2021 Playoff and Offseason Speculation - the playoffs. PLAYOFFS????

[Ghost of Kleine]

Alex Fontenot (@AlexFon25) Tweeted:
@esidery Jazz only because PG completely hates us and turns up against us. Can't have that and playoff Kawhi going off

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Which team would/ should we choose to play in the conference finals? I mean the Clippers have Ibaka out for the season now with back surgery, Also they don't currently have dominant frontcourt bigs. However they do still have Kwahi and George, Who seem to really get motivated whenever they play us!

And Utah currently has Mike Conley with hamstring issues. But they're pretty deep as well with their shooting and Clarkson's6th man scoring bolstering their bench, Also, they now have Mitchell back, And of course have a much stronger frontcourt with Favors and Gobert (who seems to really give Ayton trouble).

Currently, I for my part would lean towards Utah, Despite the potential frontcourt issues that Gobert and Favors might bring against us. And how well their scoring ( with Mitchell and Clarkson) might match up against us. I just think that we have evolved into a much better and more poised team. And that we can push the pace better ( if we choose) to not allow Utah to get their frontcourt defense set. Lastly, I think that Craig, Crowder and Bridges could do an admirable job of defending their perimeter shooters during the series.

Although with the Clippers having Ibaka out. We could have a more dominant frontcourt, AND the homecourt advantage as well.

[Barkley6]

I fully expect Paul to get more rest during games next season. The chemistry is currently there and if we can draft a PG who has high upside, you go for that and hope we can develop him.

Now, if we win the title this season, while I don't think Paul leaves, you can talk about your options.
But, more likely, he'll re-sign for the 3 years (total) and ride this out to see if he can nab another title or 2. He knows he may never find another group of players like this who he seems to get along great with (along with competing at least)

If we win it all this year, 100% CP3 stays. We become the top FA destination in the league. Phoenix is ALREADY an attractive spot to most NBA free agents, then you add defending champs to that resume? We'll be replacing Kaminsky and Galloway with Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose.

[Barkley6]

Don't flame me but purely a thought experiment

How far do we go with Dame instead of CP3?

How far do we go with Dame instead of Book?

IMO...

Farther with CP3 than with Dame.

CP3/Book === CP3/Dame

Yeah, I think this is about right. I would say Dame over Book as a player however Book as more size and more importantly, I think he is finally adjusting his game after watching and listening to CP3 to get others involved, move the ball around a little more and pick his spots, so in my mind I think he has taken a huge step forward in these playoffs, especially the last 5 games or so as he has really trusted his teammates, his chemistry with others is taking a big leap, especially with Ayton and when he was on fire, he rode it in that game against the Lakers.

I think it's just really balanced our team and I think he is getting better at evaluating the defense and if teams trap him or are about to, he makes them pay by moving it as opposed to trying to dribble through it all the time or take too big of a load on himself. Teams knew they could do that because of his tendencies and force turnovers, and while he still does have quite a few turnovers on occasion, I think he's on the road to cut those down. It really will be interesting to see what it is like post Paul but if we have him another 2 or 3 years I think everyone on the team will really keep growing since they all still have upside and by the time he's gone, they will have learned all they can from him and know what it takes to really elevate as a complete team.

So given where we are headed down the road, I take Book over Lillard, even though maybe Lillard is the better player right now and would have made the team better earlier...now I'd say it's equal and there is no need to tinker with it now and I think Book surpasses him in time, likely very soon.

I wish I remembered when in the game it was, sometime in the 2nd half, but Denver had gone on a little 6-0 run and CP3 was on the bench and Book came down and got off a little 10 foot jumper to stop the run and calm the Suns down and I was like that was SUCH a Chris Paul thing to do.

His impact on this young team is incredible

[Barkley6]

Alex Fontenot (@AlexFon25) Tweeted:
@esidery Jazz only because PG completely hates us and turns up against us. Can't have that and playoff Kawhi going off

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Which team would/ should we choose to play in the conference finals? I mean the Clippers have Ibaka out for the season now with back surgery, Also they don't currently have dominant frontcourt bigs. However they do still have Kwahi and George, Who seem to really get motivated whenever they play us!

