Simply, the Bucks lone title won on April 30, 1971 was attained with “Milw” scoring 118 points. (The Bullets had 106 in defeat).
Next Milwaukee advanced to their first final in 47 years, (118-105) at Atlanta in game 6 last Saturday.
In the two Suns’ home wins in the 2021 final, they outscored the Bucks, who they also edged by 1 point (no not with 118) in both “reg” meetings, Phoenix won 118-103 and then 118-108.
All 4 118’s were Bucks’ road tilts, now in a home 3rd, it “Can’t” be another 118 for the winner, can it?!!
Appropriately, there is heavy rain, though I have not seen lightning, adding to the doom and gloom, of not having the Suns, now huge “faves” to win their first title.
In #2, the Suns, who won their first two home final tilts in ’76, then lost 4 straight home final tilts, now have 2 home final wins and a (2-0) final round lead vs the Milwaukee Bucks, the latter seeking their second title and first in 50 years.
Devon Booker, a standout some years back, in the one NBA game I have attended in so many years, hit for 31, Mikal Bridges, who played on Villanova title teams in ’16 and ’18, added 27-Chris Paul 21, as Phoenix bet vs (-5 plus to minus 4 plus) won (118-108) in game 2.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a “Jerry like” (West) 42 in a final round game loss for the Bucks.
Jerry had 42 in defeat vs the Celts’ 11th title in 13 seasons in #7/’69 final on May 5th, a year after, sadly, the excellent actor Albert Dekker passed away.
The Bucks are not “dead” in this series, my chances for “bucks” as almost always are, but need the ABC fix and are 4 point “faves” in #2 at Milwaukee Sunday night.
No more Sunday afternoon tilts, as was the case in 3 1974 NBA final tilts, two wins by the Celts at Milwaukee, including the John Havlicek win in a Mother’s Day #7.
Mikal Bridges pictured above. I cited Bill Bridges regarding Hawks/Knicks, “knew” this, however, nada!!
There will be sun later, at least all day on TCM with “The Sunshine Boys” airing at 2 P.M. Eastern Time and “A Raisin In The Sun” at 5:45.
Facing elimination just once, (they won that (1-0) and the Cup clincher (1-0) vs Montreal, a 5th straight series clinching shutout for Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Andrei Vasilevskiy) the Tampa Bay Lightning now have 2 straight titles, winning them a record low, just over 9 mos. apart.
The Lightning join the Tom Brady led Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as current Tampa/Champa Bay champions.
Ross Colton scored the game’s only goal, taking a pass from David Savard. Colton and Savard are the only first time title winners on the Lightning squad, which by the way, will lose a number of key players in the upcoming off season.
Pat Maroon, who played on his home town St.Louis Blues’ lone title team in ’19 has now played on 3 straight Cup winners, the last 2 with T.B.
Nikita Kucherov, who was less than generous in his comments about Montreal, is a brilliant player who led the ‘offs in points, without a tie situation for the second straight year. He joins the great Mario Lemieux (for the ’91 and ’92 champion Pittsburgh Penguins) as the only players to do so.
Brayden Point, who started “all this” with a goal in the 5th overtime vs the Blue Jackets of Columbus (where is Amy, either “Mc” or Winehouse, my ’89 interviews with such as Sandy Koufax and “Dons,” Drysdale and Sutton?!), again led in points during the ‘offs.
Ross Colton, pictured above.
The Phoenix Suns, as is the case with their final round opponents, in their 53rd season, are now over 3 to 1 “faves” to cop their first NBA crown.
Chris Paul, now a favorite, in this his 16th season to not only win a title but also to be final round MVP, hit for 32 as Phoenix won (118-105) (in an) over the Milwaukee Bucks in the final round opener.
The Bucks do have one title, that clinched in a (118-106) win on April 30, 1971 (this series is so extended, which of course is TV driven, with Tues, Thurs, Sunday, Wed. Sat, Tues and Thurs,) and also clinched its first final “app” in 47 years scoring 118 at Atlanta last Saturday, but are on the wrong end of a 118 for the winner in this final round opener.
The home team is now an incredible (16-1) counting the bubble designation of L.A. as the home team last year, (15-1) not counting it and (15-2) vs the spread or (14-2) in the last 17 final round openers. The lone loss by Miami, which eventually Ray Allen’d and Leb James’d the Spurs in 7, in ’13.
By the way, “Horse,” aka Brent Musberger, touted a Bucks/under wease, which lost bucks for those who backed Brent. Maybe for old time sake, I can “inform” Phil Mushnick of this “tidbit/nugget,” when he is the guest on the New York Giants Preservation Society “Zoom” tomorrow night.
The Suns broke a 4 game home final round loss skein and are now (3-4) in home final tilts. The Bucks fell to a still very good (4-2) road final record. Normally, I would root for 4 straight and certainly (2-0) but I so messed up the Suns and their opposition injury aided run to a likely, but far from certain title, that I hope “Milw” makes it at least a bit tough for the Suns (likely it is Lightning then Sun(s)), by winning game 2.
Only 9 times in now 75 NBA final series, has the home team both lost game 1 and the series (’04,’95, ’93 when the Suns did, ’82, ’75, ’74 when the Bucks did, ’58 when the Celtics did, ’50 and ’48).
