Whilst many in Europe are looking forward to two huge Euro 2020 semi finals in midweek, the anticipation is growing Stateside for what could be a memorable NBA Finals series.
Two of the less fashionable franchises are preparing to go head-to-head in the Best-of-Seven series and it promises to be a fascinating clash.
Milwaukee Bucks may have the big-name players, but question marks over the fitness of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the extra time their opponents have had to prepare, means the Phoenix Suns head into the series as 8/15 favourites.
The Suns have never been crowned NBA champions, while the Bucks – 6/4 to lift the trophy – are looking for only their second NBA title, with their first coming back in 1971.
Giannis Can Bring the X Factor
Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer admits it will be a ‘day to day’ assessment of Giannis’ fitness, going into Game One on Tuesday (early hours of Wednesday BST).
The two-time NBA MVP is the standout player of the Finals, but will his left knee stand-up to a tough series against a Phoenix team that have got stronger as the season has progressed?
Budenholzer admits the man from Athens is “dying to be out there”, having missed Games Five and Six of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bucks will not want to rush him back too soon though, if there’s a risk of losing him for the remainder of the series.
In his absence, the rest of the team have stepped up to the plate and won both games in his absence to see off the Atlanta Hawks.
But it’s been the guards and not the forwards that delivered at the hoop, with Jrue Holiday chipping in with 52 points and Khris Middleton 58 points across the two games. Middleton is 11/2 to be crowned Finals MVP.
A concern though is the lack of points from the forwards in Games Five and Six against the Hawks, scoring just 44 points between them.
Giannis would give the Bucks a significant lift from a scoring perspective, shooting 56.9 percent from the field so far this season.
Suns Hold Head-to-Head Advantage
The two teams met twice in the regular season and it was the Suns that came out on top on both occasions, but both games highlight just how hard fought the final should be. A seven-game series can be backed at 9/5.
The clash between the teams in April went to overtime, with Phoenix winning 128-127, while February’s meeting saw The Suns come out on top by a single point as well (125-124).
With both of those matches seeing 255 and 249 points scored, the Over/Under Result market is worth considering, with ‘Over 217’ available to back at 25/27.
Devin Booker scored 30 and 24 points in both regular season games against the Bucks and goes into the Finals in top form.
The two-time NBA All-Star scored a total of 153 points across the six games of the Western Conference final against the Clippers and the shooting guard is 5/2 to be named NBA Finals MVP.
*All odds correct at time of writing