And Utah currently has Mike Conley with hamstring issues. But they're pretty deep as well with their shooting and Clarkson's6th man scoring bolstering their bench, Also, they now have Mitchell back, And of course have a much stronger frontcourt with Favors and Gobert (who seems to really give Ayton trouble).

Currently, I think that I'd lean more towards the Clippers at this point though despite George and Kwahi, As I think Aytons' frontcourt dominance will be a huge swing factor in the next series. Also, I don't believe that the Clippers shooting will hold against us. But all things considered, Which team would you better like our chances against, And why?

We've had a lot of regular season success against Utah, so that makes me lean towards preferring them as the matchup, because the Clippers gave us fits in the regular season.

However, we wouldn't have home court against Utah and I do think that's been a big factor for us during these playoffs. And I think Monty is a much better coach than Lue, whereas Snyder is a very good coach.

I think we beat Utah and advance in 6 or 7, but I worry about beating the Clippers. Kawhi and PGIII are going to get star treatment. I also think the league might think that a Kawhi, PGIII vs Durant, Harden, Kyrie Finals is more marketable and gives us some Scott Foster games. I also think the Clippers have some guys on their roster that will just do some dirty **** to try to injure CP3 or Book, whereas I don't expect that from Utah.

All that said, I think we CAN beat both teams, but I don't know that I have a preference other than their series goes 7 and players are worn down by the time they face us.

[NapoleonII]

I was leaning Utah for reasons mentioned here, I think we slightly matchup better against them, PG goes insane against us, and Kawhi is a top 5 player when he's on.

Now?

I want the Clippers. Home court. And this team isn't scared of anyone. Chris Paul would also drop 25/10 a couple of times against his former franchise.

Ayton would alter everything and dominate Zubac.

[Saberestar]

I was leaning Utah for reasons mentioned here, I think we slightly matchup better against them, PG goes insane against us, and Kawhi is a top 5 player when he's on.

Now?

I want the Clippers. Home court. And this team isn't scared of anyone. Chris Paul would also drop 25/10 a couple of times against his former franchise.

Ayton would alter everything and dominate Zubac.

Clippers is the worst matchup for us. They switch everything and CP3/Book would not score from the mid-range as easy as they were scoring against the Lakers (Gasol/Drummond/Harrell) or for now against the Nuggets (MPJ, Jokic, Millsap).

The Clippes play Batum at C and he is a big problem at that position. He is 6'9 with a 7'1 wingspan and stretches the floor, can put the ball on the floor and is a very good passer. Ayton would have a lot of problems against him, do not expect Zubac to play more than 10 mpg.

If we play the Jazz we will exploit our pick&roll against Gobert or Favors. CP3 and Booker will destroy them and they would have a lot of problems trying to hide these two big guys.

[Mulhollanddrive]

3-0 against Utah

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

It would be just too weird, after all those years where MVSteve's teams came up short, to have CP3 bring us our first championship. It's also weird to consider that, as a result, Sarver will have to pay the luxury tax every year post-2022 to keep this group together. This core is crazy young, so we're talking like a decade of lux tax payments. I hope Sarver's ready for it.

No Michael, no Duncan left in this year's playoffs since we dethroned the King in Round 1, so the door for us to win it is open. I don't fear the Bucks or Sixers, though I do think we could lose to the Jazz and to a lesser extent the Clippers.

The Nets are the only team I fear. They move the ball like we do and shoot it even better. They have two best offensive players remaining in the playoffs if The Beard can get healthy. They have good wing defenders and great depth: they may even have Dinwiddie back for the Finals. We have an advantage at center, but Jordan and Griffin could give Ayton some trouble. If they start Durant at center, no one guards Ayton, but who does Ayton guard? I like Ayton switching onto almost any small in a P&R, but the Nets have two players - Irving and Harden - I would not want him switched onto. Especially Harden. That guy is kryptonite for a guy like Ayton.

[NapoleonII]

I was leaning Utah for reasons mentioned here, I think we slightly matchup better against them, PG goes insane against us, and Kawhi is a top 5 player when he's on.

