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The 2021 NBA Finals have not been short of excitement in the opening two games, nor have they been short of headlines with the Phoenix Suns taking a commanding 2-0 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite some doubts due to their lack of experience, the Suns have continued to impress in their first playoff appearance since 2010 and have scored 118 points in both contests against a tough Bucks defense.
Now the attention of the 2021 NBA Finals turns to the Fiserv Forum in Wisconsin, where the Milwaukee Bucks will host games three and four. They have a lot to take away from their opening two losses and several areas to improve upon if they want to avoid letting this opportunity slip away from them.
So far in the postseason, the Bucks have gone 7-1 at home and will remain confident that consistency continues.
Let's take a look at what we learned from games one and two in Phoenix and how the rest of the series may pan out with suitable adjustments made from both sides.
5 Things to take away from the opening two contests of the 2021 NBA Finals
Despite neither team having reached this stage of the playoffs this century, they do not look out of place in the 2021 NBA Finals. Currently, the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns are playing like the two best teams in basketball and are putting on a show for fans who have been lucky enough to get back into arenas.
So far, it has been high-scoring, with each team looking to take advantage of its opponents' weaknesses. The Phoenix Suns have shot the three-ball at a high clip (41.9%) which is an area on the floor the Milwaukee Bucks struggled to defend during the regular season. Meanwhile, the Bucks have been using their size advantage to take charge of the paint.
All of this has prepared us for an enthralling series that continues on Saturday in game three of the 2021 NBA Finals.
#1 Phoenix Suns can continue to rise to occasion
There was some worry before the NBA playoffs that this Phoenix Suns team may struggle against more experienced opposition. Beyond Chris Paul and Jae Crowder, the roster lacked postseason know-how and game management in pressure situations. However, in the first two games of the 2021 NBA Finals, the Suns have continued to prove their doubters wrong and are bossing the Milwaukee Bucks.
Devin Booker has continued his electric scoring in his first-ever postseason experience, averaging 29 points and six assists, while posting shooting splits of 43-40-100. Then there is Mikal Bridges, a third-year forward who is going to earn himself a massive contract extension in the summer after his performances - the 24-year-old scored 27 points in game two.
The Phoenix Suns have a strong team chemistry and trust in one another that has helped them receive points across their roster. If they can continue their shooting accuracy and get significant minutes off their bench, they could steal the 2021 NBA Finals series on the road.
#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury won't be stopping him
It's difficult to comprehend the fact that fewer than ten days ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo's knee bent the wrong way on impact after coming down from the basket. And yet, the former two-time MVP of the league has answered the call for the Milwaukee Bucks and looks as though he will play through any residual pain to make sure he puts his team in a position to prevail in the 2021 NBA Finals.
Antetokounmpo put on a mosterous performance in game two with 42 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, shooting at 68% from the field. He even topped Milwaukee Bucks legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most points in a playoff finals game.
There is little more the Greek can do at this stage, as the Bucks are +4 while he is on the court and -27 when he is off it. In the second half of Thursday's game, he outscored the Bucks' other starters by 30 points to 21. He has been explosive on the drive, bullying the Suns down low and will continue to have his way in the paint in this series. The only thing he needs now is for his teammates to step up too.
#3 Milwaukee Bucks need consistency
Beyond Giannis' greatness, the Milwaukee Bucks need more scoring. In game two, the Greek scored 42 points while the remainder of the Bucks starting five scored 43 collectively. Khris Middleton was 5-16 from the field while Jrue Holiday was 7-21 and between them they made just two three-point efforts from nine attempts.
Elsewhere, despite Brook Lopez' brilliance in their series against the Atlanta Hawks, he added just eight points on Thursday night. While the Bucks' supporting cast have shot at varying rates throughout the postseason, they have been able to show up when it mattered most.
Both Middleton and Holiday, the former especially, were electric on offense when Antetokounmpo was injured at the end of the Conference Finals.
If they are to even up the 2021 NBA Finals series at home, though, they will need to make major improvements.
#4 Chris Paul's leadership knows no bounds
Chris Paul isn't going to let this opportunity pass him by. The point guard hasn't spent 16 NBA Finals-less years in the league just to lose on the one occasion he has made it.
In the 2021 NBA Finals so far, Paul has been untouchable and the Milwaukee Bucks are having a nightmare trying to defend him in the pick-and-roll. In game one, the 36-year-old was giving Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis all kinds of problems in the paint and on the perimeter. He even managed to lure the former into a flagrant one foul when the center took up Paul's landing space on a three.
He has so far shot at 56% from the field and 58% from downtown, leading his team by example with 27.5 points per matchup and 8.5 assists. As he has shown throughout the regular season and in these playoffs, CP3 has built an immense trust between him and his teammates who are now seeing the fruit of their labor by following his leadership all year.
#5 Milwaukee should continue to attack the paint
After going 2-0 down, the Milwaukee Bucks need to focus on the things they do best to try and get back in this series - and that so far has been attacking the paint. In game two, the Bucks scored half of their points in the paint (54) and will continue to find joy there against the less experienced DeAndre Ayton and without the Phoenix Suns having backup center Dario Saric, who is injured.
Giannis and co. need to continue to drive the lane despite their and his ongoing free-throw troubles. Bucks fans will want to see Antetokounmpo's size and length get Ayton into foul trouble and hook shots from Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday.
The Phoenix Suns are a very complete team but as with any opposition there is a weakness and Milwaukee currently have to expose it if they want to win.
Guess the Lakers players!
