[brid autoplay=”true” video=”820346″ player=”23231″ title=”Chris%20Mannix%20A%20championship%20would%20cement%20Chris%20Paul%20as%20a%20top5%20point%20guard%20in%20NBA%20history” duration=”93″ description=”Carolyn Manno asks Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix what a series win in this years NBA Finals would mean for Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul.” uploaddate=”2021-07-06″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/820346_t_1625515249.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/820346.mp4″]
Milwaukee Bucks two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will be active for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, per The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.
Antetokounmpo went down in Game 4 of the Conference Finals with a hyperextended knee, but the Bucks still managed to advance out of the East without the Greek Freak, winning the next two games versus the Atlanta Hawks.
The 26-year-old superstar is averaging 28.2 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the 2021 NBA playoffs. He’s also an imposing presence on the defensive end, so it’s a testament to the Bucks’ resilience that they didn’t panic when Giannis went down.
With Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday fully capable of taking over the game on both ends of the court, Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer will have a tricky time inserting Antetokounmpo and being judicious with how much to play him.
There’s no way Antetokounmpo is 100% healthy, and may not even be close to it at this point. The last thing the Bucks want is for Giannis to worsen his injury with a serious setback.
Oddsmakers are favoring Phoenix to win the NBA Finals behind the backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, not to mention an ascending star at center in Deandre Ayton. However, whatever happens with Antetokounmpo going forward, the Bucks will be a tough and worthy adversary.