The conference finals are over. The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns will now face off in the NBA Finals.Chris Paul's 41-point performance in Game 6 was a game-winning highlight for the Suns. It sealed the fate of an inept LA Clippers team that had fought valiantly despite being defeated. Paul, who made his first Finals appearance since his 16-year NBA career, shot an impressive 16 of 24 from the field, and had 8 assists and 4 rebound in the win.After a long and hard-fought campaign, the Clippers are proud to leave. It was the longest postseason run in franchise history. Paul George, who averaged over 41 minutes per game and 28 points per contest without Kawhi Leonard, admirably took up the slack.After Giannis Antetokounmpo was injured in his knee in Game 4, the Bucks saw Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and others step up to win the series against the Atlanta Hawks. They averaged 55 points per game in the Bucks' two last games, both wins. This was the franchise's first return to the NBA Finals since 1974, when it lost seven games to Boston Celtics.Which star was the most valuable at the conference finals?Devin Booker was a star throughout the entire Suns - Clippers series. Middleton was a great playoff performer after Antetokounmpo suffered a knee injury. What will big performances by George and Paul rank them on this listOur panel of NBA experts picks its picks.NBA Finals 2021: Full coverage of Suns and. Bucks1. GChris Paul's Game 6 effort of 41 points helped the Suns to reach the NBA Finals. Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty ImagesMany times you can see a player's worth most clearly when they aren't there. The Suns won both games in this series without Chris Paul.Don't let this convince you that Paul wasn't involved in those first two victories. Paul was an active member of the team, from FaceTiming the team after the final buzzer to FaceTimeing Monty Williams, his head coach, at night, while watching the games, to texting his brother CJ adjustments, and possibly even texting him adjustments, all the way to FaceTimeing with Williams at night. Cameron Payne and Devin Booker both mentioned that Paul had a significant influence on the team's play style and expectations of how they would take care of it.Chris Paul: Conference finals stats Game played 4 Points per match 24.0 Field goal percentage 31.7 3-point percentage 37. Assists/game 8.8 Rebounds/game 3.3 Steals/game 1.8Paul was a bit rusty after missing nearly two weeks of league games and practices. As the Clippers fought back, he struggled with his midrange jumper and hit the front iron almost on every shot.It was the perfect letdown for Paul's career. A 3-1 series lead was blown against a team that had lost its best player.Paul's brilliance was displayed on the road at Staples Center. Paul's team reached the Finals with 41 points and the same kind of brutal daggering that finally broke Patrick Beverley’s spirit.-- Royce Young2. FThe Bucks won the series against the Hawks with 38 points from Khris Middleton in Game 3. Dale Zanine USA TODAY SportsMiddleton performed at his best when the Bucks most needed him in the conference finals. Middleton was first called during Game 3. He played the role of closer down the stretch in the fourth quarter.Milwaukee was tied 1-1 at the end of the fourth quarter. Atlanta was held off by Middleton's excellent shot-making. In the final period, he outscored Atlanta 20-17. He made eight of his 13 shots and nearly halved his attempts from beyond the arc. The result was that Hawks star Trae Young was limited due to a foot injury and the Bucks won Game 3.Khris Middleton Conference finals stats 6 Points per Game 23.7 3-point percentage 27.5 Assists Per Game 6.5 Rebounds Per game 8.0 StealsMiddleton's total of 38 points in Game 3 was tied with his effort in Game 6 against the Brooklyn Nets to be the most playoff points he had scored. His six 3s were also his second-highest in playoff history.After a disappointing Game 4, where 16 points were scored on 6-of-17 field shots, Middleton came back to the rescue after Giannis Antetokounmpo was forced to retire in the second half with a left knee injury. He would miss the remainder of the series. Middleton, in Giannis' absence averaged 29 points and 12 rebounds to help Milwaukee win Games 5 and 6.The Bucks won the Game 6 clinching game with a dominating performance in the third quarter. Middleton scored 23 points, shooting 8 of 12 in the period. He also made four 3-pointers. Milwaukee built a slim advantage of four points at halftime to a commanding lead of 19 with the start the third quarter. Middleton scored 13 points over a slick stretch of the first period. He did this in less than two minutes. The Hawks never recovered.