Both defending NBA conference champions have been eliminated.
The Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, the 2021 Western and Eastern conference champions (and, for the Bucks, 2021 NBA Champions) were eliminated last night at the hands of underdog teams. Not only that, but they both were blown out in Game 7, collapsing in epic fashion.
Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks jumped out to a 57-27 lead over Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns, and went on to blow the Suns out in Phoenix, 123-90. Doncic ended up finishing the game with 35 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Spencer Dinwiddie scored 21 points.
With Dallas’ underdog win last night, the top-seeded Suns, who finished the 2021-22 NBA season with the league-best 64-18 record, have been eliminated. The Suns were up in this series 2-0 and blew the lead, making this Chris Paul’s fifth blown 2-0 lead in his career, an NBA record. It’s not exactly a good look, but Paul confirmed that his heart is still in the game.
The @dallasmavs win Game 7 and advance to the Western Conference Finals! #MFFL #NBAConferenceFinals presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/Dvq3mKMx8p
— NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2022
“You play long enough and you don’t win, every time you lose, they’re going to say it was your best chance,” Paul said after the tragic loss. “But I think for me, us, we’ll be right back next year. I’ll tell you that much. “I’m not retiring tomorrow, thank God. Hopefully, I’m healthy coming back. But I’m [gonna] keep playing.”
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks also collapsed in Game 7 last night. In the final game of the do-or-die series against the Boston Celtics, the Bucks laid an egg, losing by a blowout score of 109-81. Boston set a new franchise record for most three-pointers landed, with 22. Since sweeping the Brooklyn Nets, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics have been nearly unstoppable, with the balance of power in the NBA now shifting to the underdogs.
BREAKING: The Celtics take down the defending champs in Game 7 🍀 pic.twitter.com/z5ol9G2iju
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 15, 2022
“Giannis is the best player in the world,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said. “You can see why a lot of people say that. He’s just relentless in his approach. He is aggressive all the time. He’s not going to be denied. And that was tough for us in the series.”
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and the Miami Heat will commence Tuesday night in Miami at 8:30 E.T., and Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors will be on Wednesday in San Francisco at 9:00 E.T.
What did you think of the Game 7 upsets? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
