9781422271520

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Forty in the Finals: Back-to-Back In his first trip to the NBA Finals in 2021, Devin Booker joined elite company with a pair of dazzling performances in Games Four and Five, albeit in losing efforts. His 42 points in a six-point loss in Game Four, along with his 40 points in a 123–119 loss in Game Five, enabled him to join Rick Barry and Dwyane Wade as the only players to post back-to-back games of 40 or more points in the NBA Finals before turning 25. During Game Four, Booker was sensational during an epic third quarter in which he didn’t miss a shot on his way to 18 points, and he carried that torrid shooting into Game Five, knocking down 17 of 33 shots. The other players in NBA history to pull off this feat during their careers (regardless of age) were Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, and, ironically, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who did so in Games Two and Three of this series against the Suns.

Devin Booker scored 40 points against Milwaukee in Game Five of the 2021 NBA Finals.

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HARDWOOD GREATS: PRO BASKETBALL’S BEST PLAYERS