Sports
NBA Finals 2021: Five stats that loom large over the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns – NBA CA
Here. We. Go.
In defeating the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1973-74.
Their opponent? The Phoenix Suns, who defeated the LA Clippers in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1992-93.
MORE: Preview for 2021 NBA Finals
It’s going to be a battle between two of the best teams in the league this season, one that will feature four multi-time All-Stars in Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, as well as some of the league’s best defenders, including two-time All-Defensive First Team selection Jrue Holiday and Mikal Bridges.
From Antetokounmpo’s success against the Suns during the regular season to where both of these teams excel, here are five stats that loom large entering the 2021 NBA Finals.
40.0: Antetokounmpo’s scoring average against Phoenix in regular season
Antetokounmpo put up some big numbers against the Suns this season.
In the first meeting between Milwaukee and Phoenix, Antetokounmpo exploded for 47 points, 11 rebounds and five assists on 15-for-23 shooting from the field and 17-for-21 from the free throw line. The result? A one-point win for the Suns, who were led by Booker’s 30 points.
Antetokounmpo was a little quieter in the second meeting, but he still finished with 33 points and eight assists on 12-for-22 shooting from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line, once again coming in a one-point loss.
Averaging 40.0 points over those two games, it made for Antetokounmpo’s highest scoring output against an opponent on the season.
Antetokounmpo did the bulk of his scoring in the paint against the Suns, going 21-for-28 (75.0 percent) in the restricted area. He was 6-for-17 (35.3 percent) from everywhere else.
According to NBA.com’s matchup data, Deandre Ayton defended Antetokounmpo more than anyone else on the Suns in those games.
Despite Antetokounmpo’s gaudy averages, the numbers point to Ayton actually doing a good job against him, limiting the two-time MVP to 34 points on 10-for-24 (41.7 percent) shooting from the field. Antetokounmpo did a lot of his damage from the free throw line against Ayton, drawing seven shooting fouls and making him pay by going a perfect 14-for-14 from the charity stripe.
Ayton isn’t a big-time rim protector, but he’s a smart defender who matches up well physically with Antetokounmpo. He’s also shown that he can hold his own against some of the league’s biggest stars in these playoffs, having defended Anthony Davis in the first round and Nikola Jokic in the second round.
Jae Crowder defended Antetokounmpo the second-most on the Suns. The results weren’t great – Antetokounmpo scored 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the field, per the matchup data – but Crowder was able to give him some trouble in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, when he was Heat‘s primary defender on Antetokounmpo in Miami’s stunning second-round win over Milwaukee.
That experience could come in handy in the Finals.
Of course, this comes with the caveat that we still don’t know much about Antetokounmpo’s condition after he hyperextended his left knee in the previous round.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, there was “belief” that Antetokounmpo would’ve been able to play in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals had the Hawks extended the series. Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said that they’re approaching Antetokounmpo’s availability for the Finals as a “day-to-day” thing.
If he is able to play, it’ll be interesting to see if Antetokounmpo’s success against the Suns in the regular season carries over into the Finals.
123.0: Milwaukee’s offensive rating in Game 5 and Game 6 vs. Hawks
The good news for the Bucks? They were able to take care of business against the Hawks without Antetokounmpo.
Their defence slipped – more on that in a minute – but the Bucks scored at a high level in the two games Antetokounmpo had to sit out, putting up 123 points in Game 5 and 118 points in Game 6.
Brook Lopez starred in Game 5 with a playoff career-high 33 points, but Holiday (25), Middleton (26) and Bobby Portis (22) each scored in double-figures.
In Game 6, it was Middleton who stole the show with 32 points, 23 of which came in the third quarter alone. Holiday was Milwaukee’s second-leading scorer, posting 27 points to go along with nine rebounds, nine assists, four steals and two blocks.
All in all, the Bucks scored at a rate of 123.0 points per 100 possessions in Game 5 and Game 6.
That almost certainly isn’t sustainable – the Brooklyn Nets led the league during the regular season with an offensive rating of 117.3, need you be reminded – but the Bucks are going to need Middleton, Holiday and Lopez to continue stepping up in a big way if Antetokounmpo is limited in any way or isn’t able to go.
89: How many shots Paul and Booker have made from midrange in the playoffs
Paul and Booker are two of the best midrange shooters in the league.
During the regular season, nobody made more shots from midrange than Paul (197). In second place was Julius Randle (171), followed by Brandon Ingram (169) in third and Booker (168) in fourth.
Entering the Finals, the only player who has made more shots from midrange than Paul (45) in the playoffs is Kevin Durant (57). Booker (44) is once again not far behind, ranking third.
Together, Paul and Booker are 89-for-199 (44.7 percent) from midrange in these playoffs.
| PLAYER | FGM | FGA | FG% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Durant | 57 | 103 | 55.3 |
| Chris Paul | 45 | 92 | 48.9 |
| Devin Booker | 44 | 107 | 41.1 |
| Khris Middleton | 41 | 96 | 42.7 |
| Paul George | 33 | 72 | 45.8 |
| Joel Embiid | 27 | 66 | 40.9 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 27 | 41 | 65.9 |
| Seth Curry | 25 | 35 | 71.4 |
| Trae Young | 25 | 50 | 50.0 |
The reason that’s notable: Milwaukee will usually live with its opponents shooting from midrange.
According to NBA.com, teams attempted 14.1 midrange shots per game against the Bucks in the regular season. The only team that gave up more? The Washington Wizards (14.6). It’s been a similar story in the playoffs. The Bucks are allowing 15.6 midrange shots per game through three rounds, putting them behind the Philadelphia 76ers (16.9), Denver Nuggets (15.8) and Wizards (15.8) for most in the league.
