7:00 AM ET The 2021 NBA Finals feature one of the most unexpected matchups in recent league history. And, at the moment, the Phoenix Suns–Milwaukee Bucks showdown is one of the most difficult to predict. The biggest reason? Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who injured his left knee in Game 4 of the Bucks’ Eastern Conference
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7:00 AM ET In an NBA postseason filled with plenty of surprises, upsets and even more injuries, we’ve finally made it to the Finals. And it’s a showdown no one saw coming. The Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks matchup features two franchises stuck in long title droughts: The Suns have never won an NBA championship
1:26 PM ET Hawks president/general manager Travis Schlenk told reporters Monday that an agreement is in place to remove the interim label from coach Nate McMillan’s title after he led Atlanta to the Eastern Conference finals. McMillan’s new deal is for four years, a source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Hawks finished the regular season
7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders We already know that the 2021 NBA Finals are going to produce a champion that hasn’t lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 50 years. The Phoenix Suns have never claimed a title in their 53-season history, while the Milwaukee Bucks last won the NBA championship in 1971. So this edition
2:22 PM ET Sportsbooks have installed the Phoenix Suns as favorites over the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. The Suns opened at -175 at Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill, with the Bucks listed as +150 underdogs. Phoenix is a 5.5-point favorite over Milwaukee in Game 1 on Tuesday. The Game 1 line and series
1:34 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN ATLANTA — As the Atlanta Hawks‘ season came to an end with a 118-107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, Trae Young walked off the court after the final buzzer sounded and shouted one message to the fans crowded around the tunnel next
6:15 AM ET The conference finals have come to an end, as the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks will face off in the NBA Finals. For the Suns, Chris Paul‘s virtuoso 41-point performance in Game 6 sealed the fate of a short-handed LA Clippers squad that fought valiantly in defeat. Paul, who will make
11:13 PM ET ATLANTA — The Milwaukee Bucks are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974 — and they secured the final wins of the series without star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee won behind 32 points from Khris Middleton. Jrue Holoiday added 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. As the final
7:24 PM ET While the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks battle it out to determine the Eastern Conference representative in the NBA Finals, ailing Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul says the extra days off before the first Finals appearance of his 16-year career have been helpful. Paul revealed after the Suns’ clinching Game 6 win
1:10 PM ET Clippers guard Patrick Beverley has been given a one-game suspension for shoving Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul during LA’s season-ending loss Wednesday. Beverley was ejected from the Game 6 loss when he shoved Paul in the back during a timeout in the fourth quarter. He would tweet an apology to Paul on
5:17 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely to miss his team’s first chance to clinch a NBA Finals berth this postseason, while Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young is questionable for Saturday’s Game 6. Antetokounmpo is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game due to his hyperextended left knee. He sat out Thursday’s win
1:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MILWAUKEE — Even if superstar guard Trae Young hadn’t sat out for a second straight game, the Atlanta Hawks wouldn’t have been able to stop the Bucks‘ relentless assault on the rim Thursday night in Milwaukee’s 123-112 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. The win moved the
11:30 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN Former New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy made his first public comments since his split with the organization and he made it clear he doesn’t think Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram or any other player had anything to do with his departure. “I hate when it gets put on players
1:30 AM ET It was early in Game 5, two minutes and five seconds in to be exact, and Jrue Holiday caught a wing pass from P.J. Tucker, open from 3. With Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting on the end of the bench in a cream-colored, long-sleeve T-shirt and gray sweatpants, the Bucks had roared into the
1:46 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks, the team said Thursday. Antetokounmpo suffered a hyperextended left knee during Game 4 on Tuesday and had been listed as doubtful for Thursday night’s game. An MRI showed no structural damage
5:34 PM ET Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS — Rick Carlisle chose the Indiana Pacers for many reasons. He enjoyed his first two stints in Indianapolis, already had strong relationships with team owner Herb Simon and president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard and thought the roster was a good fit for his coaching style. The Pacers appreciated
3:24 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Not long after Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns celebrated their Western Conference championship on the Staples Center floor, Paul George wondered “what if” Kawhi Leonard had been healthy. The LA Clippers ran out of gas and comebacks as their resilient playoff run came to an end with a
4:28 PM ET There is no structural damage to Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s left knee after his awkward landing during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe on Wednesday. The ligaments in Antetokounmpo’s knee are sound, and a timetable for his return is unclear, sources told