After a roller-coaster-regular season and wild playoff stretches, the stage for the 2021 NBA Finals was finally set Tuesday, July 6, as the Milwaukee Bucks will take on the heavily favored Phoenix Suns in the series and also the projected Game 1 winner.

The 2021 NBA Finals would be the first appearance on the Finals stage for Phoenix since 1993 when the Charles Barkley-led Suns squad lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games. The Suns have never won an NBA title in their franchise history. This time, though, they were projected to be the NBA Finals winner, especially in betting. The Suns were favored at BetMGM to win their first championship in franchise history at (-190), while the Bucks' odds are at +160.

Even Suns' players were favored to win the 2021 NBA Finals MVP. Chris Paul was considered at +140, followed by his teammate, shooting guard Devin Booker (+275), and the Bucks' duo Giannis Antetokounmpo (+350) and Khris Middleton (+700).

However, the odds in the series could change depending on the availability of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the results of Games 1 and 2 in Phoenix.

The Milwaukee Bucks' last championship came way back in 1971 when they were led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, also known as Lou Alcindor. The last Finals appearance for the Bucks came three years later, in 1974, where they lost to Boston Celtics in a Game 7. 

Regardless of who will be the 2021 NBA Finals winner in the series between the Suns and Bucks, there would be a fresh franchise that will be crowned champion at the end of the season.

According to CBS Sports, in both regular-season meetings between the Bucks and the Suns, the team from Arizona, Phoenix Suns, won the games, with the most recent victory in April. Game 1 would take place in Phoenix, which means the Suns would benefit from having their raucous crowd behind them as their 6th man on the floor.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo Injury Update

Another reason why the Suns were favored in the series, especially in Game 1, was due to the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo could be a bit hobbled or rusty, even he would be back in the series. The Giannis injury was considered as a factor that favors the Phoenix.

The Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo hyperextended his knee in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on June 29. He did not play in Games 5-6 of that series against the Atlanta Hawks. Antetokounmpo was reportedly going to play in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals if that series had extended to a do-or-die.

However, Antetokounmpo was listed as "doubtful" on Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday, Yahoo Sports reported. Earlier Monday, Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer stated that Antetokounmpo was "making progress" and did court work.

Game 1 opens up in Phoenix with the Suns at 5.5-point favorites. The large spread is due to their rest advantage, the home-court advantage in the series, and the Antetokounmpo's injury status. Phoenix won both of these teams' regular-season matchups by only a combined two points, Action reported.

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