Whether it’s Lopez, Portis or Antetokounmpo, the Bucks like to have their bigs drop to the paint so that they can protect the basket.
It’s worth noting that the Bucks have shown more of a willingness to adapt this season, especially when it comes to switching. They were even switching Lopez aggressively onto Atlanta’s guards in the last two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, and he held up pretty well.
The Bucks will almost certainly mix up their coverages throughout the series, but the midrange will still be an incredibly important battleground.
Speaking of defence…
105.0: Milwaukee’s defensive rating in the playoffs
The Bucks are holding their opponent to 105.0 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs. Not only is that a pretty big jump from what they posted in the regular season – 110.7, ranking them ninth overall – it’s the best defensive rating in the league.
The Suns, meanwhile, are holding their opponent to 106.7 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs, up from 110.4 in the regular season, giving them the … second-best defensive rating in the league.
Milwaukee and Phoenix haven’t been quite as sharp on the other end of the court. According to NBA.com, the Suns currently rank 10th in offensive efficiency (113.6) while the Bucks rank 11th (111.2) for the playoffs.
Both the Bucks and Suns still have plenty of offensive firepower, but this series has the makings of a defensive showdown.
1: How many players on the Suns and Bucks have been to the Finals before
The one player from both teams who has been to the Finals before? Crowder, who made his Finals debut last season when he went to six games with LeBron James, Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers as a member of the Heat.
There isn’t another player in this series who has appeared in even one Finals game before.
NBA Finals experience:
6 games – Jae Crowder
0 games – Everyone else combined(Submitted by @DeePee30) pic.twitter.com/9urfWGN5rX
– StatMuse (@statmuse) July 4, 2021
Who says you need experience to win it all?
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.
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Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs will be tuning in a little bit later than usual on Saturday night to see the puck drop for Hockey Night in Canada.
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The NHL announced the start times on Thursday for the Eastern Conference playoff matches and the Leafs and Bruins will faceoff at 8 p.m. ET in Boston on Saturday, a bit later than the usual 7 p.m. puck drop for Toronto.
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The game will be broadcast on CBC and Sportsnet in Canada.
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Saturday’s other game will be the New York Islanders taking on the Carolina Hurricanes at 5 p.m. in Raleigh, N.C.
The other Eastern Conference playoff matchups will start Sunday, with the Battle of Florida between the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning going at 12:30 p.m. and the New York Rangers playing Washington Capitals at 3 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.
With several Western Conference teams wrapping up their regular-season slates on Thursday, the remainder of the playoff schedule is yet to set.
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The Maple Leafs also announced Thursday that the tailgate at Maple Leaf Square will open its gates at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Fans must register for a free mobile pass to be admitted to tailgates with passes available only on the Toronto Maple Leafs app and are non-transferable. Passes are available at 1 p.m. ET the day before each confirmed game with each fan permitted up to two passes per game.
Ahead of puck-drop, fans in the Square will be able to enjoy giveaways, special guests, a live DJ and more.
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Sports
Canucks fans aren't allowed to buy tickets to playoff games in Nashville – Vancouver Is Awesome
It’s a long flight to Nashville from Vancouver.
Over 3200 kilometres separate the two cities. With the Vancouver Canucks slated to play the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s easily the longest travel distance of any of the first-round match-ups. In fact, It’s a longer distance between two cities than all of the Eastern Conference match-ups combined.
But some intrepid Canucks fans were planning on making the trip. It’s the first time in nine years that Canucks fans have had a chance to see their favourite team in the playoffs in person, so it’s understandable that they would want to make the most of the opportunity.
Unfortunately, fans looking for tickets to Canucks/Predators playoff games in Nashville were in for a rude awakening when they checked Ticketmaster.
Fans were greeted with a warning on the Ticketmaster site that they would be unable to buy tickets from outside of the “Nashville Predators television viewing area – Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.”
“To better serve Nashville predators fans, a restricted sales area has been implemented,” reads the warning. “Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside the viewing area will be canceled without notice and refunds given.”
Because the restriction uses the buyer’s billing address, this could even affect Predators fans from outside of the select states who might be temporary residents in Tennessee, such as students at Vanderbilt University.
Teams have done this before in the playoffs. Notably, the Florida Panthers restricted ticket sales to American residents only for their second-round match-up against the Toronto Maple Leafs last year. The intent is clearly to give priority to local fans and prevent opposing fans from filling the arena.
This is also nothing new for the Predators, who even have certain games on their regular season calendar where they restrict sales as well.
“Preds have certain “Gold Games” like Saturday games where they restrict sales to local in hopes of filling the arena with Pred fans,” said one Reddit user. “I’m a season ticket holder and there are games that we cannot even transfer the tickets. The only option is to attend or donate them.”
Canucks fans don’t even have the option of buying tickets on the secondary market. Sites like StubHub use Ticketmaster Ticket Transfers to pass tickets along from the original buyer but the message on the Ticketmaster site says, “Ticket Transfers will be disabled for this event.”
This has understandably upset Canucks fans who were hoping to make the trip.
That includes fans who were hoping to travel from closer to Tennessee, like this fan from Illinois:
Seemingly the only option for fans to buy tickets to the Canucks playoff games in Nashville is to have friends or family who live in the area who can buy the tickets for them.
PITB has reached out to the Predators for comment but did not receive a reply by publication.
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