After 16 long years, Chris Paul finally made it to the NBA Finals. Four wins separate Paul and the Phoenix Suns from winning their first NBA championship. Phoenix awaits the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks versus Atlanta Hawks series on the other side of the bracket to determine their Finals foes, where the former has a 3-2 series lead. CP3 and the Suns will definitely tune in to the Eastern Conference Finals to do some advance scouting in preparation of their championship round opponents.
Most teams wouldn’t outright admit who they would to see in front of them. Nonetheless, the Suns would probably wish the Bucks eventually close out the Hawks and book at the date with them in the NBA Finals. Here are two reasons why that is the desirable match-up for them.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo likely won’t be 100 percent healthy for the rest of the playoffs
Yes, the Hawks are dealing with their own injury to their top guy as well, with Trae Young still nursing a bone bruise in his right foot. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a left knee hyperextension in Game 4 of the East Finals. Many feared The Greek Freak sustained a serious knee injury the moment it happened. Fortunately, his MRIs came back clean and there was no ligament damage in his knee.
Nonetheless, it definitely seems like Antetokounmpo is probably dealing with a more serious injury than Young which could be good news for the Suns. Even if Giannis returns for the Finals (there’s a report that he may even be back for a possible Game 7 against the Hawks), it’s hard to imagine the 2-time MVP being at full strength. Furthermore, Young’s bone bruise tends to heal quicker than Antetokounmpo’s hyperextended knee. It’s possible that Ice Trae recovers to 100 percent eventually down the line as the Finals goes on, which could present problems for Phoenix.
Regardless, the Suns will face a team that isn’t at full strength in the Finals either way.
2. Chris Paul would feast with Brook Lopez on the pick-and-roll
Before going down with his injury, Trae Young saw Brook Lopez as track meat whenever the 7-footer got switched onto him. Ice Trae often scored on his deadly floater in the lane whenever he saw Lopez backing off of him in the pick-and-roll. If Milwaukee comes out of the East, Chris Paul and the Suns would also salivate at the idea of putting Lopez in the blender.
Mike Budenholzer loves keeping Lopez on the floor due to his rim protection and ability to stretch the floor on the other end. However, being an innate big man, the former All-Star often utilizes drop coverages on the pick-and-roll, allowing plenty of space for the ball handler to go to work. As we saw in the Hawks series with Young and even in the Brooklyn Nets series with Kevin Durant, the opposing squad took advantage of this and went at Lopez over and over again.
Chris Paul and Devin Booker would likely spam attacking Lopez in the pick-and-roll if they do see the Bucks in the Finals. The two dynamic guards are absolute masters in the midrange for the Suns. If the Bucks don’t do anything to address the space that Lopez’s drop coverage creates, then Paul and Booker would have a field day nailing 15-footers all night long. They could eventually play Lopez off the floor, which could leave the Bucks one more man down in their dwindling rotation.
