The Milwaukee Bucks are the NBA Eastern Conference champions following a 118-107 Game 6 victory to close out their series 4-2 against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night at the State Farm Arena, the Hawks' homecourt.
The win handed the Bucks an NBA finals berth, and they will be contesting the NBA 2020-21 title against the Phoenix Suns with Game 1 slated for July 6, Tuesday in Phoenix.
The Suns closed out their series earlier, clinching the NBA Western Conference title, 4-2, via a 130-103 routing of the Los Angeles Clippers, also in Game 6.
Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday made sure to close out the series in favor of the Bucks, especially that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was not cleared for Game 6.
Middleton top-scored for the Bucks with 32 points in 41 minutes, grabbed four boards and dished out seven assists. Holiday contributed 27 points and had nine each in the rebound and assist departments.
Considering that Game 6 was critical for both teams, Trae Young suited up for the Hawks despite still recovering from a bone bruise that rendered him of not much help in the series. However, he was not able to muster enough energy to extend the series for Atlanta. The All-Star point guard ended the season with 14 points and nine assists.
Read Also: 2021 NBA Playoffs: Bucks Flourish Without Giannis, Down Hawks in Game 5
The Milwaukee Bucks Finally Earned a Finals Berth
The Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the NBA Finals, ending close to a half-century drought as the last time it made it to the center stage was in 1974. Ever since the arrival of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have been considered as a title-contender, finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference twice.
However, the Bucks had always stopped short of advancing to the big stage as they could not seem to bring their good performance in the regular season to the Playoffs.
They bowed to the Toronto Raptors, losing four straight games in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019, and in 2020, they got scorched by the Miami Heat in the second round, inside the bubble.
With their Playoffs meltdown and Giannis Antetokounmpo's free agency looming, doubts then started surfacing if the Bucks really had what it takes to get to the NBA finals.
No Giannis Antetokounmpo, no Problem
With Giannis Antetokounmpo committing to the Atlanta Bucks for the long haul, they were back in the game. Ironically, the Bucks made it to the NBA Finals without the two-time MVP who hyper-extended his left knee in Game 4 and was indefinitely ruled out.
The sight of Giannis Antetokounmpo lying on the floor and clutching his left knee in pain brought back the doubts. But the doubters couldn't have been more wrong as the Bucks had performed better in the regular season, even when the two-time MVP had to sit the games out.
The Bucks' trip to the NBA Finals proves their resilience as they avenged themselves against the Miami Heat in the first round and dismissed a short-handed Brooklyn Nets in the second round before stopping the Atlanta Hawks.
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