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Somewhere in the sands of valley of the sun, yet still under the shadow of the Detroit Pistons – we won the Lottery, baby! – the 2021 NBA Finals will begin tonight at 9 p.m. ET.
The end of a wild season will end with two unexpected but deserving teams playing for hte NBA title.
In the 2021 postseason, we went through injuries, surprises, fooling around and laughs. When all the dust produced by them was settled, we’re left with the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks.
On the one hand, we have the surprising Suns. The Arizona team had the second-best record in the regular season. Yet, in the previous season, they weren’t even in the playoffs. They added some savvy vets, including one you might have heard of in Chris Paul. But still, them making it to the Finals is somehow shocking. On their way to the highest stage, they overcome the defending champions Lakers in the first round; the depleted Nuggets in the second round; and the heavyweight but Kawhi-less title contender Clippers in the conference finals.
The Suns have matured in each round, and will now face the Milwaukee Bucks. Although I’m not a big fan of them being in the Finals, this trip to the final was years in the making.
In the first round, they sent last year’s runners-up (Heat) packing. In the second round, they looked like they were going to get swept by the Nets. But then Kyrie Irving got hurt, James Harden still wasn’t healthy and Brooklyn morphed into a one-man show that wasn’t meant to reach its destination.
Then the Bucks met the surprisingly challenging Hawks in the conference finals. Like Phoenix, Atlanta quickly grew into prominence. But after losing Giannis Antetokounmpo to injury, Milwaukee started hitting on all cylinders and found its way to the final competition against this demanding opponent.
And so we have it, Suns vs. Bucks finals. Hopefully with a fully healthy Chris Paul and Devin Booker facing an equally healthy Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middelton. Let’s go!