-- Kevin Pelton3. GDevin Booker scored an average of 25.5 points during the conference finals. AP Photo/Mark J. TerrillBooker didn't stop trying to be a mask-off player, but that didn't stop him from changing his image from one of a mediocre stats guy to one that could lead his team to the NBA Finals.Booker was criticized for not being able to lead his team to victory in the playoffs during his five first NBA seasons.This perception began to shift last season when Booker led Phoenix to an 8-0 record, despite the fact that the Suns finished just short of the West in the play-in tournament. Many thought the Suns would be in the same play-in tournament this season. But they defied all expectations to earn a 51-21 record which is the second-best league mark.Booker started things off on the right track in the conference finals against Los Angeles Clippers. He dropped his first NBA triple double: 40 points, 13 boards and 11 assists. He did it all even though Chris Paul, the team's point guard, was unable to play due to safety and health protocols.Devin Booker: Conference Finals stats 6 Points per Game 25.5 Field goal percentage 28.2 3-point percentage 28.6 Assists Per Game 4.7 Rebounds Per Game 5.8 StealsBooker, who scored or assisted on 43 points of the Suns final 50 points to win the game, was largely responsible for the scoring.After a head-tohead collision with Clippers' guard Patrick Beverley, Booker suffered three broken noses in Game 2. Booker began wearing a protective mask to protect his face in Game 3. His shooting dropped as a result.He would sometimes wear the mask, and other times he would take it off. He shot 35.2%, was 6-of-25 in 3-point range in the last four games, but still managed to play almost 41 minutes per game and average 23.3 point -- and reached the line 22 times in just Games 4 and 5.Andrew Lopez4. FPaul George played an average of 41.2 minutes and scored 28.7 points during six conference finals games. AP Photo/Mark J. TerrillGeorge's postseason was a huge success, as no one can make a Playoff joke in good faith.George's series against Suns was a demonstration of personal resilience, as he carried the weight of Kawhi Leonard's absence in order to keep his team alive for the Finals. George was a star with 28.7 points and 10.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in a ridiculous 41.2 minute per game. But George helped to create a Clippers identity of toughness, defense, and toughness.Paul George: Conference finals statistics Games played 6 Points/game 28.7 Field goal% 42.3 3-point percentage 29.5 Assists/game 5.5 Rebounds/game 10.5 Steals/game 1.2George, without Leonard, was clearly relied upon as an alpha dog, but the Clippers also learned to play a more democratic style with more space and more reliance on ball movement. George thrives in environments that allow for movement and space, and he is always looking for a feel and rhythm in each game. George can become one of the top five to six players in the world when he finds that rhythm. He taps into a two-way ability that elevates him to elite status.Although the Clippers lost six games, George's series may have helped to reset the table for the franchise moving forward. Leonard is now a free agent and there were many questions about his future. The Clippers' core is much stronger today than it was before George and the rest put up a great fight.-- Young5. FGiannis Antetokounmpo had just four games and averaged 26.5 points per game and 10.0 rebounds. Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty ImagesGiannis was there to support his teammates as the Bucks won Game 5 and 6, which were crucial in order to reach the NBA Finals. He had sustained a knee injury in the second half, so he couldn't be in the game. Without him, Milwaukee wouldn't have been able to win the series. Amazingly, even though he missed more than one game, Giannis still led all East finals players in my wins over replacement player (WARP metric) ahead of Game 6.Antetokounmpo's average PPG was 30.7 on 59% shooting. He also had 10.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in all three games. His best performance was Game 2, where he scored 25 points on just 29 minutes. He also made 11 of 18 of his 18 shots. Giannis' spin move was so confusing to Hawks defenders that he was able to repeatedly reach the rim.Giannis Antetokounmpo Conf. Finals stats Game played 4 Points per match 26.5% Field goal percentage 60.8 53.6 Assists/game 5.5 Rebounds/game 10.0 Steals/game 1.5Antetokounmpo was at his best in Game 3. Giannis was the reason Milwaukee remained in the game, even before Middleton's fourth-quarter rant. After scoring 28 points and grabbing 11 boards in three quarters, Giannis was back on the court and made both of his shots in the final period.Antetokounmpo performed admirably in Milwaukee's Game 1 defeat. Antetokounmpo was within an assist of his second career playoff triple double and scored a team record 34 points on 14-of-25 shots. Basketball-Reference.com ranked Giannis' performance of 31.5 points in the playoffs as his fourth-best in a playoff game.-- PeltonOther recipients of votes:Deandre Ayton Suns; Jrue holiday, Bucks; Trae young, Hawks.