Now?

I want the Clippers. Home court. And this team isn't scared of anyone. Chris Paul would also drop 25/10 a couple of times against his former franchise.

Ayton would alter everything and dominate Zubac.

Clippers is the worst matchup for us. They switch everything and CP3/Book would not score from the mid-range as easy as they were scoring against the Lakers (Gasol/Drummond/Harrell) or for now against the Nuggets (MPJ, Jokic, Millsap).

The Clippes play Batum at C and he is a big problem at that position. He is 6'9 with a 7'1 wingspan and stretches the floor, can put the ball on the floor and is a very good passer. Ayton would have a lot of problems against him, do not expect Zubac to play more than 10 mpg.

If we play the Jazz we will exploit our pick&roll against Gobert or Favors. CP3 and Booker will destroy them and they would have a lot of problems trying to hide these two big guys.

Okay, a lot of good points here, and you've changed my mind in wanting Utah. I think we have about a 60% chance against Utah and a 55% chance against LAC even without Ibaka.

But I don't think Ayton would struggle against Batum because he's mobile enough to cover the 3 point shot and we aren't depending on Ayton creating offense. If anything Ayton wins that match-up because his rebounding would be a game changer if they try to play a 6'8 32 year old on him.

Our offense can't be shut down by switching, not with the amount of hand-offs and pin-downs and very good slashing/rotating and a deadly 1 on 1 player like Book. I do agree tho that our p&r would carve up Utah whereas Kawhi and company probably defend that better.

I just think if we can't beat the Clips, we aren't getting a game off the Nets, period. The Clippers bring good defense and great shooting, but lack rebounding and playmaking. The Jazz are kind of like us - they can alter shots at the rim and defend the 3 really well, have good playmaking and get hot from 3 really fast.

Either way, I like our chances.

[dremill24]

I'd rather play Utah. They have one guy we cant guard whereas the Clipps have two.

[bwgood77]

I'd rather have Utah. Kawhi has been finals MVP twice and was crazy in the playoffs...and he kind of creates the same feeling this year. They can be down 2-0 after 2 home games to Dallas, down again 3-2, then come back to win. He just kind of seems to will them to win.

Plus, every team they have faced is shooting like crazy. I bet over half of their playoff games so far they have had to overcome or try to overcome the opponent shooting near or more than 50% from 3, which is always almost impossible to beat.

George is playing big as of late. Huge game last night...played well in the previous one.

Mitchell is playing incredible and Utah shooting well but for whatever reason they don't scare me nearly as much...even with the home court difference. And Utah has a great defense, but it is mainly because of Gobert. The Clips actually had the best offense this year and were the best 3 pt shooting team and didn't have a great defense but you know they have two of the best defenders in the NBA, and Kawhi may be the best one..or top 3. Our crafty guards with their midrange and our 3 pt shooting really kind of eliminates to a large extent Gobert's effectiveness because we don't score a ton of points at the rim.

Brooklyn is a different kind of beast and we'd have to be on fire from 3 and play great D, get all loose balls to win. And limit the trips to the line. Especially Harden.

[Frank Lee]

No point to wish for either opponent.. both are difficult. Had to expect playing one of them. I think the only difference will be home court. Clips won’t have the raucous crowd, the altitude, and the extra game. That extra home game trumps all the match up talk.

[RunDogGun]

I don't care who we face, both will be really tough. We won both away games in high altitude, so I am not too concerned about that. I just hope they(LAC/Utah) go seven games, and neither team with a two game win streak. If we play as a team, and we are hitting our shots, I think we can beat anyone.

[sunskerr]

You know a lot of us Suns fans were joking in the season that it would suck if it came down to the Suns vs Nets in the finals. And now that it could actually happen, you realize that it really would suck. Nash is Nash - he is ALWAYS gonna be perhaps the most beloved figure in Suns history (unless this team wins a ring).

