Giannis leads comeback in Game 5, puts Bucks on verge of NBA title
By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer
The last time we saw Giannis Antetokounmpo on a podium in Phoenix, the Bucks were down two games to none. The disappointment was etched all over his face, in his strained tone, in his wild gesticulations. He said he hoped the Bucks could turn things around, a message he kept repeating out loud to try to convince himself.
Nine days later, Antetokounmpo returned to that same podium facing a completely different reality.
The Bucks had stormed back into the series, winning three straight games, capped by a 123-119 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday to take a 3-2 series lead in the NBA Finals.
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This time around, sitting on that stage, Antetokounmpo was incredibly happy as his team hovered in rare territory, just one win away from the franchise's first title in 50 years.
Antetokounmpo joked that his brother, Thanasis, who missed Game 5 because of health and safety protocols, "probably took his shirt off and started playing defense, sweating, jumping on the bed" during the game's final seconds. He talked about how he couldn't wait to eat some hamburgers because he was so hungry. He flashed his wide grin multiple times.
Antetokounmpo was delayed in talking to reporters because he was experiencing severe cramps from dehydration, but he was so intent on heading back to that podium that he turned down an NBA official who offered him the opportunity to skip the media conference and just talk with a pool reporter.
The superstar didn't want to miss this chance. Not this time. Not when the Bucks are on the precipice of breaking through the wall they've been running into for half a century.
"We've got to stay humble," he said. "We've got to be in the present and stay humble as much as possible. When this team is humble, this team is very, very dangerous."
The NBA Finals have been a roller coaster of emotions for Antetokounmpo — and Game 5 was no different.
The Suns opened the first quarter shooting 73.7% from the field and 83.3% from beyond the arc, growing their lead to as many as 16 points. But the Bucks fought back, outshooting the Suns in the second quarter 70.8% to 35.7% and tying the score 42-42 with 7:48 left in the first half.
The Bucks have shown that kind of resolve over and over again. This team doesn't get intimidated. It came back from a 2-0 deficit against the Brooklyn Nets in the second round of the playoffs and did so again against the Suns.
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"I feel like we don't stop," said Antetokounmpo, who had 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists Saturday. "Usually when you're down 15 or 16, down 0-2 or whatever the case might be, you kind of, like, stop. You kind of stop competing in a way. But I feel like this team, we don't do that."
The Suns clawed their way out of a 14-point hole in the fourth quarter. With the Bucks clinging to a paper-thin 120-117 lead with 1:24 left, Antetokounmpo was fouled and missed both free throws. But instead of getting down on himself, he was ready for the next big play.
It came 70 seconds later, when Jrue Holiday, who had 27 points and 13 assists, wrestled the ball out of Devin Booker's hands and threw a perfect alley-oop to Antetokounmpo, who elevated to the 10th floor to complete a two-handed jam while drawing a foul.
Antetokounmpo missed his free throw but tapped the board to Khris Middleton, who was fouled and made one of two from the line.
That sequence saved the game for the Bucks.
"I was just in the right place at the right time," Holiday said of the steal, his third of the night.
Antetokounmpo revealed that he had made it very clear to Holiday in those final moments that he wanted the ball in his hands.
"I was like, 'Throw it, throw it, throw it,'" Antetokounmpo said of the alley-oop. "After the game, I was like, ‘Thank you for trusting me.’ He could make a wrong pass, and that would be on him as the point guard. The coach would say, 'You're supposed to keep the ball.' But he trusted me, and he knows I'm going to finish the play. That says a lot to me."
To Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, Antetokounmpo's jam and offensive rebound also showed something else. It was a perfect example of how Antetokounmpo stays in the present and doesn't get upset by earlier hitches in his game, such as his shooting from the free-throw line, where he made only four of his 11 shots.
He always looks forward to the next play, believing he can do something special.
"He's really worked on all of that — the mental side, staying in a good place," Budenholzer said.
Things seem to be coming together for the Bucks. They have a short memory. Their stars are finally all playing well at the same time, with Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday combining Saturday for 88 points, 24 assists and 20 rebounds.
Now, heading home to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Tuesday, they're just one win away from making history. Antetokounmpo went from "hoping" the Bucks could turn things around to struggling to contain his excitement in the blink of an eye.
"We know what the deal is," he said. "It's one game away from being an NBA champ, being in the history of this game. Nobody can take that away from you."
He made sure he enjoyed that moment.
After all, he knows as well as anybody that in the playoffs, things can turn on a dime.
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.