CUE THE DAMN MUSIC!
What a game. WHAT. A. GAME. Back and forth, physical, bad officiating, clutch shots, huge blocks, it had it ALL.
It was also the loudest venue I think I’ve ever been in. Lindsey and I decided to spend my yearly blogging salary all in one shot on a pair of tickets for last night. Worth every penny. From the moment you walk into the arena and see all of the ‘NBA Finals’ logos and Larry O’Brien Trophy logos, to the game itself, to the fireworks in the Deer District on the way out after a win, it’s was just a once in a lifetime experience. Before last night I would say the loudest arena I’ve ever been in was at the Bradley Center during the NCAA Tournament in 2014 when the Badgers came back to beat Oregon. But last night was bananas. Especially late in the game, and ESPECIALLY when every Suns player was flopping their way to the free throw line, the place was a madhouse. Your ears were literally ringing. The arena was legitimately was shaking. Between the actual arena and the 25,000 fans in the Deer District jumping around, it probably registered on the Richter scale. I’ve never been a part of anything like it before and probably won’t be again (until Tuesday).
Now on to the game itself:
- I’m not sure how it played out on TV, but it does sort of feel like the Bucks made this harder than it had to be. We all knew the formula coming out of Game 3: Get the ball in the paint, then go back to the paint, then the paint a little more, then more paint. Be Bob Ross. But, for some reason we started chucking 3’s in the first quarter and fell in love with long range shots. Me and 17,500 of my closest friend were very irritated. Luckily they got back higher percentage shots in the 4th quarter, but man, if they would have lost that game, there would have been a TON of discussion about last night’s game plan.
- James Khristian Middleton. 40 points in an NBA Finals game. FORTY. 14 points in the 4th quarter, going toe-to-toe with Devin Booker in a tight game. I think we blogged about the end of any Khris Middleton slander going into the Finals, but this has to cement it. The guy has been clutch at the highest level. I mean, is this good?
- I have watched the Giannis block on Ayton a thousand times this morning and I still can’t wrap my head around it. HOW did he do that. We were sitting on that end of the floor with the action coming toward us, and when that ball was lobbed in the air it looked like a CERTAIN dunk and a tie game. One of the all time blocks in NBA History. It defies logic.
- The officiating. Look, as we’ve been over before, I’m a lifelong NBA fan. So maybe I’m a little desensitized to bad calls, flops, etc. But last night was egregious. It is worth pointing out that the Bucks shot 29 free throws and the Suns shot 19, but two players in particular really got the crowd agitated: Devin Booker and Jae Crowder. Live look at Jae Crowder’s 4th quarter:
- Literally his entire strategy was to get a rebound, act like he got punched, and hope for a whistle. It happened THREE TIMES and he got the call every time. It’s a big reason why casual fans can’t watch an entire NBA game. And then Devin Booker. Booker got 8 fouls last night. He picked up his 5th foul early in the 4th quarter, came back with about 5 minutes left, and committed two BLATANT fouls that the referee’s refused to call. He straight up hugged Jrue Holiday at one point and still didn’t pick up his 6th foul. I’m convinced he could have killed someone and still been in the game. Disgusting.
- Pat Connaughton. If this team wins a title, what an unsung hero. +/- of +21 last night. Knocked down two colossal three’s. Grabbed 9 rebounds. He’s averaging 11 points and 5 boards for the series while shooting 51% from the field and 47% from distance. Playoff Pat!
So, we’re down to a best of 3. As a Bucks fan, with the way these last two games have played out, it’s hard to not feel like we’re a team of destiny. But Suns fans feel the exact same way (jerks!). And they’ve got home court in a tie series. They’re saying the same things to themselves that we were after Game 4 in Atlanta in the ECF. This has major ‘7 Game Series’ vibes to it, but what a pleasure it would be to win on Saturday to set up a legitimate shot at ‘Bucks in 6.’ What a dream ride.
PS: Jordan Flu Game, or Giannis Tinkle Game?
