As you may know, the Phoenix Suns lost in the 2021 NBA Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks after beating the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and the Los Angeles Clippers, all in the playoffs before the Finals. While their eyes were set on winning the Larry O’Brien trophy, players will have to settle for some of the trophies Sydney has up for grabs in their summer leagues this year. Anyway, how could they possibly lose to a team after beating such good teams? Well, that’s what everyone thought.
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Mentally Not Playing
The mind is a very complicated and fascinating thing. It can significantly impact everything you do. I believe the Phoenix Suns were physically playing, but not mentally. This means that they didn’t believe in themselves and overthought the situations way too many times, causing stress, fear, and not being able to perform at their best. They could possibly have been intimidated by the fact that they were doubted to win and the fact that they were going up against the Greek Freak (Giannis Antetokounmpo).
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a very dominating player meaning he “runs the court.” He was a big factor in winning the finals for the Bucks. Many people say he carried the team. In the first two games where the Suns won, Giannis wasn’t playing at 100 percent due to an injury in the previous series against the Atlanta Hawks. However, after Giannis recovered, it seemed as if he had regained his confidence because, during the 3rd game, it seemed as if the Suns were being dominated in every way. The Bucks’ defense was outstanding, as well as their offense. After watching this, you could say Giannis is a leader to the rest of his team.
Losing a 2-0 Lead
After the 3rd game, everyone on the Suns seemed very intimidated by the fact that they had been dominated after winning the first two games. The Suns were in shock. During the 4th game, Devin Booker seemed off, he was missing a large number of shots and not playing as well, as he had been playing previously. Chris Paul surprised many people after the number of assists and points he had to his number of turnovers; it was amazing. But then, suddenly, Chris was not doing as well; he hadn’t had as many points as he previously did.
After Game Locker Room and Media
This is a significant factor in their mental game. After losing one game after another and losing the streaks, there was tension and a stressful vibe in the locker room, which had a huge effect on them emotionally. Also, after the losses, the media began to doubt the Suns to win and started to count on the Bucks. Imagine how this might feel with the whole basketball community doubting you to come back and win.
Losing In The 2021 NBA Finals
After the finals, this greatly impacted all the players, staff, and even fans, who played and watched all season to lose in the final series. After this, many people were devastated, but I believe this is a significant loss that will be a massive motivation for the Suns, and next year they come out playing stronger and better than ever before.
