How the Suns & Bucks WASTED their Championship Windows after 2021 NBA Finals

How the Suns & Bucks WASTED their Championship Windows after 2021 NBA Finals

In just four years, the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks went from making the finals in 2021 to destroying everything that they built in 2025. Ironically, both these teams have had almost the exact pattern which resulted in their downfall, taking one reckless decision after another, almost competing with each other for the worst moves. To understand how it all fell apart, we need to go back to their peak. The Suns were in rebuild purgatory for over three decades until the 2020 bubble where they went on a magical 8-0 run. With the addition of Chris Paul, the Suns were finally back in contention. Far across the east stood the Milwaukee Bucks and they were led by a force of nature unlike anything else in basketball. Giannis twohanded played on the floor. Alongside Giannis was the league’s premier on ball defender Drew Holiday. Brook Lopez stretching the floor and protecting the rim and mid-range sniper Chris Middleton. After clinching the top seed for multiple years, they were finally close to winning in the biggest stage. The 2021 finals was set, and both teams were starving for one thing, the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The Suns struck first, winning games 1 and two, a lead that had them tasting their first championship in franchise history. They were just two wins away from basketball immortality, but Giannis wasn’t having it. [Music] Bomb throws it down. Giannis on the alley. What a turnound. Giannis closed out game six with a monstrous 50 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks. One of the greatest finals performances ever. The Bucks were on top of the world. It looked like they were going backto back next season and the Suns would be there to challenge them. Chris Paul was reportedly addicted to playing in the NBA finals. The average age of a finals team sits at 28. Both the Bucks and Suns were younger, but sadly this was the peak for both teams. questions. Sean over on the right. I just asked Bud the exact same question, but I’m curious for you. Do you view this season as a failure? Oh my god. Uh, do you get a promotion every year on your job? No. Right. So, every year you work is a failure. Yes or no? No. If you’ve never I don’t know. I don’t want to I don’t want to make it person. Milwaukee finished the season with 51 wins, five more than their title season. They weren’t satisfied with one ring. They wanted to prove 2021 was just the beginning. Meanwhile, Phoenix went absolutely nuclear, winning 64 games, shattering franchise records. Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Male Bridges, and DeAndre Aton. They looked like the most balanced team in the league. They were favored by many to return to the finals. Both teams entered the playoffs looking unstoppable. The Suns were up against the Pelicans, a play-in team, and they sent them home in six. The Bucks faced Boston in the second round after dispatching Chicago. Seven games of pure basketball warfare. Surprisingly, in game seven, Grant Williams caught fire from beyond the ark, hitting seven three-pointers, and sent Milwaukee home in devastating fashion. Giannis averaged 31 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in the series. absurd numbers, but it just wasn’t enough. Back in the Wild West, Phoenix was riding high. 64 winds had inflated their confidence to dangerous levels. They were facing Dallas, led by a 23-year-old kid named Luca Donuch. What could possibly go wrong? Suns jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Then the Mavericks answered back with winning the next two. In game five, Devin Booker was feeling himself and started acting a bit too confident. enough. In game six, with his back against the wall, Luca lit the Suns up with yet another 30point triple double, pushing the series to seven games. Game seven was going to be in Phoenix. The Suns were 32 and 9 at home. Their building was a fortress. Yet again, they felt pretty comfortable to close it out in front of their home crowd. But none of that prepared them for what happens next. By the end of the first half, the Mavericks were up by 30 points. Here’s the kicker. Luca Donuch scored 27 points by himself and the Suns scored 27 points as a team. One man matched an entire NBA team’s output in the NBA playoffs. That too, an elimination game. Let that sink in. A 64- win team completely healthy in an elimination game at home got outscored by a single player in the first half. That’s not all. Chris Paul and Devin Booker had a combined total of three points. The two best players were literally nowhere to be seen in the most important