For the third time in franchise history, the Milwaukee Bucks are in the NBA Finals. On Saturday, in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bucks defeated the Atlanta Hawks 118-107. With the win, the Bucks defeated the Hawks in the best out of seven series four games to two.
Bucks small forward Khris Middleton of Charleston, South Carolina had a team-high 32 points. He made 10 of 22 field-goal attempts, four of 10 shots from three-point range, and made all eight free-throw attempts. Middleton also had seven assists, four rebounds, three steals, and was a +3 while on the floor.
Middleton was one of six Bucks players who reached double digits in scoring on a night when their all-star power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second straight game in the series because of a knee injury. Jrue Holiday of Chatsworth, California had 27 points. Brook Lopez of North Hollywood, California, and Pat Connaughton of Arlington, Massachusetts had 13 points each. Meanwhile, Bobby Portis of Little Rock, Arkansas had 12 points, and former Hawks all-star point guard Jeff Teague of Indianapolis, Indiana had 11 points.
The big quarter for the Bucks in game six was the third quarter. Heading into the second half, the Bucks had the narrow 47-43 lead. Then in the third quarter, they outscored the Hawks 44-29 to take a 91-72 lead.
Twice before the Bucks have been in the NBA Finals. However, those occasions took place back in the 1970s. The Bucks won the 1971 NBA Finals as they swept the Baltimore Bullets in four games. Then in 1974, the Bucks lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. The Bucks star at this time was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, who is considered the third-best player all-time by The Sporting Base. In 1971, Abdul-Jabbar was Lew Alcindor when he was the NBA Finals MVP. He then changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after winning the 1971 NBA Finals. The Bucks have never won the NBA Finals since.
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