Giannis Antetokounmpo's dominant play could warrant Finals MVP in a loss
The NBA Finals are now a best two out of three.
After dropping the first two games of the series to the Phoenix Suns, the Milwaukee Bucks battled back to tie it 2-2 heading into Saturday's Game 5 in Phoenix.
That is in large part due to the dominance of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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After a relatively mild showing in Game 1, in which he scored just 20 points while working his way back from a hyperextended left knee, Antetokounmpo has been nothing short of unstoppable the past three games.
He scored 42, 41 and 26 points in those contests while recording at least 12 rebounds in each and dominating on defense. Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.3 points, 14 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the series and has shifted the momentum firmly in favor of the Bucks.
He has so thoroughly imposed his will that Nick Wright stated on "First Things First" that the Bucks' star should be Finals MVP even if the Bucks don't win the series.
"The best game anyone has played in this series was Giannis," he said. "The second-best game anyone has played in this series was Giannis. And the fourth-best game anyone has played in this series was Giannis."
The only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP on a losing team was Jerry West in 1969, when the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. West averaged 37.9 PPG in that series. In Game 7, which Boston won 108-106, West had a triple-double with 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists while playing all 48 minutes.
LeBron James also received votes for the award in 2015, when the Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games, though the Warriors' Andre Iguodala was ultimately named Finals MVP.
The floor for Antetokounmpo has been higher than anybody else's in this series, which is reason enough for Chris Broussard to hop on board the idea that Antetokounmpo deserves Finals MVP regardless of the outcome.
"Right now, with the series tied at 2-2 — and winning and losing doesn't matter, and that's being taken out — it's easily Giannis," he said. "I'd be interested to see how there is a discussion about this."
Having the best player in a series is always going to be advantageous, and right now, the Bucks appear to have the best player by a considerable margin.
Whether they take home the Larry O'Brien trophy remains to be seen, but Antetokounmpo might very well be in line to take home the Bill Russell Finals MVP regardless of the series' outcome.
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