Behold, basketball fans. The NBA finals are finally here. After the Bucks beat the Atlanta Hawks and won the series 4-2, we now have both finalists.
The Bucks are now the official Eastern Conference Champions and will face the Western Conference Champions, the Phoenix Suns, who beat the Los Angeles Clippers in six games. We must say, the matchup is one that few people would’ve predicted at the start of the season.
Both teams have not reached the finals in some time. The Bucks’ last final was back in 1974, when the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabar played there, and the last title in 1971.
The Suns have never won the championship, with two lost finals in 1976, and most recently in 1993, when the Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, now famous for being a very opinionated analyst and gambler, played for the team.
So, what should we expect? The whole series could depend on the injury of the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s currently listed as “day to day” and missed the last two games. There is hope that he’ll make the game one.
The two-time MVP has been chasing the title for a few years, and with the Bucks having the best regular-season records in two of the last three years, there is definitely some pressure on them.
On the other side, we have Chris Paul, a future HOF, who’s determined to get his first title.
With Giannis not being 100%, most odds swing in favor of the Suns, but that can change based on the extent of the injury. At the time of writing, Draft Kings have the Suns at -177 and Bucks at +150, William Hill has Suns at -170 and Bucks at +150, and BetMGM has Suns at 1.59 vs. 2.45 for the Bucks.
So, we got the odds, but when’s game one? Take a look at the entire series schedule:
- Game 1: Bucks at Suns – Tuesday, July 6
- Game 2: Bucks at Suns – Thursday, July 8
- Game 3: Suns at Bucks – Sunday, July 11
- Game 4: Suns at Bucks – Wednesday, July 14
- Game 5: Bucks at Suns – Saturday, July 17 (if necessary)
- Game 6: Suns at Bucks – Tuesday, July 20 (if necessary)
- Game 7: Bucks at Suns – Thursday, July 22 (if necessary)
An estimated 150 million people in the U.S. watch live sports, and we know we are part of that figure, but what about you? Make sure you place your bets and watch the action unfold tomorrow, July 6.
