NBA PLAYOFFS: Game 4 - Semi-Finals - (1) Phoenix Suns @ (4) Dallas Mavericks l Sunday l 12:30pm l ESPN l Mavs lead 2-1

[bwgood77]

I'm not disappointed in the result itself as I think we still win the series, but it's a reality check that we are nowhere near championship level, better at 2-0 against Dallas then 0-3 against GSW.

I always thought we were capable, though I didn't necessarily expect, us to win the championship.

That being said, last year the Clippers series went 6, and we BARELY won game 2 at the buzzer.
k
This Mavs team is similar to the Clippers team. One star with a bunch of role players.

The Mavs had a crazy good shooting night.

It sucks that Payne is not what he was last year, but the depth of our bigs is better. We just need our 4 non big starters and Cam to almost get all the other minutes....have Book or Paul in all the time and Book run point when he is in there. If Payne or Shamet get a few minutes and get hot somehow, fine, let them have some run, but don't rely on them for many minutes if at all possible.

I think our 7 players (starters, Cam, McGee) can compete with anyone. Bridges and Book can play almost the whole game. CP3, Crowder and Ayton will need rest. Cam can play a lot of minutes too.

I don't expect to beat a team like the Warriors, Celtics or Bucks but certainly think we can when we are on our game. If we somehow got to the finals and got Philly or even Miami, I think we'd probably have an easier time than any of those others. Grizzlies would be tough if they somehow get by the Warriors.

I don't know if we will get by Dallas, but I expect we do. 538 still has us with the highest odds to win it all. All of our series in the last 2 years have gone 6 except the injury depleted Nuggets.

[Puff]

This is one of the worse officiating games I've ever seen. Suns couldn't build any momentum because of it. Monty also needs to do a better job of defending the three. Payne might need to ride the bench as he has been a complete non-factor too.

Dave Burns put out a tweet on what the Mavs did from 2 and 3
Monty needs to tell his players to not leave three point shooters - period. And it might be time to play Bizzy and McGee and use the hell out of those fouls if they are in the bonus. Let them drive to the basket and knock the s**t out of them

But DON"T LEAVE THE SHOOTERS!!

That is exactly what I have begging for. We are going to get called for the foul anyway, let's get our moneys worth. The one with Paul behind the midget Brunson going for a rebound, I think his 5th of my god. The one where the midget, ran over CP3, of my god. I want CP3 to elbow his little ass so his spits out some teeth.

I know some think Ayton is part of the big 3. I don't care about the number,s he stinks. He continues to put up those sissy ass lay ups instead of dunking our their ass.

I think I would just put Dikembe on foookface Doncic from the start until he fouls out. Our DPOY cannot play defense and cannot and will not shoot.

How many times did Booker go flying out of bounds on a lay up with no foul called.

I hope the fans behind the Dallas bench on Tuesday make the Mavs and their owner very uncomfortable, especially Doncic.

[bwgood77]

Sheesh…, lot of teenagers sitting down there in prime seat land. Don’t know why that bothers me, but it does.

Shows you how close the fans are. Very little between them and the players. Really like no other sport. I’ve sat courtside once, and honestly prefer 10 rows up

One season back in the early eighties, we had half a season worth of season ticks… and ended very close to Alvin Adams’, Joel Kramer’s, and Jeff Cook’s wives. We bit our tongues for a while but ended up being not exactly fan favs in that section. But that’s another story.

I sometimes wonder if it wouldn't be somewhat better to have some kind of safety glass separation kind of like what they have in hockey. Maybe a row or two behind the player's benches? With the row right above the players benches bring for family of players and team/ personnel. If nothing else, at least to reduce potential negative interactions between fans and players. And of course you can still have pre/ post game interactions with the proper security presence?

It might be a good idea, but it doesn't do much for families if they are being harrassed. It might be good to have a VIP section for families of players, etc, away from others. Though road teams may not want to do that.

[RunDogGun]

I am glad this game happened. I think I have been fooling myself for a long time, and clearly letting the entertainment business known as the NBA dictate how I feel and then react. I easily let it affect my mood and actions. I think this will be my last year following the Suns. I hope them well, but they just aren't the darlings the league wants. As long as Sarver owns the team, I don't think they will win a chip, and as long as he is making money, I don't see him selling the team. I am not sure why the earlier Suns also got the short end of the stick, but I can only assume that teams that were involved with the drug scandal in the 80s were not going to be allowed to get a chip either.

