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The Phoenix Suns came up short in a hard-fought battle against the Milwaukee Bucks in Sunday's NBA Finals rematch. Head coach Monty Williams was frustrated after the loss and didn't hold back with his comments on the game's officiating. Williams was struggling to comprehend how the Bucks shot 29 free throws in the game while the Suns only went to the charity stripe a total of 11 times, via Gerald Bourguet.
"The pattern that we're having to deal with from a free throw perspective is just getting old" – Monty Williams
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) March 6, 2022
Williams feels there's a theme occurring in Phoenix, in which his team is not getting the same treatment on foul calls inside the paint. Khris Middleton led all players with 7 free-throw attempts in the game, while both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday shot 6 each. Add in Bobby Portis' 4 free-throw shots and those four players doubled the number of attempts the Suns took from the line all game across the entire team.
While Williams admitted that Phoenix needs to improve on the defensive glass, limiting second-chance opportunities during which fouls are more likely to be called, he acknowledged that the Suns attempted only one fewer field goal attempt inside the paint than Milwaukee did. Despite that, the Bucks had an advantage of 18 free-throw attempts. While Williams came short of alleging an agenda against the Suns, he did say that he's frustrated with the “pattern” being seen in Phoenix.
The Suns' loss on Sunday saw them fall to 51-13 on the season, though they maintain a sizeable lead atop the Western Conference. Milwaukee, on the other hand, improved to 40-25 with their win in the 2021 NBA Finals rematch.
