{"id":42121,"date":"2021-08-02T09:30:15","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T08:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/?p=42121"},"modified":"2021-08-01T16:07:54","modified_gmt":"2021-08-01T15:07:54","slug":"nba-finals-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/nba-finals-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"How the 2021 NBA finals unfolded"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve taken a back seat to allow the dust time to settle after the Milwaukee Bucks bagged their first NBA Championship in half a century<\/a>. However, it’s now time to take a look at how the 2021 NBA Finals unfolded and what it meant for each team going forward.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How the 2021 NBA Finals unfolded<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 2021 NBA Finals were the Bucks post-season in a nutshell<\/strong><\/p>\n

As NBA Finals go, 2021 was a pretty enthralling watch. especially compared to some of the years gone by. The Phoenix Suns burst into a 2-0 series lead with two wins on their home court, which put huge pressure on the Bucks.<\/p>\n

It was nothing new for them, though. Sure, they battered Miami Heat in the first round but the Nets went two up in the conference semi-finals and the Hawks took game one of the finals. The team \u2013 and specifically Giannis Antetokounmpo \u2013 came alive under the pressure.<\/p>\n

As the temperature in the oven cranked up, Antetokounmpo started to come to the boil and Chris Paul began to wilt. Before you knew it, the Bucks had levelled the series but then came the pivotal match.<\/p>\n

Match five saw the Bucks travel to Phoenix once again and it was proving a very tight affair. Antetokounmpo delivered again, however, not only leading his team with 32 points and 13 rebounds but also nailing a huge block on Deandre Ayton. It was a momentum killer and the Bucks saw the game out to win on the road.<\/p>\n

The writing was on the wall for the Suns as the fat lady warmed her vocal chords. As it transpired, game seven of the 2021 NBA Finals wasn\u2019t needed. Milwaukee opened up a big gap in the first quarter only to see the Suns come out fighting in Q2. Three and four both went the way of the home side though with Antetokounmpo, as always, the star sinking 50 points. The Bucks went wild.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bucks Angle<\/strong><\/p>\n

What can you say about the Bucks? It\u2019s been a long wait to see the Championship head to Milwaukee so, obviously, there were \u201cscenes\u201d everywhere. Antetokounmpo, who was named Finals MVP<\/a>, was the recipient of most praise. Although you can\u2019t really begrudge it, the Bucks certainly aren\u2019t a one man show.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t too long ago that people were calling for Mike Budenholzer\u2019s head but now he’s a NBA Championship winning coach. It\u2019s not just a title win though, Budenholzer has taken a team of inexperience to stardom. Not a single player on the Bucks roster had lifted the Championship before this year. Jrue Holiday, who was instrumental to the win, finally has his place on the right side of history after years of suffering with the Pelicans.<\/p>\n

Then you have Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Middleton came out of the G-League and had to scrap for minutes whilst Antetokounmpo has nailed his position as a generational talent and future potential GOAT.<\/p>\n

Finally, the other man who deserves a mention is PJ Tucker. For years he\u2019s been tasked with shutting down the best players around the league without getting recognition. He\u2019s getting it now though and never again will people associate him to the Houston Rockets team that choked the lead to the Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Sorry Suns<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a Suns fan then, quite frankly, things suck right now. Even for a lot of neutrals the idea of seeing Chris Paul finally grab his first Championshipn in the 2021 NBA Finals was something that tugged on the heartstrings given how many years of agony he\u2019s been through. As it transpired Paul, who has been sensational throughout the season, couldn\u2019t maintain his early Finals form to the bitter end.<\/p>\n

The silver lining for those in Phoenix is that they\u2019ll come back stronger than before. They certainly will have more knowhow about them. The Suns squad that took the court in the Finals was chock full of players that hadn\u2019t even made the postseason; included in that group are the likes of Devin Booker, Ayton, Cam Johnson, Cam Payne and Mikal Bridges. Assuming the nucleus of the roster stay together they\u2019ll come back swinging in the years ahead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

You could earn up to \u00a310 (or currency equivalent) in bonus funds by joining Colossus with our New Player Bonus. Click here to join the action.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve taken a back seat to allow the dust time to settle after the Milwaukee Bucks bagged their first NBA Championship in half a century. However, it’s now time to take a look at how the 2021 NBA Finals unfolded and what it meant for each team going forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[272,306],"class_list":["post-42121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sport","tag-featurehome","tag-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nHow the 2021 NBA finals unfolded - Colossus Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The dust is settled so we've put together a recap of the 2021 NBA finals. 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