I can't actually picture him as the enemy. Sports is sports so nobody is ever truly an "enemy", even your most hated rival (ok, Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry cross that line). If we win against the Nets I'd obviously be as happy as beating any other team, but I won't lie that when I saw Kyrie go down (my own favorite player, to be honest), I was somewhat relieved (even though you should never say that in such a context) that there is a chance that we don't have to face the Nets in the finals. It also helps a little that the Nets when healthy are just insanely good, so it increases our own chances of winning. Again, I apologize for that, but that's just how I feel about it.

So if the worst best case scenario happens and we have to play the Nets and win, I would feel amazed that the Suns finally won a ring and yet shattered for Nash at the same time. If we lost, it would be more bitter sweet, as I'd be super happy for Nash and D'Antoni to finally get a ring but at the expense of this team that I've watched suck for so long.

[thamadkant]

Suns matches up better with Jazz. Its system vs system oriented team, but Suns have more athleticism at the wings. Also Suns tactic of allowing Gobert be a scorer as Ayton is drawn out to guard shooters and mid-range disrupts what Jazz wants to do.... and that is shoot 3s.

[AtheJ415]

With how bad George has been, especially defensively, Clippers are easier imo. They lack quality bigs and our guard play is drastically better.

[Slim Charless]

CP is really really old, 3 more years? look at how much lebron has declined this year compared to last, when you are 36 you age differently than a 26 yo, one year is like 10 to your body. CP is a lot more injury prone and has just as many mileages as lebron. Nash's last productive year was at 36 in 2010.

Well, hell Booker is almost 25. Why stop there, let's get ahead of that one too and trade him while he still has value. The Rockets have a ton of picks maybe they'll give some up to get Book on their team....amiright?

come on we almost lost to the lakers when CP just out of no where injured his shoulder from the most benign little bump and you want to invest that much money on an old injury prone player like him? with old players we never know decline can come real fast, jim jackson was a dragon for us at 34 few months later he sucked azz. selling high, sign and trade CP to NY see what we can get back is the right move, now we know we have a good team with a good point guard we go find that pg that will be around for years to come.

Paul scored 37 points on 14-for-19 shooting in the Game 4 closeout, capping off a series nothing short of magnificent. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer finished the series averaging 25.5 points on 61.8% shooting, 58% from 3, 100% from the free throw line, plus an absurd 41-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31628353/chris-paul-leads-phoenix-suns-first-playoff-sweep-career-western-conference-finals?platform=amp

Love all my fellow fans but I hope we're still not trying to trade him.

[Barkley6]

It would be just too weird, after all those years where MVSteve's teams came up short, to have CP3 bring us our first championship. It's also weird to consider that, as a result, Sarver will have to pay the luxury tax every year post-2022 to keep this group together. This core is crazy young, so we're talking like a decade of lux tax payments. I hope Sarver's ready for it.

No Michael, no Duncan left in this year's playoffs since we dethroned the King in Round 1, so the door for us to win it is open. I don't fear the Bucks or Sixers, though I do think we could lose to the Jazz and to a lesser extent the Clippers.

The Nets are the only team I fear. They move the ball like we do and shoot it even better. They have two best offensive players remaining in the playoffs if The Beard can get healthy. They have good wing defenders and great depth: they may even have Dinwiddie back for the Finals. We have an advantage at center, but Jordan and Griffin could give Ayton some trouble. If they start Durant at center, no one guards Ayton, but who does Ayton guard? I like Ayton switching onto almost any small in a P&R, but the Nets have two players - Irving and Harden - I would not want him switched onto. Especially Harden. That guy is kryptonite for a guy like Ayton.

Brooklyn has to get by Milwaukee first. Doesn't look like Kyrie is going to be back for that series, and who knows when Harden returns? That's the biggest issue with sinking all your cap into 3 superstars, when they go down you have to give big minutes to guys like Mike James and Tyler Johnson. As a team that's done that in the relatively recent past, we can talk about how that usually goes.

I agree Brooklyn ay full strength is a scary team, but i'm starting to question if they will ever be at full strength for an extended run.

[Barkley6]

I was leaning Utah for reasons mentioned here, I think we slightly matchup better against them, PG goes insane against us, and Kawhi is a top 5 player when he's on.

