Milwaukee Bucks: Keys to victory in NBA Finals Game 2 vs. Phoenix Suns
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks desperately need Jrue Holiday to get going in Game 2 of the NBA Finals vs. the Phoenix Suns
Jrue Holiday continued his string of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hype performances in this playoff run with one of his worst yet in Game 1 against the Suns.
Playing nearly 40 minutes, the guard scored just 10 points on a horrific 4-of-14 shooting, which included missing all four attempts from 3-point territory. He did not look comfortable or confident offensively, often settling for ill-advised shots that are not his strengths. Although he managed to hand out nine assists, he also logged three turnovers due to numerous head-scratching decisions with the basketball in his hands.
Given Holiday’s sensational finish to seal the Conference Finals against the Hawks, this Game 1 effort was frustrating. Holiday played fantastic during those two matchups by averaging 26 points on 46.5 percent shooting from the floor while handing out 11 assists and grabbing 7.5 rebounds. With Antetokounmpo sidelined with that knee injury, the guard took it upon himself to step up and take over to help this team win back-to-back games and clinch a spot in the Finals.
However, with Antetokounmpo back in the lineup, the guard has seemingly lost all that confidence in himself to play to his strengths. While Holiday does not solely deserve the blame for the loss, they could have potentially won the matchup had he played remotely well. Giannis looked solid in his return from a knee injury by scoring 20 points and pulling down 17 rebounds, while Khris Middleton notched 29 points, although it took 26 shots to get there. This team needs the third complement of their Big 3 to get going to stand a chance moving forward.