Five things to know heading into Game 5 of the NBA Finals
By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer
The NBA Finals are knotted 2-2 with Game 5 set for Saturday.
Here are the five things you need to know heading into the big game.
1. GIANNIS HAS BLOCKED OUT HIS BLOCK
Remember that incredible block by Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 4 that prevented Deandre Ayton from tying the game with 1:14 left? You know, the block that immediately went viral on Twitter, was compared to LeBron James' legendary swat in 2016 and inspired NBA players around the league to weigh in with their amazement?
Well, Antetokounmpo is perhaps the only person who hadn't watched replays of it — until he saw it during the team's film session Friday.
"Great play," he acknowledged. "It's incredible what your body is going to do when you think about winning. You go to [the] extreme. I cannot explain the play."
Antetokounmpo, however, could explain why he waited two whole days to watch the replay of arguably the single most impressive moment of his eight-season career, which instantaneously became part of NBA Finals lore.
"When you talk about the past, that's your ego talking," he said. "It's in the past, over with. I got to move on."
When he hasn't used that approach, it has backfired on him.
"Usually, from my experience, when I think about, like, 'Oh, yeah, I did this. I'm so great. I had 30. I had 25-10-10,' whatever the case might be, you're going to think about that, [and] usually the next day, you're going to suck, you know," Antetokounmpo said. "Simple as that. The next few days, you're going to be terrible."
Antetokounmpo has had many opportunities to stop and admire his play during the Finals.
He is averaging 32.2 points and 14 rebounds, with consecutive 40-point, 10-rebound performances in Games 2 and 3, making him the only player to do that besides Shaquille O'Neal in the 2000 NBA Finals.
After those jaw-dropping performances, he had the block in Game 4, which had 24 million views across the NBA's social media accounts as of Friday morning, making it the most viewed social video from any NBA Finals.
It's been amazing to witness.
But aside from the Suns and their fans, there's one person who doesn't want to think about it: The Greek Freak himself.
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2. THE POINT GOD IS READY TO MOVE ON
Chris Paul had five of the Suns' 17 turnovers in Game 4, including a costly one with 32 seconds left and the Bucks up 101-99. That fumble led to a Khris Middleton layup that helped put the Suns away for good.
How does Paul move on from that blunder?
"Usually just playing, just playing," he said. "It's something I don't dwell on."
Paul had as many turnovers in Game 4 as he had in four games in the Suns' second-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. In that sweep, he had 41 assists and only five turnovers.
In his 16-season career, Paul has an impressive 3.9-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, but he's no stranger to major blips in big games, including a big turnover for the LA Clippers against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final seconds of Game 5 of the second round of the 2014 playoffs.
But Paul knows how to have a short memory and quickly put those moments behind him. He took the blame for the Suns' loss in Game 4. He accepted his subpar performance. And he's ready to move on.
"Even though it may be an anomaly, it happens," he said. "I turned the ball over hella times before. End of the day, we got to win the game. Me turning the ball over is not giving us enough shots at the basket. I'll figure it out."
3. IS THERE SUCH THING AS A QUIET 40?
The talk of the basketball world the past few days was Antetokounmpo's block. But what about Khris Middleton's amazing team-high 40 points on 15-for-33 shooting?
It was seemingly the quietest 40-point performance in Finals history.
That's what happens when you play alongside the two-time MVP, but Middleton's incredible game did not go unnoticed, especially not by Antetokounmpo himself.
"I know how great he is," Antetokounmpo said. "I feel sometimes he doesn't get appreciated enough. He's a great freaking player. He scored 40 in the NBA Finals, and he wasn't an All-Star this year. What are we talking about?"
Middleton took the blame when he struggled in the Bucks' Game 2 loss, finishing with 11 points on 5-for-16 shooting. But when he led the team in a huge win, including scoring 10 straight points in the fourth quarter, he didn't get the credit.
Antetokounmpo, however, made sure to give his teammate his due.
"Going down the last two minutes and scoring eight, 10 points in a row?" Antetokounmpo said. "That's greatness."
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4. THE SUNS ARE HAPPY FOR WILLIE GREEN
Suns assistant coach Willie Green is inching closer to taking over the helm in New Orleans, something that inspired a mixed reaction from Suns head coach Monty Williams.
"If all of this is official and he moves forward, I'm happy and I'm unbelievably sad about it because he's just a huge part of my life," Williams said. "He's been a big, big part of our program."
Williams coached Green on the New Orleans Hornets in 2010-11, his first season as a head coach. Green also has strong connections to Paul, who was on the Hornets that season, and then they were reunited on the Clippers from 2012 to 2014.
Paul has repeatedly called Green his brother, but he didn't want to celebrate Green's success until it was officially announced.
"I'm hoping, I'm hoping for him," Paul said. "Not until it's finalized."
The Pelicans have a head-coaching vacancy after Stan Van Gundy was fired following the team's 31-41 finish this season.
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5. THE SAVING GRACE FOR THE OLYMPIC TEAM?
The USA men's national basketball team has recently experienced a lot of setbacks, including losing exhibition games to Nigeria and Australia and both Kevin Love (right calf injury) and Bradley Beal (health and safety protocols) withdrawing this week.
Three players in the NBA Finals — Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Middleton — intend to join the team in Tokyo once the series is over.
It would be an incredibly short turnaround for them, considering that if there's a Game 7, it would take place July 22, and the men's basketball team plays its first game July 25.
Regardless, they don't appear to be wavering.
Said Booker: "Commitment's there. Every time I've spoke about Team USA, I've said it's an honor to be a part of it."
Added Middleton: "I'm still fully committed. It's unfortunate that some of the things have happened. But as far as myself, where my head is at, where my focus is at, it's the same as far as USA Basketball."
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.