Suns' Monty Williams starts lobbying referees early for possible Finals rematch

Williams complained at length about the foul disparity between Antetokounmpo and the Suns after the Bucks' victory.

"Book [Devin Booker] had three free throws," Williams told reporters. "Jrue Holiday is one of the most physical defenders in the game. He has three. Giannis has 24 free throws. It's ridiculous. There's no other way to put it."

Antetokounmpo shot 14-24 from the free throw line, finishing with 36 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. The Suns shot 16 free throws as a team, with Josh Okogie for half that total.

Were the fouls legitimate? You can decide for yourself.

But the greater point is that Williams is already preparing for a possible Finals matchup. The Bucks and Suns are two of the three title favorites, along with the Boston Celtics. When they met in the 2021 Finals, Antetokounmpo shot 85 free throws in six games, including a 17-19 performance in the deciding Game Six.

Antetokounmpo gets fouled a lot, because he's big and strong, but also because he shoots only 65.4 percent from the line. It's often a business decision to hack the Greek Freak rather than let him power his way to the rim.

The Suns also shoot a lot of jumpers. Nearly two-thirds of Booker's shots come from ten feet out or further. 68 percent of Antetokounmpo's shots come from inside ten feet.

However, the correctness of the calls doesn't matter. What's telling is that Williams is already planting the idea of pro-Milwaukee bias more than two months before these two teams might meet again.