So in the end, I will check in, but try not to let this version of the sport get to me. If I offended any of you guys over the years, I apologize, and wish you the best. Clearly I let this version of the game get me riled up, and then lash out. Have a good night guys.

best of luck to ya. Unfortunately there are quite a few of us diehards who are stuck with this for years to come. This year may be the biggest pain as we can't even blame any failures on external factors. the team had a chance to be an all-time great and we somehow decided to take the gas off the pedal. even if our stars bail us out of this series, it won't work going forward.

I've put in my time since 78', so I am good with my decision. The league isn't going to let the Suns win a chip, the Suns will have to play their absolute best and outshoot whatever darling the league has chosen. Its a business, and fooling myself that it is a sport, where the rules apply to every player regardless of ability, has only let me down. But it is which team or player can garner the best revenue, or best chances at expanding the league globally. My only advice will be to remember that this is a show, with the most slightest of chance that certain teams will get to win that show.

Maybe high school basketball is the route to go.

[garrick]

This is one of the worse officiating games I've ever seen. Suns couldn't build any momentum because of it. Monty also needs to do a better job of defending the three. Payne might need to ride the bench as he has been a complete non-factor too.

Dave Burns put out a tweet on what the Mavs did from 2 and 3
Monty needs to tell his players to not leave three point shooters - period. And it might be time to play Bizzy and McGee and use the hell out of those fouls if they are in the bonus. Let them drive to the basket and knock the s**t out of them

But DON"T LEAVE THE SHOOTERS!!

That is exactly what I have begging for. We are going to get called for the foul anyway, let's get our moneys worth. The one with Paul behind the midget Brunson going for a rebound, I think his 5th of my god. The one where the midget, ran over CP3, of my god. I want CP3 to elbow his little ass so his spits out some teeth.

I know some think Ayton is part of the big 3. I don't care about the number,s he stinks. He continues to put up those sissy ass lay ups instead of dunking our their ass.

I think I would just put Dikembe on foookface Doncic from the start until he fouls out. Our DPOY cannot play defense and cannot and will not shoot.

How many times did Booker go flying out of bounds on a lay up with no foul called.

I hope the fans behind the Dallas bench on Tuesday make the Mavs and their owner very uncomfortable, especially Doncic.

I am a bit worried with a McGee/Biyombo combo but I would have either one with Ayton for a few minutes just to throw a bit of size at the Mavs and hope that both aren't exposed on the 3 point line.

We just need to throw a few curveballs at them as Monty's lineups are extremely predictable and Kidd has done a pretty good job of mixing things up so we are being flummoxed on the defensive end. The Suns can win this but they need to get their heads right and do the things that got them 64 wins in the regular season.

[KingFox]

I feel for you guys. Trust me, i know what a rigged game and series feels like. They want their precious Luka in the finals

[Puff]

gotcha. me thinking DFS would start over clearly inferior players is me overrating the Mavs. You said the MAvs had zero players other than Luka who could start on any playoff team and I named one guy and the issue is I'm just a big fat homer.

Good talk.

Also, as I said when it was 2-0. You guys have a hell of a team. Proud the little Mavs managed to make this a series. I definitely did not expect to get both of these. And I would not favor the Warriors over the Suns at all. And frankly I'm not afraid of them for Dallas either.

Let's be clear the refs made this a tied series. Your team can puah and shove set moving screens for the great Doncic and never get called. We breath on a Mavs player and a foul is called.

Doncic is the biggest crybaby in the league and his **** little smile makes me want to vomit.

[RaisingArizona]

https://official.nba.com/pool-report-on-chris-pauls-fifth-and-sixth-fouls-during-todays-phoenix-suns-at-dallas-mavericks-game/

Pool Report on Chris Paul’s Fifth and Sixth Fouls During Today’s Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks Game
May 8, 2022

The Pool Report interview was conducted by Tim MacMahon (ESPN) with Crew Chief Kane Fitzgerald following tonight’s Suns and Mavericks game.



QUESTION: What was explanation for the fifth foul called on Chris Paul and the Suns unsuccessful challenge?

FITZGERALD: Chris Paul veers into the path of the defender without giving him the opportunity to avoid contact so that is why it is an offensive foul.



QUESTION: What is the explanation for the sixth foul called on Chris Paul?

FITZGERALD: As Brunson jumps to get the rebound Chris Paul grabs his right wrist causing him to lose his balance in the air and fall backwards.

The 6th foul although technically was a foul it was a pretty weak call to be honest because the consistency of the calls is not equal for both teams.

