What to expect the rest of the Finals following Game 1

Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals was last night, and it showed what the rest of the series could be like. The Suns won the game 118-105, and looked poised in their first Finals in 28 years. If Chris Paul keeps up this play in his first Finals appearance, he'll have the title and the MVP easily. It took 16 years for Paul to reach the Finals, but he's already making the most of it after his performance. He finished with 32 points and 9 assists while shooting efficiently. Paul wasn't the only one who stepped up big for Phoenix, because Ayton and Booker helped their big three combine for 81 points which is a record for a debuting trio in the Finals. Ayton also finished with an impressive 19 rebounds, almost getting a 20-20 game.

To most people it was a surprise that Giannis Antetokounmpo played in Game 1 after what looked to be a sustainable injury to the knee in the Conference Finals. However, he did play, and he looked to be just fine. He got off to a hot start, but started to not shoot and play as much in the second half. For the Bucks to get going, he will have to get going if he truly is healthy. Middleton had an impressive game after struggling in the first half, which he was the one keeping them in the game. He finished with 29 points, while Jrue Holiday finished with only 10. While Giannis obviously has to play good for them because he's the star, even more importantly is Middleton and Holiday. If they even want a chance to win this series, those two co-stars will have to play at the top of their game.

The game was fairly fast paced as both teams play great defense and like to get out in transition. When the game was slowed down, Phoenix excelled when Milwaukee did not. Booker and Paul proved how good they are when creating their own shot and in one-on-one situations. The two star guards were having their way and finding their spots, especially in the mid range. A big takeaway from this game was how Phoenix forced the Bucks to switch their bigs, Lopez and Portis, onto to Booker and Paul for one-on-one situations. The guards were hard to stop, especially for the Bucks' bigs. Expect the Bucks to make adjustments when it comes to that situation as it ate them up for most of the game.

For the Suns to continue winning, they will have to continue to play great team basketball on both sides of the ball. They will also have to continue to have their stars shine just as they did in the first game. For the Bucks to win games, they will have to make adjustments defensively and have their stars perform at their best. The benches can also be a key factor in this series as both are capable of coming up with big performances. Both teams are great in their own way, and this series should be closer than what it looked to be in the first game.