game of the season. The Sun starting five combined for 15 points on 29 shots in the first half. And Luca, on the other hand, had 27 points on just 12 shots. And those three points that CP3 and Booker had, they came from the free throw line. Remember Booker’s Luca special? Well, Luca served up the entire Suns roster while grinning ear to ear. He was genuinely having fun ending their season. You’re lighting the world on fire in the first half there. You you’re you’re laughing after some of your baskets. How much fun were you having? Um I’m having fun, man. I always say when I’m having fun is the way I best play. So it buckets down [ __ ] I’m wearing out getting exchanged. Yeah. [ __ ] it out. Take it a rain through the pain. Watch everything change. Tearing down everything breaking a chain. And in the beginning of the third quarter, Luca had 30 points and the Suns were still stuck at a whopping total of 27 points. I could keep piling up stats and numbers that feel made up, but that’s how downright atrocious this game was. Basketball had never looked so one-sided. Were Were you aware at halftime you had as many points as the Suns? Oh, yeah, of course. I mean, what you I see. After that public humiliation, most franchises would make major changes. But the Suns chose denial instead. They ran back the same core, convinced that the collapse was an anomaly rather than a warning sign. The Bucks were also looking to run it back. And they did just that. Finishing off with a strong 58 win season, the best record in the league. And Giannis was otherworldly. He was averaging 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and he ranked third in MVP voting. Brook Lopez finished as a runner up for defensive player of the year. Drew Holiday earned all defense honors. Everything looked perfect in Milwaukee. The championship window appeared wide open. Phoenix started strong, but injuries struck Booker and CP3. They hovered around 500, looking vulnerable for the first time in years. Then February 8th changed everything. Matt Ishbia became the new owner and immediately started making moves like he was playing NBA 2K with Unlimited VC. Within 24 hours, he orchestrated the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade, shipping out male Bridges and Cam Johnson in the process. Two versatile role players traded for star power. The depth that had carried Phoenix through tough stretches was sacrificed for headlines. Heading into the playoffs, the New Look Suns torched the Clippers in round one. Durant and Booker looked unstoppable together. Then Denver arrived in round two. The Nuggets were deeper, more complete, more prepared for playoff warfare. They possessed exactly what Phoenix had just traded away. Versatile wings who could defend multiple positions and contribute on both ends. Game six at home produced another blowout defeat for Phoenix. This was eerily similar to their 2022 collapse against Dallas. another second round elimination on their own building in humiliating fashion. Talking about humiliation, Milwaukeee’s playoff story carried even more devastation. First seated Bucks facing eighth seated Miami, a team that limped into the postseason through the playin tournament. What should have been a formality became a nightmare. Game one. Giannis crashed to the court hard, resulting in a back injury. He’d miss crucial games, but Jimmy sensed blood in the water. [ __ ] I got problems on problems on problems on problems on problems on problems. I solve them. My brother through the money depress be calling. Left on my blessings. I feel like I’m falling. The birdie is back. Tell me I’m garbage. I’m going through something that’s why I ain’t calling. Phone progression is all that I wanted. I summon it cuz [ __ ] I got problems on problems on problems on problems on problems on problems. I solve them. When Giannis returned in game four, trailing 2 to one, he dropped 26 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists to even the series. But playoff Jimmy operates on a different stratosphere entirely. He exploded for a monster 56point game, tarnishing Milwaukee’s reputation in the process. Then in game five, Giannis went nuclear, dropping 38 points and 20 rebounds. With a two-point lead and two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bucks were looking to close out the game and potentially avoiding elimination at home. All they had to do was prevent Jimmy Butler from getting a clean look. But Jimmy Butler had other plans. over the top to Butler up and in. Jimmy Butler ties the game with a half second to go. What a play call. The game went into overtime and Miami sealed the deal, dismantling the best record in the league in just five games. Jimmy Butler incinerated Milwaukee’s championship