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The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns are currently embroiled in a fascinating NBA Finals contest, that will likely be decided by whoever can steal a win on the road. Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Devin Booker have been electric on offense and currently lead the race for the Finals MVP.
However, the coveted award could go another way. Chris Paul's leadership may earn the Suns their first championship, while Khris Middleton's clutch shooting continues to put the Bucks in a position to win.
After a narrow 109-103 victory in Game 4, the Milwaukee Bucks tied the NBA Finals with the series now headed back to Phoenix. Neither side has lost at home yet and both have been near unstoppable in front of their own fans throughout the playoffs. Heading into Game 5, which takes place on Saturday night, we take a look at who the top 3 candidates currently are for the NBA Finals MVP award.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads competitors for the 2021 NBA Finals MVP
The NBA Finals MVP award can, at times, be more impressive than the regular season trophy. It proves that a player can shine consistently on the biggest stage and has the determination, calmness and execution to lead his side to a championship.
Many of the league's Hall-of-Famers and future inductees have won the Finals MVP trophy. LeBron James has dominated proceedings in recent years with four awards, while Kevin Durant won it back-to-back with the Golden State Warriors.
Our first contender on the list, Giannis Antetokounmpo, will be hoping history repeats itself with the Milwaukee Bucks. When the team won the title in 1971, fellow big man Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took home the Finals MVP after putting up 27 points and 18.5 rebounds per game.
#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is simply doing it all right now for the Milwaukee Bucks and has put himself in pole position to win the NBA Finals MVP award. The 2-time regular season MVP has shaken off a knee injury he suffered in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Atlanta and looks unstoppable in his pursuit of a first league title.
The Greek forward has utilized his immense length to take advantage of his opponents throughout the playoffs and ranks top for rebounds in the postseason.
In the NBA Finals, his size continues to help him earn second-chance points for his team and trips to the line. So far in the series, Antetokounmpo has averaged 32.3 points (most of any player from either team) and 14 rebounds per game and also has a +/- of 6.8 which is 2.5 more than the next best player Mikal Bridges.
Antetokounmpo has consistently put his team in a position to win. Whether that has been him becoming a distributor to help Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton get going in Game 3 after they struggled to shoot the ball in the previous matchup.
Or by playing up to his All-Defensive first-team abilities with chase-down blocks and clever switching. The 26-year-old currently leads all players in the contest for blocks (1.8) and steals (1.5) per game.
If he can continue these performances and help the Milwaukee Bucks win their first championship since 1971, Antetokounmpo will surely win the NBA Finals MVP trophy.
He became only the second player in Finals history to grab 40+ points and 10+ rebounds in consecutive contests along with Hall-of-Fame center Shaquille O'Neal and the first player in 50 years to register 100 points and 40 rebounds in the opening three games.
#2 Devin Booker
To combat the Milwaukee Bucks' size and length, the Phoenix Suns have had to look to their consistent shooters to stay in these ball games. None more so than young superstar Devin Booker.
Booker made just three field-goals in Game 3 and sat out the entire fourth quarter as the Suns lost heavily on the road. However, the two-time All-Star once again proved that he belongs on the biggest stage amid his first postseason run. In Game 4, Booker made tough shot after tough shot and largely kept the Suns in the contest in the first half.
He finished with 42 points, the most of any player in the contest, on 60% shooting from the field and made all but one of his nine free-throws.
Despite his struggles in Game 3, Booker remains firmly in contention for the NBA Finals MVP award and looks the most likely Suns player to lift the trophy should they win the championship. Prior to Game 3, the shooting guard had a combined 58 points in the first two fixtures, six assists in both and three steals in game one. He gets to the line more than any other Phoenix player (6 times per game) and rarely misses.
If he does want to win the NBA Finals MVP, though, he will need to stay out of foul trouble. Booker had to miss sections of Game 4 due to his foul count and is too valuable to Monty Williams' side to be unnecessarily sitting on the bench.
#3 Khris Middleton
Outside of the top two picks for the NBA Finals MVP is Giannis Antetokounmpo's right-hand man Khris Middleton. The two have played in Milwaukee for eight years and know each other's game inside out. Most importantly for the Bucks, Antetokounmpo has immense trust in Middleton's shot-making ability in clutch moments.
When the Greek star was sidelined at the end of their Conference Finals battle with the Hawks, Middleton stepped up and carried the offensive load for his team. Oftentimes, his elite shot-making ability is forgotten with the attention that Giannis receives, but the former 2nd round pick has shown time and time again that he can be the star on the floor at any time.
In Game 1, he led all Milwaukee Bucks' scorers with 29 points and after struggling from the field in games two and three came back with a bang in Game 4 by netting 40 points. It became a case down the stretch of getting the ball into Middleton's hands and letting him do the work.
He made 7 of 8 free throws and connected with 15 field-goal attempts. Most importantly, he hit numerous shots deep into the fourth quarter and avoided getting into foul trouble.
Guess the Lakers players!
