NAKOPO ng Milwaukee Bucks ang kanilang unang NBA championship sa loob ng 50 taon makaraang palubugin ang Phoenix Suns, 105-98, sa Game 6 ng NBA Finals Martes (Miyerkoles sa Manila) sa Milwaukee.
Nanguna si star Giannis Antetokounmpo para sa Bucks na may 50 points at 14 rebounds. Nag-amabag sina Khris Middleton ng 17 points at Bobby Portis ng 16.
Kumamada si Chris Paul ng 26 points para pangunahan ang Suns habang tumapos si Devin Booker na may 19, subalit bumuslo lamang ng 8-for-22 mula sa field.
Si Antetokounmpo ang unang player na tumipa ng hindi bababa sa 40 points, 10 rebounds at 5 blocks sa isang Finals game magmula nang unang maitala ang blocks noong 1974. Siya ang ika-7 player na tumipa ng hindi bababa sa 50 points sa championship round.
“I want to thank Milwaukee for believing in me, thank my teammates,” pahayag ni Antetokounmpo makaraang tanggapin ang Finals MVP award. “They played hard every freaking game. I trusted this team. I wanted to do it here in this city, I wanted to do it with these guys, so I’m happy. I’m happy that we were able to get it done.”
Sinamahan ni Antetokounmpo, ipinanganak at lumaki sa Athens sa Nigerian parents, sina Dirk Nowitzki (2011), Tony Parker (2007), Tim Duncan (2005 at 2003) at Hakeem Olajuwon (1994 at 1995) bilang tanging international players na itinanghal na NBA Finals MVP
Pinuri naman ni Bucks Coach Mike Budenholzer ang Suns, at sinabing, “they had great players, a great coach and a great organization.” Pagkatapos ay nagbigay-pugay sa kanyang koponan.
“These players, they’re champions every day,” he told NBA Finals broadcaster ABC. “Every day they come to the building they are champions. They’ve embraced getting better every day, they’ve embraced competing, they’ve embraced playing together. And it’s made them champions tonight. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Sinabi ni Paul, isang 11-time All-Star na nasa kanyang unang NBA Finals appearance, na hindi niya nakita ang stat sheet subalit pakiramdam niya ay nakagawa ang kanyang koponan ng napakaraming turnovers. “They made timely shots, we didn’t,” he said. “We didn’t get stops when we needed to and they just beat us.”
Ani Paul, 36, hindi pa niya iniisip ang pagreretiro.
Masaklap ang pagkatalo para kay Suns coach Monty Williams.
“I think it’s going to take me a minute. I just don’t take it for granted. It’s hard to get here and I wanted it so bad, you know. It’s hard to process right now. It’s hard. That’s all.”
Natalo ang Bucks sa unang dalawang laro ng serye bago rumatsada sa apat na sunod na panalo upang kunin ang NBA Finals series, 4-2.
Huling nagkampeon ang Bucks noong I1971 sa kanilang ikatlong season sa likod nina Kareem AbdulJabbar (Lew Alcindor noon) at Oscar Robertson. Winalis nila ang Baltimore Bullets, 4-0, kung saan nanalo sila sa final game sa road.
Ito ang unang appearance ng Bucks sa Finals magmula noong 1974 at ikatlo ng Suns, ang pinakahuli ay noong 1993. Hindi pa nananalo ang franchise ng NBA championship.
Tatlong players mula sa NBA Finals ang tutungo sa Tokyo upang maglaro para sa Team USA sa Olympics: Middleton, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday at Booker.
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