Bucks' 50-year wait ends with a title behind 50 from Giannis

Giannis Antetokounmpo capped one of the greatest NBA Finals ever with 50 points as the Milwaukee Bucks won their first championship in 50 yearsOn Location: July 20, 2021MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo had the Larry O'Brien Trophy in one arm, the NBA Finals MVP trophy in the other and there was a cigar on the table in front of him.All the work it took to lift the Milwaukee Bucks from a team that won 15 games when he was a rookie to one with 16 wins this postseason was finally finished.“This is time to celebrate,” Antetokounmpo said.Milwaukee waited 50 years for that.Antetokounmpo ended one of the greatest NBA Finals ever with 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 on Tuesday night to win an entertaining series 4-2 and cap off a joyous return to a fan-filled postseason after last year's NBA bubble.It was the third game this series with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds for Antetokounmpo, a dominant debut finals performance that takes its place among some of the game's greatest. “But I’ve never dealt with this and so I’m grateful, like I said, but I know this is going to hurt for a while.”The teams that came into the NBA together as expansion clubs in 1968 delivered a fine finals, with the last three games all in the balance deep into the fourth quarter.The Bucks won them largely because of Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP in the regular season who raised his game even higher in the finals and was voted the unanimous NBA Finals MVP.He was the star of these finals in every way, from his powerful play on the court to his humble thoughts in interviews to taking time after Tuesday night's win to find children to high-five amid the celebrations.