The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns faced off in the NBA Finals in 2o21. The series ended with the Milwaukee Bucks winning in 6 games. Both teams have begun this postseason with title expectations. However, injuries have already impacted both these teams. The path to the NBA Finals seems open to any team.
Both the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns hope to make it out of their respective conference. Here is the team with the better chances in the current scenario.
The Milwaukee Bucks have a better chance to make the NBA Finals
Both teams have lost star players to injuries. Additionally, these injuries have come early in the first round of the playoffs. The Bucks and Suns have been stalled due to these injuries. Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns and Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks have been sidelined for the current series.
The reason the Milwaukee Bucks have a better chance is simply because of their positioning and prospective opponents. The Bucks are set to face the Boston Celtics in the next round. They are the clear-cut favorites to win this series. They will then face the winner of a potential Heat-76ers matchup. This seems possible even without Khris Middleton. The Bucks currently hold a 3-1 lead over the Chicago Bulls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbhxQEHHPwk
The Phoenix Suns on the other hand have lost their best scorer and offensive threat in Devin Booker. His Hamstring strain is milder than Middleton’s MCL injury. However, these are tricky injuries and difficult to bounce back from immediately.
The Suns are in an extended series with the New Orleans Pelicans. This series could go to 7 games. They will face the winner of the Mavericks-Jazz series. Their worst-case scenario would be facing Luka Doncic in the second round and Stephen Curry in the conference Finals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ectof4FWr0
It is highly unlikely that the Suns will be able to pull this off. Injuries to the Lakers, Nuggets, and Clippers played a huge role in the Suns’ trip to the Finals. Now both them and the Bucks seem to be on the receiving end. Chris Paul is also older and less athletic with every season. It is improbable that he carry the Suns deep into the postseason without a healthy Devin Booker