The stage was set for the Phoenix Suns to produce one of the most memorable comebacks in NBA Finals history in Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Trailing by as much as 14 points in the final quarter, the Suns managed to turn things around and had the opportunity to regain the lead not only in the game but also in the series in the dying seconds. Unfortunately for Phoenix, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday happened.
Two days after that epic Game 5 clash, the play that won it for the Bucks still reverberates in Milwaukee and worldwide. Down by one and with the ball in their hands, the Suns opted not to call a timeout and placed their trust in All-Star scorer Devin Booker who had just scored 40 points for the second consecutive Finals game, a feat that only a few NBA legends have achieved.
Holiday delivers a defensive gem
As Booker dribbled his way into the free-throw area for his patented mid-range jumper, Suns fans were already anticipating the go-ahead basket as they brought out their cellphones to capture the winning moment. What they got instead was one of the best two-way sequences the NBA Finals have ever seen.
Knowing fully well that Booker will take matters into his own hands, the Bucks defense collapsed on the Suns' star with P.J. Tucker and Antetokounmpo stopping him just outside the restricted area. As Booker tried to extricate himself from the double team, he was surprised to meet another defender in Holiday who ripped the ball away from the former Kentucky standout.
Holiday's defensive gem was brilliant on so many levels. First off, he had to perfectly time his help defense off Chris Paul, who was getting ready to receive Booker's kick-out pass and hit the wide-open three. Second, Holiday had to snatch the ball cleanly and not commit a foul as the Bucks were already on the penalty. Two free throws by Booker at that time would have been the end for Milwaukee.
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Giannis soars for yet another iconic NBA Finals play
That wasn't to be the case as the ball got loose with Holiday grabbing the all-important steal. With the shot clock now off, the smart play for Holiday at that point was to waste some time and wait for the Suns to foul him. He's averaging around 78 percent from the charity stripe for his career, and Holiday was the one the Bucks would want for them taking free throws at the end.
THE DUNK. pic.twitter.com/2MZwqGhr5C
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) July 18, 2021
Giannis had some other ideas, though, as he raced down the other side. Seeing a wide-open lane, the two-time MVP attacked the basket with gusto and asked Holiday to throw the alley-oop to him. After thinking for a split second, Holiday delivered a perfect pass to the streaking Antetokounmpo, who flushed it down despite a shove from Chris Paul to give Milwaukee a three-point lead.
The audacity of Holiday and Giannis to combine for that dunk at such a critical juncture is simply astonishing. When asked about that iconic play, Antetokounmpo said postgame that "the pass was all about trust."
That pass and that trust have put the Milwaukee Bucks on the cusp of their first NBA championship in 50 years. Game 6 of the Finals can't come soon enough.
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