dreams with one of the most dominant individual performances in playoff history. At this point, it looked like Phoenix and Milwaukee were now competing for the most devastating playoff collapses in NBA history. I just asked Bud the exact same question, but I’m curious for you. Do you view this season as a failure? Oh my god. Uh do you get a promotion every year on your job? No. Right. So every year you work is a failure. Yes or no? No. Every every year you work you work towards something towards a goal. There’s no failure in sports. So 50 years from 1971 to 2021 that we didn’t win a championship. It was 50 years of failures. No, it was not. It was steps to it, you know, and we we were able to win one. Hopefully we can win another one. Embarrassment breeds desperation. Both franchises hit their panic button simultaneously. Phoenix fired Monty Williams, the architect of their 64- win masterpiece. Milwaukee dismissed Mike Bddenholtzer, the man who delivered their first championship in five decades. The Suns pursued Bradley Beal aggressively, shipping Chris Paul to Washington. Durant, Booker, Heal, a big three that looked lethal on paper. I mean, saying it respectfully, I don’t I don’t know how teams are going to guard us. Milwaukee made an even bigger splash and traded for Damen Lillard. This shook the league. They sacrificed Drew Holiday to Portland, trading away a key piece of their championship foundation. But everybody was thinking how lethal the duo of Giannis and Dame would be, an elite three-point sniper alongside the most dominant force in the paint. On paper, they looked flawless, but paper doesn’t play basketball. The Bucks never found their rhythm. Giannis missed 27 games to injury. Dame sat out 22. They fired their new head coach, Adrien Griffin, midseason and replaced him with Doc Rivers. Anyone familiar with Doc Rivers playoff history knew exactly where the story was heading. Phoenix battled their own injury demons. Constant lineup shuffles prevented chemistry from developing, but both teams finished with identical 49 win records. Playoff time arrived with cruel irony. Milwaukee faced Indiana without their stars being healthy. The Pacers walked through them easily, resulting in Dame’s first Milwaukee season to end in the first round. Meanwhile, in the desert, the Suns were facing a young Timberwolves. Phoenix were practically expected to win against the inexperienced Minnesota team. I mean, they have KD, Booker, and Beal. How would the Wolves stop them? So, you know, they got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels. Anthony Edwards was up against his idol Kevin Durant, but intimidation has never been in his DNA. I’ been 45. I ain’t regular. Feel like Jordan wearing 45. Traumatized victimiz my [ __ ] die. Knock you off a base with a bat. When them [ __ ] slide, homicide, genocide, televised, empire, perpetuating blood to that [ __ ] he going to pick a side. Hood times from hood life. My [ __ ] doing dope lines. I’m running to the cops. That’s a [ __ ] [ __ ] exercise. Ant-Man looked at Phoenix’s big three without fear and swept them with no mercy. He had to show his idol what he was made of. The parallels between the Suns and Bucks looked eerily similar. Both had a terrible playoff meltdown. They fired their coaches, traded for a huge star, had injuries with stars, won 49 games, both lost in the first round while they were the favorites. And now they are staring at a bleak situation where they are supposed to be a win now team, but they aren’t even making it beyond the first round. [Music] Phoenix doubled down one final time. They assembled the NBA’s second most expensive roster. Three of the league’s 10 highest paid players wore Suns uniforms. They fired Frank Vogle and hired Mike Budenholtzer, the same coach who’d beaten them in 2021. Milwaukee ran back with their existing core. Giannis maintained his dominance, but Dame’s inconsistency plagued their offense. 48 wins earned them another playoff birth, but the Suns couldn’t even make the playoffs. All that salary, all that star power couldn’t buy them a playoff ticket. The depth they’d sacrificed years earlier finally caught up completely. Milwaukee faced Indiana again, and this time, Giannis was healthy, but Dames Achilles snapped. Giannis grew visibly frustrated throughout the series. Pacers dispatched the Bucks in five games. to you. Um, do you think that you can still win that second championship here in Milwaukee after a third straight first round exit? Um, look, I’m not I’m not I’m not going to do this. I’m not I’m not going to do this. I know how this going to go. Whatever I say, I know how it’s going to translate. I’m not I I don’t know, man. The 2025 season concluded with Phoenix missing the playoffs despite carrying