Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 50 Points Catapults Milwaukee To First NBA Title In 50 Years

The Milwaukee Bucks captured its first NBA championship in 50 years. Led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns by a final scoreline of 105-98 in a closely contested Game 6.

Antetokounmpo led the way with 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks to close out the series. He equaled Bob Pettit’s record for the most points in an NBA Finals closeout game.

The All-Star came into the postgame news conference wearing goggles, carrying a cigar and drinking out of a champagne bottle. He sat down at the desk with the Finals MVP trophy on one side of him and the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the other. The two-time MVP reflected on his feelings when he re-signed with the team. “I just couldn’t leave,” he said. “There was a job that had to be finished.”

“Coming back, I was like, ‘This is my city, they trust me. They believe in me. They believe in us.’  Obviously, I wanted to get the job done,” the superstar said, “But that’s my stubborn side. It’s easy to go somewhere and win a championship with somebody else. It’s easy. I could go to a super team and just do my part and win a championship.”

“But this is the hard way to do it,” he continued, “and this is the way to do it, and we did it. We f—ing did it.”

Antetokounmpo got emotional when he began thanking the important people in his life following the miraculous come-from-behind series win.

“This is for my mom,” he said, fighting off tears. “She works extremely hard every day for me to be in this position, and she never pressured me to do other things. This is for my dad. He’s watching from above, and he can see it. This is for my significant other. Every day, she helps me be a better person. She lets me do what I’m supposed to do. She takes care of my son. And for my brothers.”

“I can be stubborn sometimes. I can disconnect myself from the world because I want this so bad,” the All-Star continued. “And I was able to get it, that’s why I was tearing up. But, like, people helped me be in this position. I didn’t do this by myself. Every freaking day people helped me. I want to thank everyone.”

Antetokounmpo scored 33 of his 50 points in the second half, leading Milwaukee back from a halftime deficit. The All-Star continuously tore through the Suns’ defense to get to the rim, and he made his free throws, going 17-for-19 for the game.

The All-Star was named the Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in the series on 61.8% shooting from the field.

Article by Allan Perez