The NBA Finals Are Getting Very Interesting

Even though the season was shortened by ten games, it seems the road to the NBA Finals was just as long as it’s ever been.

It wasn’t that long ago when the Lakers were crowned champions after a COVID-19/Bubble shortened season that ended in October. Now, we see two teams fighting it out for the crown that combine for some interesting stories and history, giving us something more this year.

These Aren’t the Marquee Names

Some of the players on the teams are those you would see on a marquee with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chris Paul going against each other, but when you see a young player like Devin Booker or a support player like Khris Middleton, you wonder what these teams have to offer. The teams in the finals are the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks, which are also not your marquee locations and team names.

Even Without the Biggest Names, this Series Just Works

So far, the NBA Finals has featured four games with home teams winning all of them. Every contest has been tough, fought for, and exhausting, especially Game 4. In fact, the only game in which it seemed the winning team was running away with the score was Game 3in which the Bucks won 120-100 but the score really wasn’t that close.

All Tied Up for More Action

The series is now tied up at two games apiece which means we get at least two more of these games to enjoy. The next game will be held in Phoenix as the series head back there for Game 5 on Saturday. Even though it seems to be simply a game of playing out the series, both of these teams have been waiting for this moment for an awfully long time.

So Much Waiting to Get to the NBA Finals

Combined, the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks have been waiting 75 years to be in the finals. That is a long time. The wait for Milwaukee has been 47 years to 28 for the Phoenix Suns who were in the NBA Finals with Charles Barkley leading the way many years ago. Between these two teams, there is only one championship in their history when Milwaukee won the title in 1971.

What Was Life Like the Last Time These Teams were in the Finals?

Milwaukee Bucks

The finish to the 1973-74 season was the last time the Buck made the finals. Giving credit to Fox Sports, here are some interesting facts from that NBA Season:

• President of the United States –Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford

• Best Picture Winner –The Sting

• Number 1 Song –The Way We Were by Barbara Streisand

• Cost of Gas -$0.53 per gallon

• Major Event –Watergate

• Famous Birth –Leonardo DiCaprio

The starters for the Bucks during that season were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Dandridge, Oscar Robertson, Mickey Davis, and Cornell Warner. The Bucks faced the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals and made it to Game 7 before finally losing to the Celtics in this final game.

Phoenix Suns

The last time we saw the Phoenix Suns in the finals was the 1992-93 season. Once again, Fox Sports offers us a few nuggets of information to give you a look backward:

• President of the United States –George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton

• Best Picture Winner –Unforgiven

• Number 1 Song –I Will Always Love you by Whitney Houston

• Cost of Gas -$1.11 per gallon

• Major Event –Waco standoff and siege

• Famous Birth –Ariana Grande

The starters for the Suns that year were Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, Mark West, and Richard Dumas. The Suns finally won the Western Conference Championship but lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in six games.

An Unpredictable Outcome Awaits Us

With a series that’s tied at two games each, it’s extremely hard to figure out which team will win the NBA Finals. Which city that’s been waiting so long will finally get to enjoy being NBA Champions for an entire year? If home-court advantage does continue to be the story, the Suns will win in seven games, but if the Bucks are able to win at Phoenix in Game 5, there’s a good chance the Bucks will end the series in six games.

Regardless of whether you’re a fan of either team or the NBA at all, you might want to tune in on Saturday night and on subsequent game names to see which of these two teams makes history and becomes the NBA Champions.