Finals Survey

[FNG]

Really enjoyable game and glad to see a Bucks win...I agree this is going 7 and game 7 in PHX will be epic.

The +/- totals last night are quite revealing. I laughed when I read Cool's comment about wanting Teague to be in there over Holiday, because I had exactly the same thought after Teague drove the length of the court and got fouled on a layup! Holiday was shooting so bad, I couldn't believe Bud was giving him so many minutes...in what world should Jrue have taken more shots than Giannis last night? But then I began focusing on his defense and toughness, and realized he had to be out there (just not shooting so much!). I wasn't too surprised when I saw he was a plus 8 at the end of the night...he brings so much to the court with his all-around game, the Bucks can survive even a terrible shooting night by him (hmm...is there a Ben Simmons thought in here?)

But the unsung hero last night was Pat Connaughton. I rip Bud often like most do here, but props to him for giving a lot of Tucker and Lopez's minutes to Pat and Portis. Pat's 3 3-pointers all seemed to come at critical times, and his rebounding and defensive toughness led to his extraordinary +21 in his 33 minutes. The story will be all about the 66 points Middleton and Giannis put up, but I don't think the Bucks prevail last night if Bud hadn't trusted Pat with starter minutes (10 more minutes than he averaged during the season).

I think last night's game also emphasizes the importance of protecting the ball. A TO is often a 4 point swing...the 2 points you don't get, and the easy bucket the TO creates for the other team. Jrue Holiday (1 TO) protected the ball last night, and Chris Paul (5 TOs) didn't. Credit the Bucks' active hands and scrappy defense, but it's tough to win when you have 17 turnovers and the other team only has 5...even when you are shooting an extraordinary 51.3%!

Truly one of the best playoff games I have seen...can't wait for Game 5!

[Coolbreeze44]

I believed that if the Bucks could get their big 3 going in the same game they could win on the road. A very satisfying win for long suffering Bucks fans. Been 47 years since the Bucks had a chance to win the championship at home. Hoping for a special night on Tuesday.

[Coolbreeze44]

Let's answer the questions I posed at the beginning of the series:

1) In what game will Giannis decide to give it a go?
It was game #1, and the knee never seemed to be a factor
2) What Suns player will be the hardest for the Bucks to Defend?
For most of the series it was Booker, and he was at times brilliant
3) Who is the X factor for each team in the series?
For the Suns it was Ayton, and for the Bucks it was Holiday
4) Is it necessary for the Bucks to win one of the first two games in Phoenix?
It was not, although it would have made things easier
5) Who do you favor in the matchup of starting guards?
Slight edge to the Suns, but the Bucks showed up when needed
6) Are the Bucks at a disadvantage with the relatively short turnaround before game 1
I think so, Giannis was just getting back and the Suns were more ready
7) Will Chris Paul's flopping drive CoolBreeze nuts?
Really didn't see much of that at all. Bookers complaining was a bigger issue
8 Will the winner of any game score less than 100 points?
Nope, although last night it looked for a while like it would
9) Series outcome if Giannis is close to 100%
4-2 Bucks
10) Series outcome if Giannis is limited
Glad we will never find out