MILWAUKEEE VS. PHOENIX NBA Finals

Wake Forest doesn’t forget individuals from the world of sports, with one exception, there has to be more recognition for Chris Paul.

Arnold Palmer stands alone as the university’s finest golfer, the late Brian Piccolo, as its football star drafted into the NFL by the Chicago Bears brought two classic versions of “Brian’s Song” when he was dying, and Tim Duncan was an All-America and National Basketball Association Hall of Famer on the basketball court.

But Chris Paul also starred for the Demon Deacons in Winston Salem, N.C. He was one of the best point guards in the country, he was an early college basketball draft pick and played for several different teams before he finally welcomed a trip to the NBA finals with a championship attached.

That’s correct, now in his 16th season, the 36-year-old Paul was fortunate to land with the Phoenix Suns, a franchise that has never won an NBA championship, has been to a pair of finals, but never successful, and now along comes Paul trying to realize a dream.

Yes, it’s been a lengthy wait, but if Paul continues to excel as he did in game one’s 118-105 Tuesday night‘s win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, these frustrated Suns’ fans could finally celebrate a league title.

This time, Paul tossed in the game-high 32 points and dished out nine assists. He was happy to deliver and the home crowd of the Western Conference champions let him know it.

“We’ve been building all season long for these moments,” he said after being sidelined with a knee injury in the opening rounds of the playoffs, and instead lent his leadership support. “We’re going to keep playing. This is just one game. We’ve got to keep locked in.”

As for the Eastern Conference champion Bucks, it’s their first time in the finals since 1975, four years after winning their only NBA championship. So with their best player, Giannis Antetokoumnpo, on a day-to-day hyper-extended  knee injury, he was able to take the court for the opener and contributed 20 points to go with 17 rebounds.

Teammate Khris Middleton added 20 points, but visiting Milwaukee will have to play from behind again after dropping game one for the third straight series. But it still found its way to eliminate the Miami Heat, last year’s finalist against the victorious Los Angeles Lakers, and the 2nd-seeded Brooklyn Nets.

But home court here went to Phoenix as it finished as the No. 2 seed behind the Utah Jazz, and it could well be a factor as the Suns packed them in. In the third quarter when Paul, a bundle of versatility, scored 16 points and handed out six assists to go with a trio of steals, the Suns fans seeing their initial NBA  finals in 28 years, erupted.

This series opener was the first NBA finals game in Phoenix since Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls won their third championship in a row back in 1993. The Suns, who came into the NBA with the Bucks in 1968, made their only other finals appearance in 1976.

With Devin Booker turning in 27 points and Deandre Ayton added 22 to go with 19 boards, Paul had excellent support behind him. It was a competitive first half, the biggest lead was 57-49 Milwaukee at the halftime break.

But when the intermission ended, out came Paul to shift to a another gear. He put it all together, and with 2:20 left in the third quarter, he brought Phoenix a 89-68 advantage and it maintained it

A 10-time NBA All-Star and two-time Most Valuable Player, Paul is on the list of best players who have never won the championship. Now he’s within three more wins of accomplishing this.