The Milwaukee Bucks‘ 50-year championship drought is over after they escaped past the Phoenix Suns in a 105-98 Game 6 victory Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum in the NBA Finals.
The Bucks were crowned this year’s NBA champions after yet another hard-fought battle between themselves and the Suns as Milwaukee looked to close out the series and earn their first title in a half-century.
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The Suns made the Bucks work for everything they earned throughout Game 6, yet Milwaukee still prevailed and they ended the season on top and reached sports immortality in the process.
So without further ado, let’s break down what all stood out from the Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 6 victory that helped them become NBA champions.
Bobby Portis gives the Milwaukee Bucks the much-needed lift they needed off the bench in their Game 6 win
It was far from a pretty or highly executed game on both sides, but it was Bobby Portis that served to give the Bucks the emotional lift they needed to reach the summit last night.
Portis finished with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting (2-for-5 from three, 2-for-2 from the free throw line), three rebounds and a block in over 22-and-a-half minutes of run.
By the time the Bucks’ super sub stepped foot on the floor, Milwaukee was in need of his scoring punch, toughness and improved defensive effort to keep pace and eventually fend off Phoenix.
It was Portis’ shooting, shotmaking and finishing around the basket that proved essential for Bucks shot creators as they looked for an outlet in the face of the Suns’ extended defensive pressure all night long. While Portis has his deficiencies on the defensive end, he continued to hold up well on that side of the floor by working hard when defending in space and recovering back to the rim, despite finishing with five fouls.
No one knows what the future holds for Portis, though it feels safe to say he’s proven more than enough that he will decline his minimal player option for next year. Even so, Portis cemented himself as a significant contributor that helped carry the Bucks to an NBA title and will forever be serenaded with ‘BOB-BY” chants whenever he steps foot in Milwaukee for the rest of his life.