Post-Finals Sympósio

THE CREW: Andrew Mediana, Benjie Panahon, Benjoe Panahon, Francis Tiopianco

After the Bucks won their first championship in 50 years behind an epic 50-point effort from Giannis, the Blue Ballers share their thoughts on what has been one of the most unpredictable postseasons ever.

1. What's your biggest takeaway from the Finals?

AndMedia:  I thought that the Bucks were cooked when they went down 0-2. But then they run 4 straight. Holy Moley. Epic.

Benjie: True before as it is now: the healthiest team wins.

Benjoe: Giannis IS Batman. Perk should stop embarrassing himself.

FT: The superteam era is dead. OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration—as long as LeBron and KD are playing, they will continue to want to play with fellow superstars. But the Finals showed that teams that go through the process can win it all. Both the Bucks and the Suns drafted smart, added key veterans, and made game-changing trades for starting point guards. I’m hoping that this becomes the norm this decade.

2. Whose legacy got the biggest boost (or took the biggest hit)?

AndMedia: Giannis. Performing and dominating with Shaq-like stats after an almost career-altering knee injury is nothing short of a sports medical miracle. And scoring 50 to end a 50-year championship drought is legen—wait for it—dary.

Benjie: Giannis for sure. He took that leap from All-Star to Super Saiyan these Finals, and he's such a likeable guy but it's hard not to give him his just accolades.

Benjoe: Giannis, no question. He is the story of the Finals. Having two 40-point games and a 50-point game in the closeout game is the stuff of legend. 

I can’t really think of anyone who took a hit. Everyone—players, coaches, and even Robert Sarver—got a reputation bump in these Finals.

FT: Easy answer would be Giannis with his epic 50-point closeout game (and deservedly so), so I’d go with Middleton. He put his name in the list of the best sidekicks of all-time. He had a 40-piece in the pivotal Game 5 on the road, and hit a crucial bucket plus free throws in the last minute of Game 6 to ice the championship. He finished the playoffs averaging 23.9ppg, 7.7rpg, and 5.1apg and was the Bucks’ de facto closer. People don’t really look at him as a superstar yet, but I guess people looked at Pippen the same way too before the Bulls won those titles in the 90’s. For comparison, Pippen averaged 21.6/8.9/5.8 during their first title run, which was also his most productive of the six.

Giannis joins Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history with multiple MVPs, a DPOY, and a Finals MVP.

3. What did you like most about this year's Playoffs?

AndMedia: I like that the Playoffs serves as a launching pad for the league's new superstars. I'm talking about Luka (last year), Trae, Book (this year).

Benjie: The play-in tournament, if you consider that as part of the Playoffs (like the First Four in the US NCAA).
 
Benjoe: That the Lakers and Nets were knocked out early.  For the NBA, it was good that no super team appeared in both conference finals.  It was better that teams with young homegrown talent battled in the championship series.  And the league got the best rags-to-riches story with Giannis and the Bucks winning it all.
 
FT: Good old-fashioned parity. There were legitimately 6 teams that had a chance to win the title this year (Bucks, Suns, Nets, Sixers, Clippers, and Jazz). The notion that any team can win the title makes every series more interesting and engaging. Honorable mention would be Giannis taking thinly veiled shots at LeBron and KD. He ain’t built that way.

4. Disliked most?

AndMedia: The shit ton of injuries that occurred. Casuals will say that this year will produce another Asterisk Champ. But as Dom Torretto once said: "It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winning is winning."

Benjie: CP3 and Monty not winning the 'chip.

Benjoe: I can’t really think of anything that I dislike strongly about.  I do wish that the Inside the NBA guys covered the Finals instead.  The Finals studio shows were just okay with me, but I do agree with this article from The Ringer’s Brian Curtis.

FT: ESPN trying to sell Devin Booker as a superstar and the next Kobe. He is neither—well, maybe apart from the fact that he has a tendency to put the blinders on like Kobe. Yes, he had back-to-back 40-point games in the Finals, but he was forcing tough shots and not making plays. And notice how the Bucks weren’t double-teaming him despite those big-scoring games? It was a brilliant ploy to lull the Suns into a predictable and unsustainable offense. I don’t think he’s currently a top 20 player, and I would rate him behind the likes of Tatum and Mitchell.

5. True or false: Either the Bucks or Suns (or both) will make it back to the Finals next year. 

AndMedia: True. The NBA Champ Bucks have a high probability of returning to the finals because of this thing called championship experience and their core is locked up at least for the next 3 years.

The Suns will have some sort of Finals hangover and will fail to exceed or at least meet next year's expectations. Will they run it back with an older CP3 who expects to get paid big for his last contract?

Benjie: False. Suns ain't coming back with that loaded West and 37 y/o CP3. Bucks got their window and took it. The Brooklyn Nets will pull off a 2012 Heat next year.

Benjoe: I want it to be true, but it’s a false for me. The West is going to be a crapshoot again next year, so the chances of the Suns repeating a finals appearance is less likely. Out East, my bet is on the Nets. Most super teams need at least one year to gel before winning it all, so that’s this year for the Nets.

FT: False. The Bucks will play with a different level of confidence next season—a championship unlocks that next gear—but I’m not sure if that’s enough to beat a healthy Nets team. KD alone was good enough to push them to 7 games, and with Kyrie and Harden back at full strength plus the benefit of playing a full season together, the Bucks might not be favored in a rematch.

For the Suns, I feel that this year was the perfect storm for them. Next year, CP3 will be 37, Booker will demand to be the alpha, and Ayton will want to get more touches. There’s a version of this where they keep their egos in check and come back stronger, but I’m skeptical. And I haven’t even mentioned the competition out West.