Last time on The New Millennium, the Spurs and Hawks stayed atop both conferences, but new franchises rose up to take over the spots behind them. With three more rings up for grabs, who will claim the ultimate prize and win the 2017 NBA Championship?
First Round
In the West, the Spurs dropped the first game to Houston before coasting to a 3-1 win, while big Tyreke Evans bodied Stephen Curry, as the Nuggets took down the Mavericks and joined San Antonio with both top seeds through to the second round. The Jazz would be next to face the Spurs, after eliminating the Warriors in a tough five game series. Utah's hero was Juwan Moncrief, acquired in the J.R. Smith trade, who dropped 53 points in the final two games against Golden State. Portland would also have a tough time against Phoenix, but it was big man Jimmie Owens who stepped up, leading the Trail Blazers to a Game 5 win to face Denver in the second round.
Out East, the Hawks and Bucks went at it, with Milwaukee desperate to send Atlanta home in the first round for the second year in a row. It went all the way to Game 5, where LeBron delivered his best game of the series, notching a triple-double and giving Atlanta a big lead. The Hawks promptly blew it, as Milwaukee came roaring back, leaving long-serving veteran Luol Deng to hit a game winner over LeBron as the Bucks advanced. The Nets would face the Bucks next, as a hard fought series with Chicago saw Derrick Rose lead the Nets to a blow-out win in Game 5. The Knicks would have no trouble against the Magic, winning in a sweep, while the Celtics pulled out another great upset, as LaMarcus Aldridge dominated Josh Smith and Joakim Noah in the post en route to a 3-1 win.
Second Round
The upsets just kept coming in the Eastern Conference, as the two lowest seeds in Milwaukee and Boston kept up the barrage. Despite Rose's best efforts, including 40 points in New Jersey's lone victory, the Nets couldn't keep up with the Porzingis-Towns duo, losing in 5. The Knicks were also defeated in 5, as Boston won thanks to the stellar play of Mike Conley, who led them to four straight wins never scoring less than 26 points, and dropped 50 to win Game 4.
It was the opposite story in the West, as top seeds San Antonio and Denver made it the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs had little trouble with the Jazz, as Kawhi Leonard brushed Utah aside with ease, but Denver was not nearly as lucky. Portland went up 3-1 thanks to Bradley Beal's scoring, but the Nuggets would rally. They shut Beal down, as he was held to a measly 4 points in Game 6, as Denver's excellent defense carried them to three straight wins.
Conference Finals
All hail the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite their incredibly young core, the Bucks have played far beyond their level, and have continued to improve throughout their playoff run. They were at their absolute best against the Celtics, who never really stood a chance. Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Willie Lewis was completely unhelpful against Towns, Porzingis and midseason signing Nikola Vucevic. Mike Conley would lead Boston to one win, and the Celtics would force a Game 5, where they took a big lead heading into the 4th quarter. But just like Round 1, no lead is safe against the Bucks, as all three big men led an absolute rout, with Towns, Porzingis and Vucevic all scoring above 20 points and the Bucks powered their way to the NBA Finals.
It was a different story once again in the West, as the Nuggets and Spurs looked incredibly well matched, trading wins through the first 4 games. But in Game 5 in San Antonio, the Spurs' defense stepped up and Kawhi Leonard took control in a 30 point win to take a 3-2 lead. Now at home, the Nuggets rallied for a big lead, but couldn't hang on, as Leonard and Love combined for 30 points in the 4th quarter and the Spurs finally made it to the promised land.
NBA Finals
Two teams that hadn't tasted much success now squared off in the 2017 NBA Finals, and Game 1 was an interesting affair, as the stars on both sides were held in check. That allowed shooting guard Jodie Meeks to play the hero, as he led the Spurs with 19 points and a win on home floor. But Game 2 was dominated by one star in particular, as former NBA Champion Kevin Love came to play. He held Porzingis to 4-19 shooting, as the Bucks were limited to just 77 points in a dismal display, while Love notched 23 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and the Spurs won by 33 to go up 2-0.
The humiliated Bucks could have just folded there, but buoyed by a home crowd that had not seen a Finals game since 1974, Milwaukee rallied. Porzingis and Towns combined for 48 points and the Bucks defense limited Love to 5-20 shooting as the Bucks got their first win. Game 4 was a classic, a back and forth flow that saw both teams make big runs, as the stars traded back and forth. But in the end it was Kawhi Leonard who was the man, scoring 32 points to put the Bucks away and leave the Spurs with a chance to lift the title on their home court.
The Bucks started strong in Game 5, taking an early lead, but couldn't hold the Spurs off for long, as Leonard and Love led a comeback and had the game tied at halftime. But in the 3rd quarter, an unlikely hero emerged, as young Andrew Wiggins came off the bench for Milwaukee, and turned the game on its head. Wiggins blocked a shot from Leonard, before delivering two thunderous dunks and hitting a corner three, and the Bucks never looked back, rolling to an 18 point win to force Game 6.
Game 6 was once again led by a role player, and once again, the Bucks stepped up. After a very tight game the whole way through, it was shooting guard C.J. McCollum that took over in the 4th quarter with 14 points, part of 24 for the game, as the Milwaukee fans rejoiced. We're going to a Game 7!
After one hell of a series, it all came down to Game 7. The story of this game was focused on the Spurs, as after two losses in a row, San Antonio stayed one step ahead of their younger counterparts. Milwaukee just couldn't get over that final hurdle, trailing by 1 at halftime and by 1 at the end of the 3rd quarter. The 4th opened strong for the Spurs, who would take a 9 point lead led by Kawhi Leonard who totaled 38 points for the game. But Karl-Anthony Towns wasn't finished yet. Milwaukee's big man stepped up, denying everything at the rim, grabbing any rebound he could find and even hitting several three-pointers. With the interior secure, a battle outside emerged, as Leonard and McCollum traded threes, as the game reached a deadlock. But if we've learned anything about these Bucks, it's that they produce the most unlikely heroes....
Veteran Anders Fredriksson, 36 years old and a journeyman of the league, largely known after losing his starting job to Russell Westrbrook in Detroit and then John Wall in Phoenix. A career defined by others' success became his own, as Fredriksson delivered on the grandest stage, forcing several key turnovers. And then, finally, Kristaps Porzingis blew the game wide open, blocking three straight shots from Kevin Love, and running the fastbreak for dunk after dunk. Even Kawhi Leonard's magnificent performance did nothing to save the doomed Spurs, who were ran off their own court by nothing short of an unstoppable force. For the very first time, a team blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals, and when the final horn sounded, all of Milwaukee began to party like it's '71, baby! The Milwaukee Bucks are your 2017 NBA Champions!
NBA Finals MVP: Karl-Anthony Towns(18.9 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 1.6 blkpg)
I don't think anyone saw this one coming. Just a couple years removed from being the basement of the league, the Bucks narrowly make the playoffs and then completely demolish everyone in their path. An excellent NBA Finals, but a bitterly disappointing loss for the Spurs, who will certainly take plenty of abuse for this choke job. Join me next time on The New Millennium for the 2017 offseason, and perhaps see how could be next to build a roster as good as Milwaukee's.
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