After a high-tension Conference Finals round, with injuries certainly playing a role, we wound up with an excellent 2021 NBA Finals matchup! The Phoenix Suns will be making their first finals appearance since 1993, and the Milwaukee Bucks will be making their first finals appearance since 1974! This series will be a series of star-power and wizardry on both sides of the ball. I, for one, think this is an ideal (and my ideal) finals matchup, since either Chris Paul or Giannis Antetokounmpo will be getting their first ring. I can't wait for this series! This article is the fifth of five articles, in which I break down each stage of the playoffs. The posting schedule throughout the playoffs is as followed:

Play-in preview (which can be found here)
1st Round Preview (which can be found here)
Semi-Finals Preview (which can be found here)
Conference Finals Preview (which can be found here)
Finals Preview

This postseason's Finals round includes the following matchup:

(East) #3 Milwaukee Bucks v (West) #2 Phoenix Suns

So, without further ado, let's get into the previews!

#3 MIL v #2 PHX

📸 courtesy of SBNation - Bright Side Of The Sun — 📸 courtesy of SBNation - Bright Side Of The Sun

Milwaukee's Keys To The Series:

Maintain reliable lead scoring outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo
For the subsidiary pieces, exert reliability on both sides of the ball
Please coach Bud, I'm begging you, make adjustments when needed

Milwaukee's first key against Phoenix is to maintain a reliable source of 25+ PPG scoring outside of the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have done that excellently since Antetokounmpo went down, so maintaining that against the Suns’ high-powered offense is a must, so Milwaukee doesn't fall too far behind on the scoreboard and in the series.

Milwaukee's second key to this series is that the subsidiary pieces such as Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton, Bryn Forbes, and Jeff Teague need to be reliable and provide proper support for Holiday, Middleton, and Antetokounmpo, and high-quality complementary play. That means making smart plays, not turning the ball over, making your open 3's, and opening up easy scoring opportunities. They've done a solid job of that so far this postseason, so when Mike Budenholzer's rotation is pretty much set this series, those players need to exert as much reliability as possible.

Milwaukee's last key for this series against Phoenix is for Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. Coach Bud needs to make the necessary adjustments to his rotation or his scheme on either side of the ball. When the need arises, he must lead his players in the right direction in order to win a title, and solidify his position as Milwaukee's Head Coach. Phoenix is a tough team to contain, so Budenholzer making quick and even major adjustments is going to be important.

Phoenix's Keys To The Series:

Execute constant off-ball movement on offense to generate easy scoring opportunities
Use Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury to your advantage
For Chris Paul, go full-on Point God mode, because it's now or never

Phoenix's first key against Milwaukee is to maximize their off-ball movement on offense and sneak to the basket behind Milwaukee's defensive front. The Bucks have plenty of capable perimeter defenders, such as Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo, so backdoor cutting and off-ball screens will open lanes to the hoop. And knowing Chris Paul, he'll sling a perfect pass to the cutter for a bucket at the rim, or take advantage of the collapsing defense to drain a jumper himself.

Phoenix's second key to this series is to take advantage of Giannis Antetokounmpo's hyperextended left knee. A knee hyperextension isn't something a high-volume NBA player would get over easily, so I doubt that Antetokounmpo will be fully healthy for this series. If the Suns can take advantage of Milwaukee's reduced total scoring, and, well, lack of their best player, they can pull away with this one.

And finally, Phoenix's third key to this series against Milwaukee is directed towards Chris Paul. Mr. Paul, on the off-chance that you're reading this, you gotta take it to the next, NEXT, level. Go full-on Point God. This is Paul's best chance to win his first ring, so he needs to show up and show out. Paul has always been amazingly reliable and consistent across his career, making his all-around point guard excellence his staple. If he really taps into that, he can raise the Larry O'Brien trophy, and maybe even the Bill Russell (Finals MVP) trophy as well.

Game 1 Prediction: Suns Win 109-102
Game 2 Prediction: Bucks Win 118-110
Game 3 Prediction: Suns Win 112-109
Game 4 Prediction: Bucks Win 124-118
Game 5 Prediction: Bucks Win 121-114
Game 6 Prediction: Suns Win 116-110
Game 7 Prediction: Suns Win 117-111

Finals MVP (Bill Russell Trophy recipient): Chris Paul (22.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 11.3 APG)

Biggest Disappointment: Brook Lopez (7.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.2 APG)

Milwaukee's run this season will come to a close, just short of the final goal of the Larry O'Brien trophy. Phoenix will boast their first franchise NBA Finals title, with Chris Paul earning Finals MVP honors at the same time as obtaining his first ring. This series will go down as one for the history books, with a wholesome and gratifying ending.

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And that concludes my 2021 NBA Finals Preview/Breakdown, I hope you enjoyed it! For those of you who made it to the end of my 2021 NBA Postseason Preview/Breakdown series, thank you for sticking with me along this journey!