Why can’t we have nice things, like a Game 7 tonight?

Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

Two days after Phoenix fell to Milwaukee in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, you can’t help but wonder if the Suns aren’t still thinking about all the things they probably should have, would have, and could have done if given another opportunity to replay that game to force a Game 7, which would have taken place tonight in Arizona.

But, like most NBA Finals, the series was over in six games. Since 2000, nine Finals sets have ended in six games, while six Finals series have ended in five games. There have been three sweeps during that period — 2002, 2007, and 2018.

Only four times has a series made it to seven games since 2000. That’s why tonight will feel somewhat bleak without the Suns and Bucks meeting up for the greatest game in sports — Game 7. Because whenever it does occur, it’s usually a classic.

Here’s a look at the last four times we’ve been blessed with a Game 7 in the NBA Finals over the last 21 years.

It was one of those Finals that’s easy to forget because the two teams that were playing were the furthest thing from exciting. The Pistons were trying to repeat as champions after stopping the Lakers from winning their fourth title in five years, as they added Gary Payton and Karl Malone to a roster that featured Shaq and Kobe before falling to Detroit in 2004. On the other side were the Spurs, trying to win their second title in three years. That Pistons team was all about defense. The Spurs were all about their system. It was destined to be a long and boring series from the jump.

In Game 5, the Pistons were up by 2 with 9.4 seconds left. That’s when Rasheed Wallace left in-bounder Robert Horry unguarded as he went to trap Manu Ginobili in the corner. Ginobili found Horry for a wide-open 3-pointer that gave the Spurs the win. Detroit bounced back to win Game 6 on the road, but San Antonio closed it out in Game 7. It was one of the few series that went the distance and the finale wasn’t the crown jewel.

It was a rematch of the 2008 Finals in which the Lakers lost by 39 in the Game 6 clincher in Boston. Doc Rivers got a Gatorade bath on the court. It was a zoo in Boston. Kobe was pissed.

The next season the Lakers made sure they had home-court advantage. The Celtics won Game 5. The Lakers bounced back and won Game 6. The finale was a tight one as the Lakers were able to pull it off due to a late 3-pointer from Ron Artest despite Kobe having one of the worst shooting games of his life. The Celtics still think they would have won if Kendrick Perkins would have played if not injured.

The Miami Heat were not supposed to win this series.

After the Spurs beat the Heat in Game 5 – at home – by double digits, it looked as if the Spurs were going to be celebrating on South Beach. That feeling heightened during the finals seconds of Game 6. They even brought the rope out and put it around the court to keep fans off the court in preparation for the Spurs’ trophy presentation. But then Chris Bosh to Ray Allen happened, and one of the greatest moments in NBA history completely turned that series around, as the Heat won Games 6 and 7 for their second straight title.

However, the thing that made the ending of Game 7 so sweet for LeBron was that he sealed it by hitting jump shots. Six years earlier, during LeBron’s first Finals – against the Spurs – San Antonio swept a young LeBron who was leading a Cleveland team that was severely lacking in talent. The Spurs forced him to shoot jumpers, and it didn’t go well. Six years later, LeBron ended the Spurs by making the same shots he once missed.

We all know how 2016 ended for the 73-9 Warriors that came back from being down 3-1 to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, only to blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals to the Cavs. Game 5 was epic, as Kyrie Irving and LeBron James both dropped 41 in Oakland. Game 6 was a statement game in Cleveland, in which the Cavs proved that this was going to be a slugfest. And Game 7 will be remembered for Lebron’s block, Kyrie’s shot, and Kevin Love’s stop.

Tonight probably would have been epic, too. But Giannis had to ruin a potentially classic Game 7 by dropping 50 in Game 6. Damn you for being great, Giannis.