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| Dates | July 6–20 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Bucks defeated Hawks, 4–2 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Suns defeated Clippers, 4–2 | |||||||||
The 2021 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2020–21 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Eastern Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns, 4–2, winning their first NBA championship in 50 years and second overall. Holding home-court advantage, the Suns led the series 2–0 before the Bucks won the next four games, becoming the fifth team in NBA history to win the championship after losing the first two games. Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).[1] With the COVID-19 pandemic altering the NBA's schedule for the second consecutive year, the start date of the series was pushed from its usual time in late May or early June to July 6, the second-latest start in Finals' history.[2] This was the first NBA Finals since 2010 to have neither LeBron James nor Stephen Curry as one of the players competing.
Milwaukee and Phoenix were two of five teams in the league with an active championship drought of 50 years or more.[3][4][5] Prior to 2021, the Bucks won their only title in 1971, while the Suns have yet to win a title since joining the league in 1968. They were both making their third Finals appearance. Phoenix and Milwaukee each began play as expansion teams in 1968. Both teams were involved in a coin toss for the rights to the first overall pick in the 1969 NBA draft, which the Bucks won and used to select Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, from UCLA. He led the Bucks to their first championship in 1971.[6] The 2021 Finals was the first since 1971 to not include any players who had previously won an NBA championship, and the first since 2015 that no players on the winning team had prior NBA Finals experience. The Suns' Jae Crowder was the only player in the series who previously played in the Finals, making it just the second time since the first Finals that fewer than two players had previously appeared in the championship series; no players had previously played in the Finals in the 1977 series.[7]
- ^ "Giannis Antetokounmpo wins 2021 Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award". NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Game1Ratingwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Storylines and stats to know for 2021 NBA Finals". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 5, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ Powell, Shaun (July 6, 2021). "Fresh faces bring fresh drama to NBA Finals". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ Maloney, Jack (July 7, 2021). "Bucks vs. Suns NBA Finals preview: Chris Paul's legacy, Giannis Antetokounmpo's health and long title droughts". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ Rankin, Duane (July 3, 2021). "Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks will meet in NBA Finals, Game 1 Tuesday". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ "No prior champions in NBA Finals for first time in 50 years". NBCSports.com. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.