ATLANTA -- The Milwaukee Bucks will be making it to the NBA Finals, their first appearance since 1974. They won the last two series games without Giannis Antetokounmpo.The Atlanta Hawks beat Milwaukee 118-107 in Game 6, thanks to 32 points by Khris Middleton. Jrue Holiday had 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.The final buzzer sounded, and the Bucks invaded the court center, wearing caps and T-shirts declaring them Eastern Conference champions. Players hugged one another and laughed. The coaches hugged one another.Holiday stated, "It feels amazing." "I'm still on a high but I'm going for the Finals. It's amazing to think that as a child, this was what you watched the playoffs for. These are the feelings I had as a child watching TV. They were real for me and I went through them. Now I can go to the Finals to see what all this is about.Antetokounmpo has been out since injuring the knee in Game 4's third quarter. He landed awkwardly after contesting an alley oop.Thursday marked the end to a string of Milwaukee playoff runs that ended in defeat or were cut short. The 2019 postseason saw the Bucks sweep the Detroit Pistons and defeat the Boston Celtics in five games. They also took a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors in Eastern Conference finals. After losing only one game in the regular season, the Bucks lost their next four games to the Raptors, and were then eliminated.With a little help from my friends Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday have stepped up since Giannis Antetokounmpo was down in the third quarter. Holiday Middleton points 60 66 FG22-48 23-48 3PT FG7-23 8-18 FT 5-8 14-15The NBA bubble was bursting last season and the Bucks were unable to make it through the playoffs. Milwaukee was awarded the No. Milwaukee was the No. 1 seed, defeating the Orlando Magic in five games. Antetokounmpo broke his ankle in Game 3 against the Miami Heat.In Game 4, he tried it, but then he injured his ankle and was unable play in Game 5. Milwaukee was eliminated. Antetokounmpo stated back then that "nobody was going be happy" about Milwaukee's 2019-20 playoff run. He stated that he hoped that the Bucks would learn from this loss.They did, and Middleton stated that their losses made this season even more successful.Middleton stated, "It has been a long road." It's been an amazing journey. It was worth it. We won 15 games our first year and missed the playoffs seven more times. The last two years were tough. We thought we had a chance but didn't perform well enough. Now we are here. This is what we have worked for.The Bucks overcame last season's loss by rolling the Heat in four games in round one. Donte DiVincenzo, the starting guard, injured his ankle midway through the series. In June and July, he had season-ending surgery to repair a ligament in the left side of his ankle. Tucker was promoted to a starting position.Milwaukee continued to roll. The Bucks defeated the Brooklyn Nets in seven games after falling 3-2 in a wild series. After losing in Game 1 of Eastern Conference finals at home, the Bucks fought back and won two more games without Antetokounmpo.Mike Budenholzer, Bucks coach, said that it was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, particularly in this series. "I was impressed by the group's resilience and the group's character.The Bucks led 15-4 in Game 6. However, the Hawks surged back to make it one-possession. They also survived that storm and increased their lead to 10 Milwaukee was never in the lead despite Bucks' double-digit leads.Milwaukee had the answers when the Hawks grew closer. Middleton scored 16 consecutive third-quarter points for the Bucks, extending their lead to 23 points. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, it was the third consecutive quarter with 20 points for Middleton in his playoff career. In the 25 previous postseasons, no Bucks player has ever done this.Atlanta continued to fight back, reducing the Bucks' 22-point lead to six in quarter four. It proved to be an insurmountable obstacle for the Hawks.Holiday described Middleton as "the type of player that puts the weight on his shoulders again and doesn't care," after the game. "Khris, is the heart of this group. Giannis is my soul, and I don't know how we would be without him.The win was secured by Tucker's dagger corner 3.Antetokounmpo remained standing, almost always sitting down, in black shorts with a Bucks warm up shirt. His hyperextended left leg was covered by a protective sleeve. Antetokounmpo, despite being injured and unable play, was there to celebrate. Thanasis, his brother and teammate was the recipient of his longest hug.Budenholzer stated that there is a bittersweetness in him not being available to play the last two games. "Khris, Giannis are the keys to this team and to this organization. They are the reason I was able to coach them, to come here three years ago, and to try to build something extraordinary.Although there is no official decision about Antetokounmpo's availability to play in Game 1 at the NBA Finals this year, one thing is certain: Antetokounmpo had envisioned Antetokounmpo scaling the hill.They have one more leg to go.Tucker stated, "We haven't done nothing yet."
