Ladies and gentlemen, we have a unique finals matchup in the 2021 NBA Finals — something not many people expected prior to the season. On one hand, there’s the Phoenix Suns, who dethroned the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, swept the Denver Nuggets in the second round, and survived the Los Angeles Clippers in the conference finals. On the other hand, there’s the Milwaukee Bucks who shut out the Miami Heat in the first round, outlasted the Brooklyn Nets in the second round, and eliminated the Atlanta Hawks in the third phase of the postseason. With all that said, who do you think will come out on top as the last team standing in the 2020-21 NBA season?
The biggest question for the Bucks right now heading into the 2021 NBA Finals is whether Giannis Antetokounmopo could play in Game 1 of the series. As for the moment, there is no clear timetable for the return to action of the two-time MVP, but the door is still open for him in playing Game 1. If he can’t give it a go, the Bucks can still turn to their other stars to fill in the void of Giannis, which they have done nicely over the past couple of games. The Bucks have gone 2-0 straight up in Games 5 and 6 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks. In both games, Antetokounmopo was sidelined with a knee injury. The Bucks coped up with his absence by getting a ton of production from Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton. Lopez exploded for 33 points in Game 5 of the Atlanta series, while Holiday and Middleton combined for 59 points in Game 6. Bobby Portis has also become a factor as the plug-in starter at the PF spot in lieu of Antetokounmopo.
The Bucks are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games.
Chris Paul has waited almost over a decade to get his first taste of an NBA championship series and you could expect him to go all out, right out of the gate. Paul, however, admitted following the series win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the Eastern Conference Finals that he is dealing with torn ligaments in his shooting hand. The good thing is that it didn’t seem to affect him at all when he poured in 41 points in the Suns’ series clincher against the Clippers. Meanwhile, the pair of Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton will present a tough challenge for the Bucks’ defense. Booker just aced his test against the tough-defending Clippers, so he will arrive in the Finals full of confidence that he can win individual matchups against Bucks defenders. As for Ayton, he has been shooting the lights out in the playoffs, in terms of efficiency. He has shot over 70 percent from the field in the first three rounds of the postseason. As a team, the Suns’ biggest asset is arguably their defense that is allowing just 101.9 points per game — the best among all playoff teams.
The Suns are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games playing on three or more days of rest.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bucks win the 2021 NBA Championship in seven games.