one of basketball’s most expensive payrolls. But having one of the league’s most expensive rosters doesn’t guarantee a championship. The NBA is moving in an entirely new direction. A shift I’ve documented in a 30inute deep dive documentary carefully structured to cover every angle. You can watch that after this video. Links in the description. Sun’s locker room descended into chaos. They fired coach Ben Holdzer. Kevin Durant as usual wanted out of Phoenix. Matt Ishbia’s 2K fantasy team was falling apart. Durant landed in Houston. Beal was bought out. And just like that, the Sun’s experiment was over. Milwaukee shocked everyone by waving Damen Lillard. They didn’t even try to trade him. This means he will be off the team, but the Bucks will have to pay him until his contract expires. Even Giannis couldn’t process this decision. Tens of millions in salary simply wasted. Brook Lopez departed in free agency. Miles Turner arrived as his replacement and the Bucks found themselves stranded in basketball purgatory without a solid guard in the roster. Phoenix’s situation looked even more bleak. Zero first round picks until 2031. They had mortgaged their entire future for a championship window that lasted for as long as a timeout. The mirrored parallels between these franchises tell a cautionary tale. Both had generational talent. Both gambled on win now moves that blew up in their faces. They dismissed championship level coaches, sacrificed cornerstones for fading stars, and watched their title windows slam shut before their eyes. But in all this rubble, some individuals struck gold. Milwaukee still owed Mike Budenholdzer two years of guaranteed money after his 2023 firing. Phoenix hired him in 2024 with a 5-year, $50 million contract. Benholzer collected Milwaukee paychecks through 2025 while simultaneously earning Phoenix money. Then the Suns fired him after 12 months. Now, Phoenix owes him4 million over four years until 2029. He’s earning 10 million annually to coach Nobody. Coach Buden Holtzer is literally living the dream. Frank Vogle and Adrien Griffin also collect checks from their former employers. But the ultimate financial champions are Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard. Just like Dame was waved, Beal was bought out by the Suns, which means that they ended his contract early for a slightly reduced amount and he gets to be a free agent. But instead of paying him the lumpsum of money, the Suns will stretch out that amount over a certain amount of years. Beal will earn 19.4 million per season over the next 5 years. But Dame’s deal dwarfs everyone else’s. He’s collecting 22.2 million annually for 5 years. Milwaukee waved him but pays every penny. When he returned to Portland, Dame signed another $42 million deal over 3 years. Damen Lillard won’t play a single game this season while rehabbing his injury, but he’ll still make a staggering amount of $36.5 million. Um, I told him that this year he’s going to be uh he’s going to be the highest paid assistant coach in league history because I’m going be putting him to work every day. So, we’re really excited. We’re really happy um to have our guy back. Phoenix and Milwaukey’s desperate moves left them paying millions to coaches and players who aren’t even on the team anymore. Dame had remained loyal to Portland throughout his prime. When he finally got his championship opportunity, life intervened. His divorce proceedings adjusting to a new city and the loneliness of starting over. Dame’s focus was understandably wavered. Buden Holtzer faced his own personal tragedy during Milwaukee’s 2023 playoff meltdown. He was grieving his brother’s death while trying to guide his team through postseason pressure. They shouldered burdens heavier than basketball. So perhaps it’s fitting that life in its own way still offered them something back. Look at what remains today. Milwaukee has Giannis questioning his future. Phoenix has Booker, a bunch of expensive mistakes and no draft capital until the next decade arrives. Two franchises that should have battled each other for championships. Spent 4 years battling each other for worse decisions instead. They showed how panic decisions spawn more panic decisions until you wake up one morning and realize you’ve dismantled everything you built. Championship opportunities don’t last forever. The organizations that squander them often don’t either. The Suns and Bucks collapsed in perfect synchronization, providing the entire league with a masterclass in dynasty destruction. The game moves fast. Championship windows close faster. And once they’re shut, sometimes they stay that way for a really long time.

How is OKC Thunder’s Cheap Championship Destroying the NBA?: https://youtu.be/gVMY30MQTmw?si=11QKfTg_qEHKNTiW