The 2021 NBA Finals are set to begin on Tuesday night and while many may not have predicted this matchup between the Bucks and Suns, this is going to be a very interesting series to watch. Not only are both teams very evenly matched in terms of being efficient on both offense and defense, but there was very little separation between these two teams during the regular season. 

In two meetings during the regular season, the Suns won both games, but they barely escaped both games by a single point. Both of these two teams are so evenly matched with each other in terms of personnel, that this year’s NBA Finals could very well be determined by a couple points each game. 

There really should not be any blowouts in any of these games, but everything in this series rides on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s health. The Bucks’ 2x MVP suffered a hyperextended left knee in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals and has not played since. 

He has been able to do some individual on-court workouts and Milwaukee has not ruled Giannis out for Game 1 yet, but his status is very much up-in-the-air ahead of the opening game Tuesday night. As a result of Antwtokounmpo’s knee injury, he is not included on this list for Finals MVP candidates, but if he plays Game 1, he will absolutely be the favorite to win the award on the Bucks’ side of things. 

READ MORE: Previewing the 2021 NBA Finals between the Bucks and Suns

Whether or not Giannis plays every game in this series, we should still expect to see plenty of close games and plenty of fireworks. Both the Suns and Bucks have capable star players that are going to shine on the NBA’s brightest stage and with a championship on the line, both of these teams are going to be giving it their all. 

With this said, let’s dive in and take a look at the Top-4 Finals MVP candidates for the 2021 NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.