PHOENIX — It's been 28 years since the Phoenix Suns made an NBA Finals appearance and 47 years since the Milwaukee Bucks did. Now, the two franchises will go head to head with the Bucks looking to end their championship drought and the Suns looking for their first-ever title.
Many thought that with the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angles Clippers knocked out of the playoffs the Finals wouldn't be worth watching—but a Suns-Bucks matchup is without a doubt a must-see series.
Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals tips off inside Phoenix Suns Arena Tuesday night at 9 p.m. You can watch the game right here on News 5.
The Suns, led by Chris Paul—a 36-year-old Hall of Fame-level player who after 16 seasons in the league has finally made it to his first finals berth— and Devin Booker, haven't made a Finals appearance since 1993 when Charles Barkley and company fell to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in six games.
But if you're looking for an underdog to root for, its a toss-up.
The Bucks won their first and only championship in 1971, led by Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, and made their last Finals appearance three years later in 1974. Now, 47 years later, the Bucks are back in the Finals but the health of their star player Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't its strongest. Antetokounmpo was listed as questionable for Game 1 after hyperextending his knee in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but has since been cleared to play in Game 1.
With Antetokounmpo not necessarily 100% heading into this Finals series, the Bucks will rely on players such as Khris Middleton and Jru Holiday to carry the load while he works to get back to full-go.
The storylines are plenty, the competition is fierce and the 2021 NBA Finals featuring the Suns and Bucks is a series basketball fans won't want to miss.
Here's how to catch all of the action:
- Watch Game 1 right here on News 5. Tip-off is at 9 p.m.
- Viewers can watch the game on the ABC app and on ABC.com with a participating cable, satellite or livestream service provider login.
- The game can also be streamed via fuboTV.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
