3 things Milwaukee Bucks need to do to clinch title against Phoenix Suns in Game 6 | 2021 NBA Finals
The Milwaukee Bucks are on the verge of winning the NBA title when they meet the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals on Tuesday. The match will take place at the Fiserv Forum. Closing out a team in the playoffs is always a difficult task, and even more so when it’s the Finals.
Chris Paul and his Suns are not going down quietly after working immensely hard in the regular season and the playoffs to get to this point. Despite winning the first two games in the NBA Finals, Phoenix will be playing in an elimination game after losing the last three games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing lights out basketball in the NBA Finals. Averaging 32.2 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per outing in five games, the two-time MVP is aiming to become the Finals MVP if they win the title. But his eyes are on the moment and not a potential individual award in the future.
"I kind of try to focus on the moment, in the present,” Antetokounmpo said before Game 5. “That's humility. That's being humble. That's not setting no expectation. That's going out there, enjoying the game, competing at a high level. I think I've had people throughout my life that helped me with that."
Aside from humility, what else do the Milwaukee Bucks need to do to ensure that they win Game 6 and avoid going back to Phoenix for a potential Game 7?
#1 The Milwaukee Bucks need to get Khris Middleton going early
Khris Middleton plays much better at home than on the road and that’s a good sign for the Milwaukee Bucks, who will be playing in friendly confines on Tuesday. In his 10 games at home in the playoffs, Middleton is averaging 25 points on 46.8 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent on 3-pointers.
Moreover, the Milwaukee Bucks forward seems to get cooking earlier than usual when he’s at home. In the last two games of the NBA Finals, he has averaged 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Chances are, the two-time All-Star will remain on this hot streak heading into Game 6.
But the Milwaukee Bucks can’t bank on Middleton staying hot on his own. He and Giannis Antetokounmpo will have to work their two-man game early to make sure that the man fondly known as WD-40 has the best looks possible to begin the game. From there, the Milwaukee Bucks will also have to be determined in setting plays for him and giving him plenty of touches in the third and fourth quarters regardless of how he performs in the first half.
Also check out: Giannis Antetokounmp Contract Breakdown