Skyler’s Swishes: Where legends are made

“Skyler’s Swishes” is a column by Skyler Trepel covering the week’s top basketball events.

This week’s swishes feature an NBA legend and two new superstars making history in their first Finals appearances.

Chris Paul balls in his NBA Finals debut

It took 16 seasons and 123 playoff games for Chris Paul to make his NBA Finals debut. Paul played more playoff games than anyone in NBA history without making a Finals appearance, but it finally happened, and on Tuesday, he proved he belongs.

After not scoring a single point in the first quarter, Paul lit up for 32 in the final three quarters to go along with nine assists as he led the Phoenix Suns to a Game 1 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Young stars Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton scored 27 and 22 points, respectively, but Paul was the star of the game.

Paul, known as CP3, joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan as one of only three players to score 30 points or more in an NBA Finals game at age 36 or older. However, with Duncan and Abdul-Jabbar being big men, this may have been the most athletic game we’ve seen in the NBA Finals by someone that old.

CP3 busted out his full arsenal of moves as he crossed over defenders every which way while scoring from the mid-range, inside and hitting some 3-point bombs to boot. Check out this play, where CP3 fakes out Brook Lopez with the handle and then drills a step-back three.

Giannis Antetokounmpo returns in style

Antetokounmpo had one of the most devastating-looking injuries in recent memory when his knee bent fully forward in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It looked like he’d be out for the rest of the playoffs, but somehow, with the work he’s put into his body and his mental fortitude, the Greek Freak returned.

He looked surprisingly good in Game 1, but in Game 2 he looked fully back to his old self as he put up a historic performance. Not only did Giannis score 42 points, primarily with his menacing presence in the paint, but he scored 20 points in the third quarter alone.

This was the most points scored in a quarter of an NBA Finals game over the last 25 years, surpassing Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who had 19 apiece. Giannis didn’t just score with his usual inside attack but was even hitting some nice mid-range jumpers and fadeaways, proving he’s more than just an inside scorer.

Devin Booker proves he can “be legendary”

Devin Booker has not only been balling out in the NBA Finals, but he has also been getting asked a lot about his idol Kobe Bryant’s influence. In Kobe’s final season, which coincided with Booker’s rookie season, Kobe wrote “be legendary” on Booker’s shoes.

Booker ended up getting these words tattooed because they meant so much. He was recently interviewed by ESPN’s Malika Andrews about this tattoo as well as Kobe’s influence and what he thinks Kobe would tell him during these NBA Finals.

Booker was definitely legendary on Tuesday. He joined Kobe, Russell Westbrook and Dwyane Wade as the only players under the age of 25 in the last 25 years to have a performance of 30 or more points, five or more rebounds and five or more assists in an NBA Finals game. Booker showed off his prolific scoring throughout the night, hitting seven 3-pointers, including this ridiculous crossover that made Jeff Teague look like he was in a washing machine spin cycle.

Booker’s efforts led to another Suns win on Thursday as the Suns went up 2-0 on the Bucks. He’ll have to continue to be legendary as the series heads back to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Sunday.