Jrue Holiday comes up huge for the Milwaukee Bucks in the final moments of Game 5, and gives fans the best moment in franchise history since their last NBA championship
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Remember when Giannis Antetokounmpo was reportedly unhappy? When the whole NBA community came down on the Bucks for not putting the right team around him? And when they brought in Jrue Holiday? That world feels so long ago, it took is a moment to process it only happened last off-season.
At the time, many said that the franchise only made the move happen to keep the Greek Freak happy. But now, the Bucks leading in the NBA Finals 3-2, and stand just one win away from their first NBA championship in 50 years.
Milwaukee is so close, the team and the city at large can probably taste it. And one of the biggest reasons behind that was a single moment of brilliance from Jrue Holiday.
Let’s get into it.
Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo made the Bucks’ most iconic play in 50 years against the Suns
Many in the NBA community have been surprised by Holiday’s performance in game 5, saying it came out of nowhere. But frankly, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Yes, in game 4, the Bucks point guard had a woeful shooting night, going just 4 of 20 from the field, showing shades of prime Playoff Bledsoe. But, what many choose to ignore is, despite that stat line, the player was a +8. Why? Because of the other parts of his game.
He played phenomenal, full-court defense on Chris Paul through the entire match, gathered 3 steals, and made some brilliant plays during key stretches of the game.
Despite getting hammered down by the NBA community at large though, he kept that belief in himself. And the result?
27 points, 4 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block, on 60% from the field, and 50% from three in game 5.
The best part? One of those 3 steals came in the final seconds. With the Bucks up just one, Devin Booker had the ball. He drove into the mid-range area, but couldn’t shoot at first. During that moment, he paused for just a second, when Jrue Holiday pounced. And what happened after that, will always be iconic. Take a look at the tweet below.
WHAT A PLAY BY JRUE HOLIDAY 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/7mrtEByuju
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 18, 2021
And of course, NBA fans immediately brought the memes out.
Jrue Holiday seeing he’s being compared to Eric Bledsoe pic.twitter.com/WiYxHVrXNf
— Hfededededdf (@Chcsnagger) July 18, 2021
To those who still think Jrue Holiday was only brought in to make Giannis happy, perhaps you’re right. Nothing would make the Greek Freak happier than winning an NBA championship.
Also Read: Former NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar discusses a 1-on-1 matchup with the Milwaukee superstar