he does not pass the eye test, frequently looking lost on offense, missing makable shots, being beaten on defense when targeted and turning over the ball frequently. 

The third quarter would be more of the same from the Bucks as they continued to press their advantage and continue with their momentum generated from the second quarter. They began to attack Paul on offense and continued their hot shooting from the second quarter to extend their lead well into the third quarter. 

Holiday (21) came alive in Game 5 when his team needed it most even when guarded closely by the Suns’ defenders such as Johnson (23). (via Ross D. Franklin)

Booker was putting in maximum effort leading the charge in the third, handling the ball seemingly every time down the court when Paul was not involved, making his own shot with defenders draped over him and attempting to get his teammates involved in the Suns’ offense when their shooting seemed to cool. Holiday put together a great quarter hitting threes and playing strict defense on the Suns’ guards to keep the Suns at bay. 

The Bucks went on to dominate the quarter and finish with a ten-point lead while the Bucks’ big three combined for 65 points after just three quarters. To this point, the Bucks seemed to shift to a non-point guard-led lineup on the court in an attempt to maximize their advantage against the Suns’ smaller wing defenders to grab more rebounds and have a better opportunity to contest the Suns’ shots at the rim and on the perimeter. To end the quarter the Bucks had 100 points, which included 79 points between the second and third quarters allowing them to miraculously flip the score by 26 in two short quarters.

The fourth quarter continued similarly and it seemed the Bucks were coasting toward a 3-2 lead in the Finals and ever so closer to their first championship since the Nixon administration. 

The Bucks again went back to their no-point guard lineup giving them a sizable advantage down the stretch of the game. The Suns, and specifically Paul, decided against that narrative and started to fight back in the fourth. After being targeted all game when guarding the opposing ball-handler, Paul woke up on both ends of the court getting his arms in passing lanes and making big shots down the stretch, including an impressive layup to close the lead to one nearing the end of the fourth and facilitating the Suns’ offense that seemed stuck in the mud a quarter ago. 

Antetokounmpo (34) hit shot after shot down the stretch even when closely contested by defenders Ayton (22) and Payne (15). (Ross D. Franklin/AP)

The Suns took the Bucks’ lead and shaved it to a one-possession game late into the fourth. Booker and Paul led their team with a combined 61 points to close the gap. 

With less than 30 seconds left to go, the Suns had all the momentum and had the ball down by one. The crowd rose with a roar expecting their Suns to come through and win this game. Holiday was having none of it, rotating over after a Booker pump-fake to rip the ball away. 

Booker stood no chance as the ball shot out of his possession and Holiday guided it down the court only to throw a beautiful alley-oop pass to the Bucks’ two-time MVP who finished the play with a powerful dunk. 

To add salt to the wound, Paul feebly attempted to foul Antetokounmpo to interrupt his dunk attempt and now he will sadly forever be a highlight due to Antetokounmpo’s inhuman strength. 

This was the dagger in the heart, the Suns wouldn’t score a single point following this defining play. 

The Bucks showed championship blood the last two games, two games in which it seemed the Suns were about to swoop in and take a win at the death. 

These Bucks have shown extreme mental toughness and have answered every tough question asked of them. Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Holiday specifically have all held the brunt of criticisms for this team’s perceived shortcomings by putting up big performances late in games, coming up with clutch buckets and engineering key defensive stops. 

Now one game away, the pieces are starting to slide into place in terms of the understanding of how the Bucks will be able to seal their title. 

Mike Budenholzer deserves lots of credit for his lineup adjustments as well as his continued belief in his big three late into the playoffs even with the media calling for their heads at times. 

Game 6 takes place on Tuesday in Milwaukee. Will the Suns answer the call to action with their backs against the wall for their first elimination game of these entire playoffs and for some of their players their first-ever elimination game?