Anyway a HUGE factor in this game was that Paul was in constant foul trouble and Payne is having yet another horrible series and should definitely be played less games in game 5 and 6 than he did in game 4.

Hopefully the Suns clean up the sloppy turnovers and don't let bad calls get to them, also need to have Bridges and Ayton attack the rim more as I think both need to be involved in the offense. Ayton in particular needs to do a better job of making his moves quicker because it seemed like he held the ball a second too long allowing defenses to double and triple team him and poke the ball away from him.

How does one veer into someone that's trailing him. Such a **** call and explanation. Donnaghy level bull from the league on that call.

[RunDogGun]

I feel for you guys. Trust me, i know what a rigged game and series feels like. They want their precious Luka in the finals

Honestly, I would like to see the league bend over backwards trying to decide if they want GS or Luka in the finals. The league has at least gotten help from Monty and his slow responses to change. Kerr isn't going to give them that help.

But yeah, that Lakers series you guys had a long while back was just insanely one sided.

[suns12345]

https://official.nba.com/pool-report-on-chris-pauls-fifth-and-sixth-fouls-during-todays-phoenix-suns-at-dallas-mavericks-game/

Pool Report on Chris Paul’s Fifth and Sixth Fouls During Today’s Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks Game
May 8, 2022

The Pool Report interview was conducted by Tim MacMahon (ESPN) with Crew Chief Kane Fitzgerald following tonight’s Suns and Mavericks game.



QUESTION: What was explanation for the fifth foul called on Chris Paul and the Suns unsuccessful challenge?

FITZGERALD: Chris Paul veers into the path of the defender without giving him the opportunity to avoid contact so that is why it is an offensive foul.



QUESTION: What is the explanation for the sixth foul called on Chris Paul?

FITZGERALD: As Brunson jumps to get the rebound Chris Paul grabs his right wrist causing him to lose his balance in the air and fall backwards.

The 6th foul although technically was a foul it was a pretty weak call to be honest because the consistency of the calls is not equal for both teams.

Anyway a HUGE factor in this game was that Paul was in constant foul trouble and Payne is having yet another horrible series and should definitely be played less games in game 5 and 6 than he did in game 4.

Hopefully the Suns clean up the sloppy turnovers and don't let bad calls get to them, also need to have Bridges and Ayton attack the rim more as I think both need to be involved in the offense. Ayton in particular needs to do a better job of making his moves quicker because it seemed like he held the ball a second too long allowing defenses to double and triple team him and poke the ball away from him.

How does one veer into someone that's trailing him. Such a **** call and explanation. Donnaghy level bull from the league on that call.

I hate complaining about refereeing being biased - it rarely is, but I love complaining about this sort of nonsense justifying their calls.

"grabs his right wrist causing him to lose his balance" - no, technically it was a foul, but it was a ticky tack tap on the wrist, he didn't pull him off balance.

and worse yet, "Chris Paul veers into the path of the defender without giving him the opportunity to avoid contact - no, he did not veer, he started dribbling to the middle of the court as any PG would do, and it was certainly to the typical dribble in front of someone and stop, CP3 never stopped, their paths collided, after CP3 had beat brunson's to the advantageous spot in the middle of the floor. Also suggesting brunson had no chance to stop is ridiculous. Any other context on the court and this is a no-call at worst.

Anyway, it's not as if CP3 hasn't drawn fouls in a similar manner, i get that they're called. But I hate how they justify their terrible calls post game.

[garrick]

I feel for you guys. Trust me, i know what a rigged game and series feels like. They want their precious Luka in the finals

Honestly, I would like to see the league bend over backwards trying to decide if they want GS or Luka in the finals. The league has at least gotten help from Monty and his slow responses to change. Kerr isn't going to give them that help.

But yeah, that Lakers series you guys had a long while back was just insanely one sided.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2686760-referees-allege-nba-is-allowing-mark-cuban-to-hold-power-over-them-with-threats

I wonder if Mark Cuban's incessant criticism of the refs have led for them to be fearful of him and make sure they call the games "fairly" for Luka?

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has reportedly drawn the ire of the National Basketball Referees Association, which alleged he has attempted to gain an edge by directing "threats and intimidation" toward officials, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday.

This article is from 2017 but there are more recent cases where he's blasted the refs for crappy reffing.

Specifically, Wojnarowski reported NBRA general counsel Lee Seham penned a letter to NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell alleging Cuban has violated the league's constitution by exercising "undue influence of the league's management of its officials."

