With both Game 5 and possibly the entire NBA Finals at stake, Jrue Holiday stepped up to capture the moment with a clutch steal that was immediately followed by an emphatic and-one alley-oop dunk by Giannis with Holiday on the assist. I wonder if the critics still see Holiday as simply Eric Bledsoe with a max deal?
Holiday Lets His Play Speak For Itself
This slow-mo of Jrue’s oop to Giannis 🔥
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 18, 2021
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/mV2ae3aJGh
For whatever reason there has been a recent surge in Jrue Holiday hate, with some opinionated fans and sports talk personalities referring to him as being nothing more than an Eric Bledsoe with a max deal. Somewhat implying that the Milwaukee Bucks made a major mistake by signing him to the deal that they did.
Did I Miss Something?
Last I checked, Jrue Holiday is an elite level point guard in the NBA. A true two-way player with elite skills on both ends of the court. Holiday has a variety of offensive talents to pair with that fact that he is arguably the best on-ball defender in the league (a level Eric Bledsoe never sniffed).
Thankfully Real is Able to Recognize Real
In the video, Damien Lillard references his own struggles facing off against Jrue Holiday in previous playoff experiences, going as far as to claim Holiday to be the best defender in the league. I tend to value Lillard’s opinion much more than a collection of others with absolutely zero on-court NBA experience.
Where Was Chris Paul in Game 5?
If you watched the game, then you know exactly where he was for both big moments mentioned above. On the play in which Holiday steals the ball from Booker, Paul is just off camera spotting up outside the 3-point line. He can be seen running back into frame as the ball is stolen and he attempts to get back in time to play defense.
SPOILER ALERT: HARD FAIL. Instead he made it back just in time to embarrassingly foul Giannis as he absolutely Posterized CP3 to seal the win.