The Milwaukee Bucks took care of business on Saturday night despite missing their best player, taking down the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The decisive road win set the matchup for the NBA Finals, and shortly after the final buzzer, we learned when the league’s championship series would begin.
Word circulated on Saturday night that the NBA Finals would start on Tuesday, July 6, with the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns hosting Milwaukee at 9 p.m. EST. The rest of the series schedule came with that news, with all games airing on ABC.
… and then there were two. Suns-Bucks. Catch you Tuesday from Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/zcaWFavllP
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 4, 2021
The Finals will follow the 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the Suns hosting the first two games in Phoenix and the Bucks hosting Game 3 and 4, with the final three games (if necessary) alternating between home teams.
The biggest question remaining in the NBA’s marquee event is now the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks star who has missed the tail end of Milwaukee’s win in the Eastern Conference Finals with a hyperextended knee. The quick turnaround on the series gives the two-time NBA MVP just two days to rehabilitate the injury, and he was officially listed as doubtful for Saturday’s Game 6.
We’ll have to wait and see on his status, but at least we now know when to tune in to watch the drama unfold.