Game 4. Giannis Antetokounmpo delivers help defense on Devin Booker, pirouettes like a ballerina and rises to deny DeAndre Ayton at the summit of the rim.
The block is like a powerful bass line blowing your hair back in the front row of a rock concert.
The block is like a bitter gust of cold wind smacking your face on a December morning.
The block is like a sudden jolt through your spine as the tires of an airplane collide with the runway.
The block is like a torrential downpour drenching you to the core on a rainy night.
The block is like a clap of thunder shattering your eardrums when lightning strikes nearby.
Some have resorted to calling it "The Blocklava."
Game 5. Jrue Holiday rips the ball from Booker's hands and connects with Antetokounmpo in transition through contact to seal a third consecutive victory for Milwaukee in the 2021 NBA Finals.
The alley-oop is like the perfect high five with your best friend, on time and on target.
The alley-oop is like the first sip of piping hot coffee hitting your tongue in the morning to snap your senses to life.
The alley-oop is, ironically, like the warm rays of the sun bathing your skin in an afternoon glow.
The alley-oop is like a natural high after hitting a personal best in the gym.
The alley-oop is like a towering wave of calm washing over you when your head hits the cool side of the pillow at the end of the night.
The play was quickly dubbed "The Valley-Oop."
The 2021 NBA Finals have been a basketball fan's nirvana. After a rash of injuries to many of the league's stars marred the preceding rounds of the playoffs, the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks have traded haymakers for five epic rounds.
Despite dropping Games 1 and 2 in Phoenix, the Bucks have risen from the dead, winning three straight to place themselves on the doorstep of destiny. Antetokounmpo, with a major lift from Holiday and Khris Middleton, has been the engine behind the comeback. His Game 4 block and Game 5 alley-oop will go down in the annals of NBA Finals history regardless of whether Milwaukee wins the title or not.
The Bucks have placed the Suns in a chokehold despite Phoenix's most valiant effort. One only needs to look back on NBA history to fully appreciate what Milwaukee overcame in Game 5 Saturday night to bring themselves within one win of the championship:
Giannis Antetokounmpo has captained the Bucks through the NBA Finals in a way rarely seen in the history of the league, authoring two of the single greatest plays in the history of the championship series.
Starting tomorrow night, he will get two cracks at stamping his name on the story of what would be Milwaukee's first NBA title in 50 years.
Cover photo by Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
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