The defining matchup of this year’s NBA Finals is going to come down to Chris Paul against Jrue Holiday. This matchup is going to set the tone for the Bucks defense and Suns offense as Holiday will likely shadow Paul or Booker for this entire series. Milwaukee likes using the first-team all-defensive player in a role where he will take on the ball handler, and in this case, it is going to be Paul or Booker depending on how Phoenix wants to play it possession by possession.
Here’s a closer look at how good Holiday is and how he makes opposing teams regret making a mistake…
Expect Suns coach Monty Williams to trust Paul as the primary ball-handler the majority of time, however—after all, he is known as the “Point God” for a reason. In his inaugural season with the Suns, the 16-year veteran has been nothing short of phenomenal, especially in the postseason. Paul has averaged 18.1 points and 8.7 assists while shooting 47.0% from the field and 40.5% from beyond the arc through the postseason.
Apart from an impressive overall stat line, through 14 playoff games, Paul has totaled 122 assists to only 22 turnovers. Expect Milwaukee to have their hands fall all series long as Paul also loves using the pick & roll to his advantage. Suns big man DeAndre Ayton is a pivotal part of Paul’s success, vice-versa, as Paul can not only get Ayton on the roll but also draw a matchup against someone like Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, or even P.J. Tucker to knock down a mid-range shot that seems as good as automatic.
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Examining Player Legacies
When it comes to legacies on the line, all eyes will likely be on Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and Suns’ Chris Paul. Both players are a mere championship away from cementing themselves among all-time NBA greats.
There is nothing tougher than coming to a conclusion on who wins this year’s NBA championship. Both of these squads have so much going for them and both have storylines worth rooting for that it seems too good to be true. Through 16 seasons, Paul is among one of the greatest players in NBA history and is playing in his first career NBA finals, hoping for it to end in a ring that would be the cherry on top of an illustrious career. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo went from being a teenager in Greece with a dream to play in the NBA to absolute stardom that has included a most improved player award (2017), two MVP trophies (2019, 2020), and a defensive player of the year trophy (2020) to name a few…
Meanwhile, several star players like Suns’ Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton are among the younger studs in the series and quite frankly should have another crack at another championship run with or without Chris Paul down the stretch.
As for the Bucks’ Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, the clock is ticking as the “Greek Freak: is the youngest of the trio, so best believe Milwaukee is certainly under more pressure to win a title not just for the Antetokounmpo’s sake, but for some of these seasoned veterans as well…
