The Day After The Day After: NBA Finals Game 4

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Despite a somewhat pedestrian stat line by his standards, Giannis Antetokounmpo was almost supernatural down the stretch against the Suns as Milwaukee tied up the series 2-2 with a 109-103 victory. His block on Deandre Ayton with 1:15 remaining in the game to preserve a 2-point lead my prove to be the defining moment in the Bucks' path to a championship, and will be remembered for decades as one of the most impressive and impactful defensive plays in NBA Finals history. Bolstered by a monumental game from Khris Middleton (40 points), Giannis and company withstood the breakout game I called for from Devin Booker (42 points) and head back to Phoenix with ample momentum.

A Few Thoughts

• Chris Paul is wearing down. Whether there's an actual injury hampering him (people have speculated that his wrist/hand may be injured), Paul looked outmatched and worn out by Jrue Holiday's pressure (something I alluded to here). Small guards like Paul have a history of breaking down later in the postseason, and his performances in Games 3 and 4 don't inspire confidence. The extra rest between the Finals games should help to a degree, but one has to wonder if Paul is healthy enough to hold up down the stretch against relentless pressure from Holiday.

• Devin Booker had his Finals masterpiece, but it wasn't enough to carry the Suns. With a compromised Paul, Booker will be called to shoulder an enormous offensive load in the final games of this series. I think he can (and eventually will) rise to meet such a demand, but his inconsistency throughout the past few playoff rounds makes me question whether he's ready at this stage of his young career.

• NBA officials dodged an enormous bullet with the Bucks winning Game 4 following one of the worst missed calls I've ever seen in Booker's favor in crunch time. If called, the foul would have been Booker's sixth, removing Phoenix's sole generator of offense all night. I don't really know why Booker thought it was a good idea to put himself in that position in the first place, but he was absolutely bailed out by the officiating crew in that moment. Props to Giannis for running the floor and immediately putting the rebound back in.

• Khris Middleton is an enigma. He can dominate a game offensively (as he did in Game 4) or shrink back in key moments. There's really no rhyme or reason to when he swings to either extreme, but he is spectacular when he's right. Inconsistency is what prevents good players from being superstars, but it's better to show up in a massive way at least once or twice on the biggest stage than to never have the highs the Middleton has had. He's somewhat of a known commodity at this point, but history will remember him fondly for his game-altering performances in the Finals.

Stock Watch

Stock Up: Khris Middleton

It was already largely addressed above, but you can't help but give props to Middleton for an all-time performance in Game 4

Stock Down: Chris Paul

After dominating the headlines and gaining immense goodwill from the NBA community at large throughout these playoffs, Paul has fallen off tremendously. Costly turnovers and inefficient shooting have plagued him for two straight games, and the future looks bleak if his rumored injury struggles are true.

Stock Up: Pat Connaughton

I'll give the man some shine here. Despite at times being somewhat of a meme for the struggles of white American basketball players during this postseason, Connaughton has put together a couple straight games of solid, impactful production on both sides of the ball. With 11 points and nine rebounds last game, Connaughton is playing his role exceptionally on the biggest stage. He deserves more credit than he's been getting. He's outplayed role-player aces like PJ Tucker and Mikal Bridges these past two games, and that's an unexpected boost for the Bucks. Just stop airballing open threes, please.

Series Outlook

It's hard to see Phoenix winning the series without an effective Chris Paul, but stranger things have happened and the Bucks are wildly inconsistent aside from Giannis. I picked the Suns in 6 earlier in the series, and I think I'll end up being wrong. I think if the series ends in 6, the Bucks would be the team that brings home the trophy. If it goes to Game 7, I would side with Phoenix on their home court. Regardless, let's enjoy a minimum of two more games between two good, evenly-matched teams!