The NBA Finals between the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks is set to officially start Tuesday July 6th. 

This is the Sun's first Finals appearance since 1993 and the Bucks first since 1974. This will be one of the freshest NBA Finals series that fans have seen in a very long time. 

To get to the Finals, the Suns started their playoff journey by beating the defending NBA Champions in the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 before moving on to sweep the Denver Nuggets in a series that only lasted four games. The Suns finally beat their Western Conference Finals opponents in the Los Angeles Clippers 4-2 despite their leader Chris Paul missing the first two games due to COVD Protocol. 

On the other side of the court, the Milwaukee Bucks also got a sweep in the playoffs during the first series in the playoffs against the Eastern Conference Finals Champions from last year in the Miami Heat. The Bucks would then go on to defeat the Brooklyn Nets, a team many expected to make it to the Finals this season, in a series that went as far as it absolutely could. The Bucks and Nets played all the way through Game 7, even heading into overtime to finally decide a winner.

In the Eastern Conference Finals the Bucks would defeat the Atlanta Hawks 4-2 in the sixth game of the series. This series took a huge shift once superstars Giannis Antetokoumpo and Trae Young were both injured. 

For the East Conference Champions, Giannis’ injury has much more impactful implications. The two-time NBA MVP injured his knee in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals and has yet been cleared to return.

He is currently listed as a game time for Game 1 of the Finals. 

The Suns will open up the series Tuesday night as -6.0 favorites. 

Going into the series I decided to ask some of the La Tonique staff their Final’s predictions:

“With Giannis Antetokounmpo either sitting out the series’ opening games or playing through an injury, I expect the Suns to take a 2-0 lead early in the series. Once Antetokounmpo gets his legs back under him, however, the one-two punch he forms with Khris Middleton will allow the Bucks to take either Game 3 or 4 at home, giving the Suns a 3-1 series lead heading back to Phoenix. With their backs against the wall, I expect the Bucks to win in Game 5, but I see Devin Booker and Chris Paul closing out the series in Milwaukee before it can go the distance.”

MIKES PREDICTION: Suns in Game 6

“With Giannis Antetokounmpo already being listed as doubtful to start the series, I fully predict the Phoenix Suns to come out guns blazing. There is a different aura that is coming from the two teams at the moment. The Suns are coming off of a competitive series and are fired up for making the NBA Finals for the first time in 28 years. The Bucks are still left wondering what will be with their MVP player for the series. While Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis Jr. have all stepped up to varying degrees, it won’t be enough to stop the fired-up Suns. I see the Suns taking a very aggressive lead early and not letting up at all”

AJ’S PREDICTION: Suns in Game 4

“Following an eventful and emotional Conference Finals peppered with injuries, it would be easy to predict a short series given the condition of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. But this writer believes the Milwaukee Bucks show fighting spirit and won’t be rolled over. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton need to have insane performances on both sides of the floor to win a couple of games given the health of Antetokounmpo, which they will not be able to sustain for a seven-game series. The Phoenix Suns may lack in secondary superstars, but they make up for it with overwhelming depth and shooting. DeAndre Ayton destroys anybody who is thrown at him in this series, including a hobbled Antetokounmpo, paving the way for him to win Finals MVP with a couple 20 point 20 rebound performances. Jae Crowder will be a nice surprise for the national audience flexing his veteran savvy, leading to a couple of 25+ performances. At the end of the day, Phoenix has the depth, firepower, and leadership to get the job done and bring the first title to the desert.”

COLIN’S PREDICTION: Suns in Game 7   

“I believe that the Milwaukee Bucks will match up well with the Phoenix Suns. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday on the perimeter will do a good job bothering both Chris Paul and Devin Booker throughout the entire series. The Bucks can downsize and still have incredible size matchups when they move Giannis to the five spot on the floor. Because of this, I believe that DeAndre Ayton will not be able to stop Giannis. This series will go the full distance and reach Game 7. Giannis will likely miss the first game or two of the series and Khris Middleton will be consistently inconsistent without his partner in crime to open the series. This prediction is barring Giannis coming back and being healthy of course.”

ZACH’S PREDICTION: Bucks in Game 7

Three out of our four writers picked the Phoenix Suns to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, with Zachary Smith being the only one to pick Millwakee. 

A lot of this comes down to health. Throughout the playoffs, we have seen a lot of star players go down and it’s still unknown what Antetokumpo’s status is going to be throughout this series. 

Assuming he eventually gets healthy, I expect it to be a very competitive series, with the difference being the Suns role players. Jae Crowder shot very well in Game 6 and I think his veteren presence, along with Mikal Bridges and Cameron Payne, will push the Suns past the Bucks.

JACOB’S PREDICTION: Suns in Game 6

La Tonique Writers Overall Predictions: Suns 4, Bucks 1