Seham added the following, per Wojnarowski: "We consider the threat to the integrity of NBA basketball presented by Mr. Cuban's misconduct to be real and growing."

[garrick]

I feel for you guys. Trust me, i know what a rigged game and series feels like. They want their precious Luka in the finals

Honestly, I would like to see the league bend over backwards trying to decide if they want GS or Luka in the finals. The league has at least gotten help from Monty and his slow responses to change. Kerr isn't going to give them that help.

But yeah, that Lakers series you guys had a long while back was just insanely one sided.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2686760-referees-allege-nba-is-allowing-mark-cuban-to-hold-power-over-them-with-threats

I wonder if Mark Cuban's incessant criticism of the refs have led for them to be fearful of him and make sure they call the games "fairly" for Luka?

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has reportedly drawn the ire of the National Basketball Referees Association, which alleged he has attempted to gain an edge by directing "threats and intimidation" toward officials, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday.

Specifically, Wojnarowski reported NBRA general counsel Lee Seham penned a letter to NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell alleging Cuban has violated the league's constitution by exercising "undue influence of the league's management of its officials."

Seham added the following, per Wojnarowski: "We consider the threat to the integrity of NBA basketball presented by Mr. Cuban's misconduct to be real and growing."

[RaisingArizona]

https://official.nba.com/pool-report-on-chris-pauls-fifth-and-sixth-fouls-during-todays-phoenix-suns-at-dallas-mavericks-game/



The 6th foul although technically was a foul it was a pretty weak call to be honest because the consistency of the calls is not equal for both teams.

Anyway a HUGE factor in this game was that Paul was in constant foul trouble and Payne is having yet another horrible series and should definitely be played less games in game 5 and 6 than he did in game 4.

Hopefully the Suns clean up the sloppy turnovers and don't let bad calls get to them, also need to have Bridges and Ayton attack the rim more as I think both need to be involved in the offense. Ayton in particular needs to do a better job of making his moves quicker because it seemed like he held the ball a second too long allowing defenses to double and triple team him and poke the ball away from him.

How does one veer into someone that's trailing him. Such a **** call and explanation. Donnaghy level bull from the league on that call.

I hate complaining about refereeing being biased - it rarely is, but I love complaining about this sort of nonsense justifying their calls.

"grabs his right wrist causing him to lose his balance" - no, technically it was a foul, but it was a ticky tack tap on the wrist, he didn't pull him off balance.

and worse yet, "Chris Paul veers into the path of the defender without giving him the opportunity to avoid contact - no, he did not veer, he started dribbling to the middle of the court as any PG would do, and it was certainly to the typical dribble in front of someone and stop, CP3 never stopped, their paths collided, after CP3 had beat brunson's to the advantageous spot in the middle of the floor. Also suggesting brunson had no chance to stop is ridiculous. Any other context on the court and this is a no-call at worst.

Anyway, it's not as if CP3 hasn't drawn fouls in a similar manner, i get that they're called. But I hate how they justify their terrible calls post game.

Agreed with all your points. I don't like complaining about refs either but this is just next level stuff. We dealt with this kind of stuff 15 years ago too.

[RedIndian]

I'm not disappointed in the result itself as I think we still win the series, but it's a reality check that we are nowhere near championship level, better at 2-0 against Dallas then 0-3 against GSW.

I always thought we were capable, though I didn't necessarily expect, us to win the championship.

That being said, last year the Clippers series went 6, and we BARELY won game 2 at the buzzer.
k
This Mavs team is similar to the Clippers team. One star with a bunch of role players.

The Mavs had a crazy good shooting night.

It sucks that Payne is not what he was last year, but the depth of our bigs is better. We just need our 4 non big starters and Cam to almost get all the other minutes....have Book or Paul in all the time and Book run point when he is in there. If Payne or Shamet get a few minutes and get hot somehow, fine, let them have some run, but don't rely on them for many minutes if at all possible.

I think our 7 players (starters, Cam, McGee) can compete with anyone. Bridges and Book can play almost the whole game. CP3, Crowder and Ayton will need rest. Cam can play a lot of minutes too.

I don't expect to beat a team like the Warriors, Celtics or Bucks but certainly think we can when we are on our game. If we somehow got to the finals and got Philly or even Miami, I think we'd probably have an easier time than any of those others. Grizzlies would be tough if they somehow get by the Warriors.

I don't know if we will get by Dallas, but I expect we do. 538 still has us with the highest odds to win it all. All of our series in the last 2 years have gone 6 except the injury depleted Nuggets.

