Bucks advance past Durant and the Nets
Antetokounmpo rises to the occasion and Game 7 lives up to hype,
The premier series of these NBA playoffs ended exactly how it should: down to the final second, and then down to the final second again.
To hope for beauty in a Game 7 is often to ask too much, but Saturday night at Barclays Center was as beautiful as basketball has been during this pandemic-stricken, injury-marred season. The Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets pushed, pounced and grappled for four quarters and an overtime period, with both coaches responding to the raised stakes by leaning more and more heavily on their stars.
Back and forth this exhausting and evenly matched second-round series went, marked by stretches of greatness from Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as injuries to James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
It culminated with a tense finale that was all guts, no glamour. Finally, mercifully, after 53 minutes, the Bucks survived another round of Durant heroics to claim a 115-111 victory and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years.
“It's a great feeling,” Antetokounmpo said. “I try not to get too high or too low, but I almost got emotional a little bit out there. The team really tried their best. We kept our composure. Game 7, everyone is anxious, everybody is nervous. To be able to execute, believe in one another, trust one another, it was big time. I'm really happy for this team. But the job is not done. We're halfway.”
There was never comfort for either team, only tension and lead changes. Brooklyn, which had fallen into big first-quarter holes several times in the series, started well and took a five-point lead into halftime, only for Milwaukee to erase it with a quick 7-0 run to start the third.
The Nets again pushed their lead to five midway through the fourth quarter with a Harden three-pointer, only for Khris Middleton to answer immediately on the other end.
Antetokounmpo finished a layup over Durant with less than three minutes to play, only for Durant to pump-fake free from Middleton for a jumper and fly to the basket for a runner on successive possessions. Milwaukee built a four-point lead in the final minute, but then Durant hit two shots — including a deep turnaround with P.J. Tucker draped all over him in the final second of regulation — to force overtime. Video replay showed that Durant's toes were on the three-point line, preventing the shot from being a game-winner by mere inches.
“I thought it was a trey, but my big a-- foot stepped on the line,” Durant said. “I saw how close I was to ending their season.”
In the extra period, Brooklyn held Milwaukee scoreless for more than three minutes and built a narrow lead with a series of hustle plays. Antetokounmpo hit a hook shot over Durant, and Middleton hit a go-ahead jumper — setting up Durant for another last-second shot to tie the score and force a second overtime. His attempt was short and left this time, sending the Bucks' bench into jubilant, relieved celebrations.
Such was the intensity throughout the night that both Durant and Antetokounmpo got off their feet whenever possible, leaning on the scorer's table during dead balls to conserve energy. This matchup was billed by some as the “real Finals” before it opened, with Brooklyn coach Steve Nash and Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer treating it as such, cutting their rotations to the bone so that their starters could determine which team would be the last one standing.
Durant never left the court for the second time in three games.
Harden played 53 minutes despite ill effects from a hamstring injury. Antetokounmpo played 50 minutes, needed a second-quarter breather and later air-balled two free throws.
Middleton and Jrue Holiday appeared to struggle with heavy legs early as they combined to shoot just 4 for 22 in the first half. But both came alive with key plays down the stretch despite rarely leaving the court, helping Milwaukee narrowly avoid playoff heartbreak for the third straight year.
Like he did in his masterful 49-point performance in Game 5, Durant shined brightest.
The 11-time all-star continued to make a strong case that he is the best player in the world, finishing with 48 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He was dialed in from the early going, scoring 20 points by halftime and punishing Milwaukee from the post whenever he was matched up with smaller defenders.
“I don't know what more Kevin can do,” Nash said. “It was just out of this world. I'm really, really proud of the group. I hurt for them.”
Down the stretch, though, the Bucks collectively rose to the challenge, and Durant was left to clutch his shorts in exhaustion and disbelief. Antetokounmpo finished with a team-high 40 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Middleton added 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and all five Bucks starters finished in double figures. The Bucks' defence held the Nets to just two points in overtime.
“I love the way they just keep coming, keep playing, and find a way to win,” Budenholzer said. “We needed every one of them.”
For the Bucks, the heart-stopping win was especially sweet after they'd squandered title shots in the past two years. In 2019, the Bucks took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals before their season evaporated with four straight losses to Kawhi Leonard's Toronto Raptors. In 2020, the Bucks fizzled in the bubble, losing to Jimmy Butler's Miami Heat in the second round.
This year, they withstood a pair of classic performances from Durant and narrowly eked out the only road win of the series.
Small contingents of gleeful Bucks fans, wearing Antetokounmpo jerseys and waving Greek flags, stayed late to salute the effort.
“You've got to give credit to the Milwaukee Bucks,” Durant said. “They're a great team, and they have a great shot to win a championship. The story should be about them.”
The Bucks go ahead to play the Atlanta Hawks, who ousted the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night.
Antetokounmpo referred to the victory over the Nets as “a great step for our organization,” but adding that they need “to put this in the past” now that they know their next playoff opponent.
The Nets, meanwhile, will enter the off-season ruing their missed opportunities and bad breaks — Irving's ankle injury, Harden's hamstring injury and Durant's late miss — in a series decided by the slimmest of margins.
For once during this challenging season, the NBA was at its finest.
To be able to execute, believe in one another, trust one another, it was big time. I'm really happy for this team. But the job is not done.