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However, Milwaukee’s playoff race looked like it was on the verge of collapsing on several occasions. Once again, coach Mike Budenholzer, in his third season with the Bucks, has come under scrutiny over his struggles to make adjustments against strong defenses or find more creative ways to use Antetokounmpo. And two-time All-Star Khris Middleton was once again faced with the question of whether he was a good enough assistant to Antetokounmpo, given his inconsistent playoff shot.
In the semifinals, the Bucks faced the Nets, led by trio of superstars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Milwaukee lost the first two games of the series, including a 39-point blowout in Game 2. But the Nets were hampered by injuries to Irving and Harden, and Antetokounmpo put in his own performances to extend the series to seven. matches. In the last game, Durant’s jump shot at the end of the settlement came within an inch of the Bucks’ end of the season: his toe was on the 3-point line, so the shot didn’t. was worth a game tied at 2 points and not a winner 3. Instead, with Antetokounmpo’s 40 points and 13 rebounds, the Bucks won the deciding overtime game in Brooklyn.
In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, with the series tied at two games apiece, Antetokounmpo awkwardly landed and fell to the ground holding his left knee, raising fears that he is not the latest in a series of NBA stars. running out of time because of a serious injury. With his return date uncertain, the Bucks relied on Holiday and Middleton to win Games 5 and 6 and send Milwaukee to their first NBA Final since 1974.
Antetokounmpo’s injury turned out to be just a hyperextension, allowing him to return for the championship round. In the final, the Suns won the first two home games, marking the third straight series in which the Bucks have faced a deficit. Antetokounmpo’s 41 points in Game 3 in Milwaukee helped turn the tide, as the Bucks won 120-100.
In Game 4, the Bucks came back 9 points in the fourth quarter and tied the series behind Middleton’s 40 points. But that game will be remembered for Antetokounmpo’s late-game block over Suns center Deandre Ayton, one of the most important defensive games in NBA Finals history.
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