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With Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s availability up in the air heading into the NBA Finals, the Suns were considered the favorites to win the title. And even though Antetokounmpo was able to suit up for Games 1 and 2, Phoenix won both games, securing a 2-0 lead and further cementing the club’s position as the championship frontrunner.

Since then, however, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have stormed back. Milwaukee has won three consecutive games, including a pair that went down to the wire. And Giannis has led the way in those victories, averaging an eye-popping 33.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game on 60.0% shooting. The two-time MVP also delivered signature moments in the final minutes of Games 4 and 5, with an incredible blocked shot last Wednesday and an impressive alley-oop finish on Saturday.

While Antetokounmpo has been the driving force behind Milwaukee’s comeback, he’s gotten some help. Khris Middleton poured in 40 points in the Bucks’ Game 4 win and added 29 more in Game 5. Jrue Holiday, after shooting just 4-of-20 in Game 4, made 12-of-20 shots in Game 5, racking up 27 points and 13 assists to go along with a key late-game steal.

The Suns, meanwhile, have gotten up-and-down production from their stars during their three-game losing streak. Devin Booker scored just 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting in Game 3. He bounced back with 42 points in Game 4, but Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton combined for only 16 points on 8-of-22 shooting in that loss.

Booker (40 points), Paul (21 points, 11 assists), and Ayton (20 points, 10 rebounds) were firing on all cylinders in Game 5, but it wasn’t enough — the Suns shot .552/.684/.909, but didn’t play quite enough defense to pull out a win in their home arena.

Now the Suns find themselves in a tough spot tonight. They’ll have to head into Fiserv Forum, where the Bucks are 9-1 so far in the postseason, and find a way to force a Game 7. If a Game 7 is necessary, it’ll take place on Thursday in Phoenix, so the Suns could once again emerge as the favorites to take home the title. But for the time being, they’re significant underdogs, on the road facing a 3-2 deficit. The Bucks are favored by five points on Tuesday.

We want to know what you’re expecting to happen tonight. Will this be the last day of the 2020/21 NBA season, with the Bucks winning a fourth straight game and earning a championship? Or do the Suns have a little more life in them? Can they force a Game 7?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your predictions!

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The NBA Finals between the Bucks and Suns tip off tonight, and they’re surrounded by much uncertainty. The biggest question, of course, relates to the health of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who hyperextended his knee halfway through Game 4 of the Bucks’ series against the Hawks. The Bucks are being cagey with his injury — initially ruled as doubtful by the team, he has since been upgraded to questionable, with his status for Game 1 to be determined after pre-game warmups.

If Antetokounmpo is fully healthy, or even mostly healthy, he is a great bet to take him the coveted Bill Russell Award, which would make him the third player to have a Finals MVP, MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year award to his name, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.

If Antetokounmpo isn’t ready to go by the opening tip-off, though, things get much more interesting.

The Bucks managed to get contributions from multiple sources in Games 5 and 6 of the Eastern Finals. In Game 5, Brook Lopez led the way with 33 points, going back to his Nets days as a low-post offensive hub despite the defensive presence of Hawks’ center Clint Capela.

In Game 6, though, Lopez was unable to keep up the pace, providing 13 points on nine shots. It seems unlikely Lopez would be able to maintain his Game 5 level of offensive production over a full series, especially while battling with defensive anchor Deandre Ayton. If Ayton gets in foul trouble, however, Lopez could have an easier path, as the one weakness on the Suns’ roster is their lack of a back-up center.

Meanwhile, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday both exploded in the last two games against the Hawks. Holiday averaged 26 PPG and 11 APG over the final two contests while Middleton averaged 29 PPG and 7.5 APG. The Hawks had no match for either player, though the Suns have far more wing and guard defenders to throw at them than the Hawks did.

As for the Suns, their big three of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Ayton have been rolling all playoffs long. While detractors have pointed to the injuries of their opponents, the Suns’ ability to close out series – especially for a relatively inexperienced team – has been extremely impressive.

Ayton has been a force on both ends, averaging 17.8 PPG, 13.7 RPG and 1.7 BPG in his first Western Conference Finals. Booker, hounded all series long by the likes of Patrick Beverley and Paul George, was able to put the team on his back as a scorer time after time. And Paul is coming off possibly the performance of his career: a 41-point, eight-assist, zero-turnover game to eliminate his former team, the Clippers, and advance to the first NBA Finals of his 16-season career.

It seems unlikely that Ayton will be named Finals MVP in the case of a Suns championship, barring an unexpected offensive explosion, but both Paul and Booker are prime candidates for the award.

In fact, according to DraftKings.com, Booker and Paul have the two highest odds for coming away with the Finals MVP, with Paul having a slight edge on Booker. Middleton and Antetokounmpo are tied for third, but Giannis’ odds are sure to change if news breaks that he will, in fact, return in time to play in Game 1 of the Finals.

So here’s our question of the day:

Who do you expect to be named Finals MVP?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

The 2021 NBA Finals matchup has been set, and it’s an unlikely one. The Suns, representing the Western Conference, haven’t played in the Finals since 1993 and have never won a championship. The Bucks, out of the East, last played in the Finals in 1974 and won their only title in 1971.

Entering this season, the Suns hadn’t finished above .500 since 2013/14 and hadn’t made the postseason since 2010, so their year should already be considered a major success. Expectations were higher for the Bucks, who had the NBA’s best record for two consecutive years entering 2020/21 and were just two wins away from the Finals in 2019.

However, that doesn’t mean that Milwaukee will enter the Finals as the favorite. According to sports betting site BetOnline.ag, the Suns are currently the -190 favorites, meaning you’d have to risk $190 on a Phoenix win in order to make a $100 profit.

The health of Giannis Antetokounmpo is a major factor in that line. The two-time Most Valuable Player missed the last two games of the Eastern Conference Finals – both Bucks wins – after hyperextending his knee in Game 4.

A report last week suggested that Antetokounmpo might get the green light to play in Game 7 vs. Atlanta if it had been necessary, which is a sign that he could be good to go for Game 1 of the Finals. However, since they’re no longer facing a win-or-go-home scenario, the Bucks may feel less pressure to bring Giannis back for the first game of what could be a long series if he’s still not feeling fully healthy.

Whether or not Antetokounmpo is available for Game 1, this should be a compelling and entertaining showdown.

In his preview of the Finals, John Hollinger of The Athletic suggests that one of the most intriguing subplots will be how the Bucks choose to defend Suns guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul. Jrue Holiday can only guard one of the two, and their ability to knock down jump shots will make it difficult for Milwaukee to lean on its preferred drop coverage.

Phoenix may also be able to take advantage of the Bucks’ lack of depth, Hollinger notes, especially if Antetokounmpo remains sidelined along with Donte DiVincenzo.

However, if and when Antetokounmpo is ready to go, he’ll present a matchup challenge for the Suns, who may need to rely on some combination of Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson, and Deandre Ayton against the star forward, with Mikal Bridges handling the Khris Middleton assignment, writes Hollinger.

Hollinger is picking the Suns in seven, with Antetokounmpo’s injury and Phoenix’s home-court advantage helping to tip the scales. But we want to know what you think.

Which team do you expect to win the 2021 NBA Finals? How many games will it take? What will be the deciding factors? Who will be named MVP?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.