The Milwaukee Bucks have won their first game of the NBA Finals.
The Phoenix Suns are still up 2-1 in the series and own home-court advantage.
Game 3 was a great win for the Bucks and gave them a big confidence boost.
However, the Suns should not be worried.
Games 1 and 2 were amazing performances by the Suns.
They looked poised to easily go through the Bucks.
The Bucks did look good in Game 3, but the Suns were in it until late in the second half.
There is a belief that the Bucks are back in the series, but that might not be true.
This Suns team has been great all postseason and has proven to the world that they belong.
In reality, the Suns are the favorites and should still win the series handily.
The Booker and Paul Connection
The two best players on this Suns team are Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
Both of them have been magnificent during their Finals run.
It is a guarantee for one of them to be on fire for a game, but it is even more dangerous when both are on point.
Chris Paul and Devin Booker (113 combined points this series so far) have surpassed Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson's record for most points by a starting backcourt through 2 games of an NBA Finals over the last 50 seasons.
Curry and Thompson had 106 combined in 2018. pic.twitter.com/HNQwnWBvHf
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) July 9, 2021
The combination of those two is a lot to deal with.
On the other side, the Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Their second star is supposed to be Khris Middleton, but he has been very inconsistent throughout the playoffs.
Then there is Jrue Holiday, who can’t seem to get his shot going for him.
Granted, Booker struggled in Game 3.
However, that performance was not the norm for him.
The Bucks can’t seem to get their other stars to be consistent enough to match up with the Suns stars.
The Coaching Problem
Monty Williams of the Suns could have easily won Coach of the Year this season.
He was extremely impressive as he helped this team reach the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
Williams didn’t stop there and now this team is in the Finals.
The Bucks’ coach is Mike Budenholzer, who by looking at his resume, is a good head coach.
However, in the postseason, it becomes a different story for Budenholzer.
The Bucks fan base has been tired of the last few seasons with him as their head coach.
Jeff Van Gundy on the broadcast last night addressed that notion.
He claimed that he was the “punching bag” for anyone trying to blame him for the downfall of the Bucks.
"Every playoff run there's a punching bag – Mike Budenholzer is the punching bag right now. Slanderous comments about his coaching ability from those who don't know, talking about lack of adjustments, it's nonsense."
-Jeff Van Gundy— Steve Finamore (@CoachFinamore) July 12, 2021
The issue with his push-back is that the proof is right there.
There was his time with the Atlanta Hawks where this occurred and now with the Bucks.
Jeff Teague has been getting actual minutes in the Finals as he has been dreadful all season long.
The best lineup for the Bucks is with Antetokounmpo playing the center position.
However, it takes a while every postseason for Budenholzer to realize that.
The offense can become stagnant at times and rely too heavily on shooting threes, while their best option tends to be dominating the paint.
Williams has been able to motivate his team in a variety of ways.
Budenholzer can’t seem to be able to do the same.
The difference between the two is drastic and will determine the winner of this series.
NEXT: 1 Bucks Player Who Must Step Up Against Suns In Game 2