There will be a 5th game, meaning ‘offs tilts at least 4straight nights as the NBA final opens Tuesday with game 2 Thursday.
The Canadiens in OT on Josh Anderson’s second goal of the tilt, the second time he had 2 goals in a Habs’ win including one in overtime (the other after the Fleury give away, #3 semis vs Vegas).
Thus no NHL final sweep for a 21st consecutive season after there had been sweeps in 4 straight (’95-’98).
Speaking of ’95, that was the first of 3 New Jersey Devils’ crowns, the first two clinched on a Saturday matching Chicago’s first two, each a Tuesday in ’34 and ’38 before their next on a Sunday in ’61.
The Lightning won their first two titles on Mondays in ’04 and 2020, but failed to Monday clinch tonight.
I will put a link to a nice article about the current Toronto Maple Leafs title drought.
As for ESPN and its sickening, but oh so popular, sports highlight show (I will not dignify it by name) the Clippers nee Buffalo Braves now have a 51 year not 50 title drought, encompassing the seasons from (’71-2021). They “graphic’d” 50.
https://fansided.com/2021/07/03/nhl-when-last-time-toronto-won-stanley-cup/
Khris Middleton hit for 32 points and the Milwaukee Bucks scored 118 points, the same number they scored in game 4 of the ’71 final, to claim their lone title, winning (118-107) over the Atlanta Hawks, to advance to their first final since 1974.
When the Bucks titled in ’71, it was in an eerily similar, (118-106) win vs the then Baltimore Bullets.
Now they face, the also now (3-7) in semis, Phoenix Suns, the latter a 6 point and 9 to 5 series “fave,” in a final between the two ’68-’69 expansion teams, who had the famed coin flip won by the Bucks, who gained the great player Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
Only me: There have now been 64 seasons of two best of 7 semi-final series and this year and ’92 (Bulls over the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers over the Jazz) are the only one in which both were clinched in road team game 6 victories.
Khris Middleton, pictured above. The Hawks, a truly good story and a good, non bet by me, wagering proposition in 2021, remain a woeful semi failure at (0-4) in series and the “reverse Ron Perranoski ’63 record,” of (3-16) in semis games.
The Tampa Bay Lightning by virtue of a second straight year Friday night final round win that was their third in the entity, are almost certain to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions and a 7 to 5 favorite to complete the first Cup final sweep since 1998.
Tyler Johnson, somehow with the excellent T.B. coach, Jon Cooper for 10 straight seasons, had 2 goals while greats, Nikita Kucherov and last year’s Conn Smythe winner, Victor Hedman each had a goal and an assist in the Lightning “doubling” of the Montreal Canadiens (6-3) in #3, giving the defending champions a truly commanding (3-0) final round lead.
Last year in the “Edmonton bubble, the Lightning won a game 4 Friday night final round tilt on Kevin Shattenkirk’s (he is no longer with T.B, however, Pat Maroon still is. Mr. Maroon is almost certain to play on a third Cup winner in 3 seasons, the first with the Blues and the next 2 with the Lightning. I know Bill Skowron, with the somewhat similar sounding to Maroon, nickname of “Moose,” played on 2 straight Yankees’ title teams and then on the ’63 Dodgers who swept the Yankees in the W.S) overtime goal to take a (3-1) final round lead. The “tail wags the dog” schedule called for a game 5 the next night, which Dallas won to force a 6th game, on the following Monday.
The Lightning won their second title that Monday night, each won on a Monday. They will seek a third “Monday clinched title” 2 days hence as this year, “wag the dog” yielded an extra day off, though #4, as was the case with #3, will be played before 3500 fans in Montreal.
Tyler Johnson, pictured above.
Andy B Sports 
“Mason” Football “Tie Ins”
Let’s get away from the “might have been” (add the “r” for the annoying Breen and no comment on Van Gundy’s hoodlum words, save to say I already thought very little of him and that negative opinion has increased) (those saddest of words) ‘NHL and NBA ‘offs, which so likely will yield Lightning then Sun(s), though I will count on the NBA/ABC/ return home for the first Bucks’ home final tilt since ’74, to at least offer “Milw” hope, with a #3 win.
I get away from the ‘offs with 4 football “tie ins” I have mined, with some license and mucho tangents, from a “Perry Mason” episode, titled “The Hesitant Hostess.”
There are characters and actors named “Joseph Gibbs” (namesake of the 3 time Supe winning coach), “Larry Coles,” (Larry Cole was a Dallas Cowboys standout player and was shown rolling on the ground but not from the game NFL Films (unlike almost all in sports broadcasting, NFL Films did, maybe still does a good job, but had a misleading moment regarding Cole), actor Don Anderson (better known as Donny Anderson, a Dallas Cowboys related, as is Joe Gibbs having coached the rival Washington football team. Arrogant VsINers, still refer to them by the horrible nickname, adding to my personal “trail of negative tears,” as Anderson made big plays in his Packers’ Ice Bowl winning, “Bart Starr led and Chuck Mercein major contribution,” drive (sorry but contribution and drive are linked, think charity), touchdown drive), and finally actor Brick Sullivan, evoking Paul Newman’s role as once football star “Brick,” in Tennessee Williams’ seminal, “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.”