Now?

I want the Clippers. Home court. And this team isn't scared of anyone. Chris Paul would also drop 25/10 a couple of times against his former franchise.

Ayton would alter everything and dominate Zubac.

Clippers is the worst matchup for us. They switch everything and CP3/Book would not score from the mid-range as easy as they were scoring against the Lakers (Gasol/Drummond/Harrell) or for now against the Nuggets (MPJ, Jokic, Millsap).

The Clippes play Batum at C and he is a big problem at that position. He is 6'9 with a 7'1 wingspan and stretches the floor, can put the ball on the floor and is a very good passer. Ayton would have a lot of problems against him, do not expect Zubac to play more than 10 mpg.

If we play the Jazz we will exploit our pick&roll against Gobert or Favors. CP3 and Booker will destroy them and they would have a lot of problems trying to hide these two big guys.

Okay, a lot of good points here, and you've changed my mind in wanting Utah. I think we have about a 60% chance against Utah and a 55% chance against LAC even without Ibaka.

But I don't think Ayton would struggle against Batum because he's mobile enough to cover the 3 point shot and we aren't depending on Ayton creating offense. If anything Ayton wins that match-up because his rebounding would be a game changer if they try to play a 6'8 32 year old on him.

Our offense can't be shut down by switching, not with the amount of hand-offs and pin-downs and very good slashing/rotating and a deadly 1 on 1 player like Book. I do agree tho that our p&r would carve up Utah whereas Kawhi and company probably defend that better.

I just think if we can't beat the Clips, we aren't getting a game off the Nets, period. The Clippers bring good defense and great shooting, but lack rebounding and playmaking. The Jazz are kind of like us - they can alter shots at the rim and defend the 3 really well, have good playmaking and get hot from 3 really fast.

Either way, I like our chances.

I think the Clippers comes down to which team's role players play better. But something else to consider, Kawhi and PG are the teams best perimeter defenders. However, they are also the teams primary scorers. If they are chasing Book and Paul around on defense, do they have the energy to get theirs on the other side? Additionally, we have two primary ball handlers that play a lot of minutes together, unlike Dallas with Luka. I don't know how often Clarkson and Mitchell play together for Utah, but those are minutes when both of their primary wing defenders (and primary scorers) need to be engaged on defense. We have the luxury of having Bridges and Crowder do the chasing on defense and only really need to hit a few spot of up shots on the other side. That said, if we get good consistent games out of Ayton, Dario, Johnson and Payne I think we beat the Clips. They don't really have the depth to hang with our depth. Beverly, Kennard, Mann, Zubac don't really scare me much. Also worth noting, the Clips will have played the most playoff games of anyone if they get through because their first round series went 7, and this one seems likely to go at least 6. Does fatigue set in? Do injuries become an issue? We saw that same thing happen in 2006, where we had a 7 game first and second round series and we were beat up by the time we got to the conference finals. Raja Bell missed two games because of a calf injury and Kurt Thomas played 6 minutes in that series.

I do think we'd have an easier time just playing our basketball and not worrying too much about matchups and lineups against Utah. The Clippers will be more of a chess match the way the Lakers series was, whereas I think Utah will be more like the Nuggets series where it just comes down to executing what we do well.

That said, there is no way either series is shorter than 6 games. Both are very good teams and will be tough to beat.

[BobbieL]

I fully expect Paul to get more rest during games next season. The chemistry is currently there and if we can draft a PG who has high upside, you go for that and hope we can develop him.

Now, if we win the title this season, while I don't think Paul leaves, you can talk about your options.
But, more likely, he'll re-sign for the 3 years (total) and ride this out to see if he can nab another title or 2. He knows he may never find another group of players like this who he seems to get along great with (along with competing at least)

If we win it all this year, 100% CP3 stays. We become the top FA destination in the league. Phoenix is ALREADY an attractive spot to most NBA free agents, then you add defending champs to that resume? We'll be replacing Kaminsky and Galloway with Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose.

Javale McGee perhaps to replace Frank K for the veteran minimum