The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns 120-100 in Game 3 of the 2021 NBA Finals on Sunday night. Three games into the series, Phoenix now holds a 2-1 lead.
One of the primary drivers of the Bucks’ success this weekend was the incredible play of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo’s free shooting has been the subject of much controversy in recent weeks, but he was stellar in that regard throughout Game 3. The two-time MVP finished 13-of-17 from the free throw line on the night.
One person who took issue with that? Suns head coach Monty Williams. Specifically, Williams didn’t like that Antetokounmpo alone got more opportunities at the free throw line than his entire team did.
“I’m not going to get into the complaining publicly about fouls,” he said. “Just not going to do that. But you can look. We had 16 free throws tonight. One person had 17.”
Specifically, Williams seemed to take issue with the fact that his big man, Deandre Ayton, racked up five fouls on the day, limiting him to just 24 minutes.
“I don’t even want to go there,” Williams continued. “It’s pretty self-explanatory. We got to figure out or define what is a legal guarding position, because there are times where he can move his hands out of the way. But it’s hard to tell a guy what to do when somebody is running into you. You know what I mean? I don’t know what a legal guarding position is at times.”
Williams’ frustration is palpable, and Phoenix will need to figure out a way to remedy what ailed it in Game 3.
If the Suns continue to give the Bucks an opportunity to come back, they will. Rather than complaining about officiating, Williams would be wise to figure out a solution. If he doesn’t, the Bucks could very easily return from this 2-1 deficit and win the NBA championship this year.
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