AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks propelled the Milwaukee Bucks to their second-ever NBA championship after they defeated the Phoenix Suns 105-98 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday.
Unsurprisingly, Antetokounmpo won the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award:
In a shock to no one, Antetokounmpo’s NBA Finals MVP vote was unanimous:
He averaged 35.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per game en route to leading the Bucks to four straight wins after they initially fell behind 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
On Tuesday, Antetokounmpo shot 16-of-25 from the field, scoring 20 points in the third quarter and 32 overall in the second half.
Most impressively, however, Antetokounmpo made 17 of 19 free throws. The 26-year-old had notably struggled from the free-throw line in the playoffs, making just 55.6 percent of his shots.
That wasn’t a problem whatsoever Tuesday, as his clutch evening gave Milwaukee enough breathing room to earn their first championship since 1971.
Antetokounmpo already had a stacked resume that includes a pair of regular-season MVP awards and five All-NBA team honors.
Now he has an NBA championship and NBA Finals MVP award to his name.
There isn’t a shortage of mind-bending statistical nuggets to share after Antetokounmpo’s masterpiece. A few can be found below.
Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Giannis Antetokounmpo is just 7th player ever to score 50 points in a NBA Finals game. He did it on fewer shots (25) than anyone else — LeBron took 32 shots. Tied for the most FT attempts (19) with Elgin Baylor & Rick Barry. Only Giannis and Bob Petit did it in a closeout game.
The Jump on ESPN @NBATheJump
Players to win All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP in the same season:<br><br>—Giannis Antetokounmpo (2021)<br>—Kobe Bryant (2009)<br>—Shaquille O’Neal (2000)<br>—Michael Jordan (1996 & 1998)<br>—Willis Reed (1970)<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheJump?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TheJump</a> <a href=”https://t.co/oa73olICJI”>pic.twitter.com/oa73olICJI</a>
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
Giannis scored 47.6% of the Bucks’ points tonight. <br><br>That is the 4th-highest in a Finals game in the shot-clock era. <br><br>The only players with a higher percentage during that span?<br> <br>Michael Jordan and Elgin Baylor. <a href=”https://t.co/cuRwPCxXGo”>pic.twitter.com/cuRwPCxXGo</a>
Numerous current and former NBA greats praised Antetokounmpo for his effort during and after the game, including Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Stephen Curry:
In the end, Antetokounmpo delivered a legendary performance for the ages.
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