From Bad Knee, To Bending The Phoenix Suns Over His Knee. The NBA Finals No One Could Have Predicted

Going into the NBA Finals many were quick to assume Phoenix would win, myself included. And it made sense given the fact that Giannis suffered what appeared to be a devastating knee injury during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which left us all wondering if he would even be able to play in the NBA Finals. Not only did he play, but he solidified himself as the best player on the court, and he repeatedly proved it game after game.

“We Did It, Fucking Did It.”

Did it indeed. The Milwaukee Bucks rattled off four straight wins after falling behind 0-2 with the Phoenix Suns having all the momentum at that point. Giannis was coming off a game two performance that included 42 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 68% (15-22 FG), but none of it was enough, as the Bucks lost 118-108 in Game 2 despite the impressive effort from their superstar.

The Bucks bounced back at home in Game 3 behind Giannis’ big night, as he poured in 41 points and 13 rebounds, joining Shaq and LeBron as the only players to ever score 40+ points with 10+ more rebounds in back to back NBA Finals games. I tend to hate comparisons like this, but to do something so rare on the biggest stage deserves a shoutout.

Game 4 of ECF: Giannis’ left knee bends the wrong way. No timetable for his return.

Less than two weeks later: pic.twitter.com/p9F9C5YnbF

— Blue Wire (@bluewirepods) July 12, 2021

And it didn’t stop there. In Game 4 Giannis took a bit of a backseat role with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists while Khris Middleton went off for 40 points in a Bucks victory to even the series. With the series tied 2-2 heading back to Phoenix for a pivotal Game 5. A game in which Jrue Holiday would steal the show, and quite literally the win all while finishing it off with an epic alley-oop assist to Giannis to cement the victory. A bold move to pull in the closing seconds of such an important game, but what an emphatic way to end it.

That brings us to last nights series-deciding Game 6 where the Milwaukee Bucks closed out the Phoenix Suns and won the 2021 NBA Championship. A game in which Giannis went off for 50 points and 14 rebounds in route to winning his first ever NBA Finals as well as his first ever NBA Finals MVP award.

Of Course Giannis Wins NBA Finals MVP

As if the award could go to anyone else. It’s not that other players did not step up or contribute throughout the series, but it was clear no one else on the Bucks had close to the level of impact that Giannis did. He absolutely owned the NBA Finals stage, proving to himself and the world that his Bucks team could indeed win a championship with him as their centerpiece and best player. Seems so silly how recent that this was being discussed and doubted.

Taking A Shot At Super-Teams

During his post game press conference Giannis took a moment to expand upon his thinking and mindset when deciding to return to Milwaukee to try to win a championship with the Bucks. While doing so he decided to take a not-so-subtle shot at other NBA superstars that have taken the easy route to winning a title, and it was fantastic. Whether you are a fan of Giannis or not, he just achieved the unthinkable. He did what everyone said he would never do when he decided to stay in Milwaukee, he won a championship. Against all odds, and despite his own knee attempting to self-sabotage, Giannis and the Bucks are NBA Champions. Congrats to the entire team and fanbase, enjoy this moment.