(Newswire.net — June 30, 2021) — Basketball fans are in for a treat over the next few weeks, with the NBA play-offs set to reach an exciting climax.
Both the Western and Eastern Conference Finals are finely poised, and calling a winner at this stage is no easy task.
Phoenix Suns will fancy their chances of progressing from the Western Conference Finals as they hold a 3-2 lead over Los Angeles Clippers in their best-of-seven series.
As highlighted by a recent study conducted by NBA lines site Betway, the format of the play-offs could work in the Suns’ favour.
Having secured the second seed in the Western Conference, the Suns have home advantage over the fourth-seeded Clippers.
That gives them four of the seven games at home, meaning that the potentially crucial Game 7 would be played on their home court.
The Suns went 27-9 at home during the regular season, and have since triumphed in six of their eight home games in the play-offs.
However, a 116-102 home defeat in their most recent meeting with the Clippers highlights that they can be beaten in Phoenix.
The Eastern Conference Finals are also on a knife edge, with Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks tied at 2-2 with another possible three games to play.
The Bucks have home advantage in the series, meaning that Game 5 and Game 7 (if needed) will be played in Milwaukee.
The Bucks have won 32 out of 43 games on their home court this season and that should give them confidence to get the job done.
If Mike Budenholzer’s team progresses to the Finals, they will hope that their opponents are the Clippers rather than the Suns.
A series against the Clippers would give the Bucks home advantage and that would significantly boost their chances of winning the title.
Of the previous 71 NBA Finals series, 50 of them have been won by the team with home advantage, highlighting the difference it can make.
Having the fallback of Game 7 on home court is massive – a point demonstrated by the fact that only four away teams have won a series on the 19 occasions a seventh game has been needed.
Boston Celtics (1969 & 1974), Washington Bullets (1978) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2016) are the only teams who have ever achieved the feat.
Whichever team wins the NBA Finals this year will be rewriting history to some extent, with the four teams boasting just two titles between them.
The Hawks (1958) and the Bucks (1971) are on a mission to end a long wait to win a second championship, while the Suns and Clippers are yet to get on the board.
As the highest seeded team the format favours the Suns, but there are no guarantees that they will get past the Clippers.
An injury to Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has boosted the Hawks’ hopes of reaching the Finals, but Milwaukee still have home advantage on their side.
Regardless of who reaches the Finals the series is sure to be keenly contested and it would be no surprise to see it go all the way to a seventh game.
Source: NBA picks site Betway.