Last year the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Championship for the first time in 50 years. Beyond this being the first time they won it in 50 years there is another reason why this is a very special championship win for the Bucks. The Bucks played the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 Championship. Since the Bucks had a worse regular season win-loss record (Bucks: 46-26 vs Suns: 51-21) the first two games were played at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The Bucks lost the first two games by 13 and 10 points in Phoenix.
Then the Bucks went to Milwaukee, knowing that if they lost they would be down 3-0, and no team in NBA history has come back from down 3-0. But, the Bucks destroyed the Suns, and won by 20 points. Then, the Bucks played another game in Milwaukee, still knowing that going down 3-1 is terrible for their odds to win the championship. Thankfully, the Bucks were about to get a hard fought win, winning by 6 points capped by an incredible block with Giannis blocking Suns’ center Deadre Ayton with 1:16 left in the 4th quarter. The series was tied at 2-2.
The next game would be back in Phoenix, to determine who would have the 3-2 advantage going into game 6. The Bucks were losing early in the game, but stormed back and were up by 8 points with 2:10 left in the 4th quarter. The Suns made a run and were only down 1 point with 56.6 seconds left in the game. Then, with the shot clock winding down, Bucks' guard Jrue Holiday missed a mid-range shot, giving Phoenix a chance to take back the lead with 30 seconds left. Then Suns’ guard Devin Booker drove toward the basket, did a fake, but did not see Bucks’ guard Jrue Holiday behind him, and Jrue Holiday ripped the ball out of Devin Booker’s hands. Jrue Holiday took off down the court; the only Suns’ defender between him and the basket was Suns’ guard Chris Paul. Jrue Holiday saw Bucks’ Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sprinting toward the hoop, and with 14 seconds left threw him an alley-oop. Giannis Antetokounmpo dunked the basketball, and was fouled by Chris Paul, sealing the win for the Bucks. The Bucks were going to get a chance to come back from down 2-0 to win in 6 games.
Back in Milwaukee for game 6, there were over 65,000 people outside in the Deer District chanting “Bucks in 6.” The Milwaukee Bucks came out with more energy than the Phoenix Suns early in the game, and took a 13 point lead with 11 minutes left in the first half. The Suns got fired up though, and had a 5 point lead at halftime. The Bucks came out of halftime and their offense exploded in the 3rd quarter, tying the game at the start of the 4th quarter, including an excellent dunk by Bucks’ center, Brook Lopez. Then, the Bucks, up 4 points with 6:18 left in the 4th quarter, made an incredible play. Buck’s forward Pat Connaughton passed the ball to Bucks’ guard Khris Middleton, who found Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo dunked the ball with 3 defenders guarding him at once. The Bucks kept adding to their lead, and with 1:00 left in the game had a 4 point lead. On that play, Giannis Antetokounmpo handed the ball to Khris Middleton, who made a mid-range running jump-shot to virtually end the game. With too little time left, the Suns were forced to foul the Bucks, whose Giannis Antetokounmpo finished the game with 50 points. The game ended with the Milwaukee Bucks winning the game by 7 points. The Bucks became only the 5th team in NBA history to win the finals after coming back from a 2-0 deficit. Bucks in 6 had happened.
This finals win is incredible, but even more so because of the deeper meaning of “Bucks in 6.” The Milwaukee Bucks Twitter has had #BucksIn6 on every post for a few years now. The phrase Bucks in 6 originated from Brandon Jennings during the 2012-2013 NBA playoffs 1st round, when the Bucks were down 2-0 to Lebron James and the Miami Heat. "I'm real confident," Jennings said. "I'm sure everybody is writing us off but I see us winning the series in six." Despite his confidence, Brandon Jennings and the Bucks were swept by the Heat, losing the last two games at home by 13 and 11 points. Despite another disappointing 1st round playoff exit for the Milwaukee Bucks, fans embraced the phrase as a piece of their culture as Brandon Jennings said, “Bucks in 6 always, that’s for the culture.” Although Brandon Jennings was traded to the Detroit Pistons the next year, the words stayed with the team and the fans. And then, 8 years later, the Bucks did win in 6, a perfect way to satisfy the Milwaukee Bucks’ fans culture.
INFORMATION CREDITS:
Radcliffe, J. R. (2021, July 23). 'bucks in 6'? those chants during Milwaukee's playoff run date back to a time when they definitely didn't win in six. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2018/04/21/so-where-does-bucksin-6-sentiment-come/539149002/
IMAGE CREDITS:
CBS58 Newsroom. (2021, July 20). Bucks win first NBA title in 50 years with Game 6 victory over Suns, 105-98. CBS58. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://www.cbs58.com/news/bucks-win-first-nba-title-in-50-years-with-game-6-victory-over-suns-105-98
Spectrum News Staff. (2021, July 19). Expanded deer district will allow up to 65,000 fans for Game 6. Expanded Deer District will allow up to 65,000 fans Game 6. Retrieved March 2, 2022, from https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2021/07/19/bucks-announce-to-adjustments-to-deer-district--expanded-area-will-allow-up-to-65-000-fans