Fred VanVleet dropped seven three-pointers on the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, making several huge second half shots to help the Toronto Raptors to a 3-2 lead in the series. The circumstances surrounding his big game, however, have been anything but normal.
VanVleet’s son, Fred Jr., was born between Games 3 and 4 of the series, and the guard was able to spend time with his newborn after Game 4 due to Milwaukee’s relative proximity to his hometown of Rockford, Ill. It ensured that VanVleet would get family time — but also not a lot of sleep. Clearly, the guard made the best of it when asked the key to his performance.
“I guess, zero sleep, have a lot of babies, and go out there and let loose,” VanVleet said, via Michael Lee of The Athletic. “It’s been a frantic week, but that’s what makes all this stuff worth it.”
It hasn’t been an easy series for VanVleet in other ways physically, either. Ultimately, though, he came up big when his team needed him.