The reality check is that we're basically 6 deep. Ensemble casts without a top 5 player CAN win a championship, but they need to be 8-9 deep and consistently play hard.

What has been confirmed through these playoffs (which frankly could be seen during the regular season as well) is that our 7th and 8th guys (Payne and McGee) are basically garbage now.

Payne's regression is beyond painful, and McGee is well, at best, a regular season guy. He is constantly a liability on defense, and I'm not sure why Monty doesn't go to either Biyombo or Ish Wainwright.

Our top 6 is still excellent though, and if they play absolutely out of their skin, there's a chance we're still a contender.
Like you said though, I'd marginally favour the Warriors, Celtics or Bucks to beat us.

This is actually an indictment of James Jones more than anyone else. The roster holes have been there to see for a couple of years. He botched the draft in 2020 badly, did nothing in FA, made a very strange decision in trading for Shamet and giving him a ludicrous extension, and then stood by and did nothing at the trade deadline.

[garrick]

https://official.nba.com/pool-report-on-chris-pauls-fifth-and-sixth-fouls-during-todays-phoenix-suns-at-dallas-mavericks-game/

Pool Report on Chris Paul’s Fifth and Sixth Fouls During Today’s Phoenix Suns at Dallas Mavericks Game
May 8, 2022

The Pool Report interview was conducted by Tim MacMahon (ESPN) with Crew Chief Kane Fitzgerald following tonight’s Suns and Mavericks game.



QUESTION: What was explanation for the fifth foul called on Chris Paul and the Suns unsuccessful challenge?

FITZGERALD: Chris Paul veers into the path of the defender without giving him the opportunity to avoid contact so that is why it is an offensive foul.



QUESTION: What is the explanation for the sixth foul called on Chris Paul?

FITZGERALD: As Brunson jumps to get the rebound Chris Paul grabs his right wrist causing him to lose his balance in the air and fall backwards.

The 6th foul although technically was a foul it was a pretty weak call to be honest because the consistency of the calls is not equal for both teams.

Anyway a HUGE factor in this game was that Paul was in constant foul trouble and Payne is having yet another horrible series and should definitely be played less games in game 5 and 6 than he did in game 4.

Hopefully the Suns clean up the sloppy turnovers and don't let bad calls get to them, also need to have Bridges and Ayton attack the rim more as I think both need to be involved in the offense. Ayton in particular needs to do a better job of making his moves quicker because it seemed like he held the ball a second too long allowing defenses to double and triple team him and poke the ball away from him.

How does one veer into someone that's trailing him. Such a **** call and explanation. Donnaghy level bull from the league on that call.

Yeah that's an odd one because James Harden back with the Rockets did the very same thing where he abruptly stops and the defender ends up jumping on his back and gets the foul called against the defender. I remember the basketball experts were saying that was the correct call, speaking of which we should find Ronnie Nunn and have him give his takes on NBA reffing these days.

He used to do it back in the day when the league was looking at inconsistent calls.

[RunDogGun]

I feel for you guys. Trust me, i know what a rigged game and series feels like. They want their precious Luka in the finals

Honestly, I would like to see the league bend over backwards trying to decide if they want GS or Luka in the finals. The league has at least gotten help from Monty and his slow responses to change. Kerr isn't going to give them that help.

But yeah, that Lakers series you guys had a long while back was just insanely one sided.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2686760-referees-allege-nba-is-allowing-mark-cuban-to-hold-power-over-them-with-threats

I wonder if Mark Cuban's incessant criticism of the refs have led for them to be fearful of him and make sure they call the games "fairly" for Luka?

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has reportedly drawn the ire of the National Basketball Referees Association, which alleged he has attempted to gain an edge by directing "threats and intimidation" toward officials, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday.

This article is from 2017 but there are more recent cases where he's blasted the refs for crappy reffing.

Specifically, Wojnarowski reported NBRA general counsel Lee Seham penned a letter to NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell alleging Cuban has violated the league's constitution by exercising "undue influence of the league's management of its officials."

Seham added the following, per Wojnarowski: "We consider the threat to the integrity of NBA basketball presented by Mr. Cuban's misconduct to be real and growing."

It is an entertainment business. The league will get what they want unless the Suns start playing like the dominating team they were during the season. As of now they are just taking what they are given, and the last two games they were given a one sided affair. Dallas is good enough to take advantage of that one sidedness.

[RaisingArizona]

I'm not disappointed in the result itself as I think we still win the series, but it's a reality check that we are nowhere near championship level, better at 2-0 against Dallas then 0-3 against GSW.

