THIS #NBAFINALS CAN CHANGE THE LEAGUE FOREVER
10The #NBAFinals2021 is here! This is as exciting as it gets!!!
The Suns may not have been a favoured team to make it to the Finals when the season started in December, but the signs of progress had been there.
They had an impressive end to the 2019-20 season, as a Devin Booker-inspired team won eight straight games in the NBA bubble, just missing out on the play-in tournament.
The off-season proved pivotal. The Suns traded for All-Star point guard Chris Paul, who had lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the play-offs a season earlier.
It was their biggest trade since acquiring Charles Barkley before the 1992-93 season, the last time the Suns reached the NBA Finals.
With franchise star Booker now alongside an elite point guard in Paul, it set the tone for an all-action team ready to make a run at the play-offs.
Before now, Paul's 16 years in the league hadn't resulted in a visit to the Finals. He came close with the Houston Rockets in 2019, going 3-2 up in the Western Conference finals against eventual champions the Golden State Warriors.
Between Durant’s toe and the referee’s unfortunately placed sneaker, fate seems to have a foot fetish when it comes to the Bucks. Suns players should exercise caution when scheduling any pedicures over the next two weeks.
Both squads were at full strength then, something that is very much in doubt after Giannis Antetokounmpo hyperextended his knee during the Eastern Conference finals. The two-time MVP is a question mark for Game 1, and, given how serious the injury appeared at the time, it would be a welcome shock if he were to feature at all in the finals. If the universe really wanted to intervene, now would be the time.
#NBA #NBAPlayoffs #Basketball