I always thought we were capable, though I didn't necessarily expect, us to win the championship.

That being said, last year the Clippers series went 6, and we BARELY won game 2 at the buzzer.
k
This Mavs team is similar to the Clippers team. One star with a bunch of role players.

The Mavs had a crazy good shooting night.

It sucks that Payne is not what he was last year, but the depth of our bigs is better. We just need our 4 non big starters and Cam to almost get all the other minutes....have Book or Paul in all the time and Book run point when he is in there. If Payne or Shamet get a few minutes and get hot somehow, fine, let them have some run, but don't rely on them for many minutes if at all possible.

I think our 7 players (starters, Cam, McGee) can compete with anyone. Bridges and Book can play almost the whole game. CP3, Crowder and Ayton will need rest. Cam can play a lot of minutes too.

I don't expect to beat a team like the Warriors, Celtics or Bucks but certainly think we can when we are on our game. If we somehow got to the finals and got Philly or even Miami, I think we'd probably have an easier time than any of those others. Grizzlies would be tough if they somehow get by the Warriors.

I don't know if we will get by Dallas, but I expect we do. 538 still has us with the highest odds to win it all. All of our series in the last 2 years have gone 6 except the injury depleted Nuggets.

The reality check is that we're basically 6 deep. Ensemble casts without a top 5 player CAN win a championship, but they need to be 8-9 deep and consistently play hard.

What has been confirmed through these playoffs (which frankly could be seen during the regular season as well) is that our 7th and 8th guys (Payne and McGee) are basically garbage now.

Payne's regression is beyond painful, and McGee is well, at best, a regular season guy. He is constantly a liability on defense, and I'm not sure why Monty doesn't go to either Biyombo or Ish Wainwright.

Our top 6 is still excellent though, and if they play absolutely out of their skin, there's a chance we're still a contender.
Like you said though, I'd marginally favour the Warriors, Celtics or Bucks to beat us.

This is actually an indictment of James Jones more than anyone else. The roster holes have been there to see for a couple of years. He botched the draft in 2020 badly, did nothing in FA, made a very strange decision in trading for Shamet and giving him a ludicrous extension, and then stood by and did nothing at the trade deadline.

This sums it up nicely. The currently constructed team isn't that deep. They need superstar type games from CP3, Book, Bridges and Ayton to win. There's no one outside of those 4 who is capable of carrying this team for more than a stretch or two. Crowder and Cam Jo have for a few games here and there but not consistently at all.

[Jdiddy701]

Might just be me but I feel a hell a lot better being 2-2 with the Mavericks than when we were in the same situation with the Pelicans. We did not match up well against the Pelicans and thought they had the better star players in the series (with Booker out).

With the Mavericks, we’re beating ourselves. Stay home to shooters and do not help out with Luka and I think we’re fine. Two back to back uncharacteristic Chris Paul games. I expect him to play well the rest of the series. Had Suns in 5, series could go 7 but I got Suns in the next two games. I believe in Book, CP3 and Monty. No reason for us to panic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RunDogGun]

This sums it up nicely. The currently constructed team isn't that deep. They need superstar type games from CP3, Book, Bridges and Ayton to win. There's no one outside of those 6 who is capable of carrying this team for more than a stretch or two.

I don't know though. I have seen our deep bench play really well together at times. A lot of those guys are hungry still. When Holiday got those three minutes at the end of the game In the Pels series, he came out like gang busters. When both Ayton and McGee were in foul trouble, Biz came in and found huge chemistry with Bridges, and with defensive hustle, really sparked our team. I still really like Craig as well, even though he hasn't shot nearly as well this year, which has hindered his confidence, and then later refusing to take shots. But he at least gets out on those shooters, giving himself a much better chance of hitting the ball before the shooter can get into form.

When we play as a team, I think we can beat anyone, and if the bench is used correctly, can spark the others, and then we just keep feeding off that. But we aren't doing that. We are playing scared, slacking and hedging on defense. We are too worried about Luka. But if the Suns don't start giving guys built for this chippy play, they will have to hope that CP3 can bail them out, or hope the refs haven't already decided to take him out of the equation. Lastly, Monty needs to start coaching with some emotion, and sole desire to win the ballgame, not placate egos or worrying about feelings.

[RunDogGun]

Funny, Holiday gets 2 minutes, gets 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 points on 1-1 shooting. His per 36 is just insane. I would love to hear an interview with him after the post season.