NBA Finals: (2) Suns vs (3) Bucks, Part 1 | Suns lead 2-0

[Ballerhogger]

How do you know they would lose to the clippers or the lakers at full strength? denver?

The Suns are a better team than the lakers if injuries didnt occur.

The nets were a big let down. Durant and Harden couldnt get the job done. Couldnt even make it to the finals. bust

Lakers had 2-1 lead before AD got hurt. The nuggets would be toss up honestly and the clippers have Kawhi I don’t see crowder stopping him.

2-1 lead is fine.....

Does that prove that the lakers are better than the suns?

No.

It does not prove anything. I dont want to go back and fourth because this is an opinion and we all have one but the reality is no one can say who is better.

i just think its lame when fans think they know it all and literally have no clue. The suns were at the top of the standings mostly all year. How much proving do ya want ? beat the lakers 4-2 with a lebron lead team.......swept the nuggest with the mvp leading the nuggets... and beat the clippers 4-2 that had PG and a team with solid depth....(mavs took the clips 7 games with KL)

the suns are extremely young...everyone thought the pressure would be to much to handle....

There are good team there no doubt about it and will be top seed next year even if cp3 slows down . I look forward to watching them next year when all eyes are on them .

[Hello Brooklyn]

Suns are good team though the bucks don’t have big man like the Suns , don’t having scoring like the Suns. The East is much weaker then west still. Outside of a healthy Brooklyn there isn’t much competition for the west. Jazz , clippers , lakers , nuggets would all be ECF winners or finalist if they were healthy. The nets if healthy could maybe get to wcf but they would get killed down low

I agree with the East being weak outside of the Nets. I don't think the Suns are that good though.

They would lose to the Clippers or Lakers at full strength. Possibly Denver as well.

They are the 4th or 5th best team in the NBA, but got a lot of injury luck. I don't expect them to make it past the 2nd round next year.

But you can't blame them for playing who they could. Would be the 2nd best team in the East.

How do you know they would lose to the clippers or the lakers at full strength? denver?

The Suns are a better team than the lakers if injuries didnt occur.

The nets were a big let down. Durant and Harden couldnt get the job done. Couldnt even make it to the finals. bust

I don't know. Im speculating.

Suns looked done after Game 3. Then AD got hurt. They had a lot of trouble with the Clippers with no Kawhi.

Nets were only a let down health wise. Everyone knows the outcome if they were healthy. But idk why were talking about the Nets anyway.

[Woodsanity]

I wonder how salty you will be when the Bucks lose in 5 to the first healthy team they've faced since Round 1.

Don't shoot the messenger. Hes telling you the truth.

The Bucks lucked their way to the Finals and are getting exposed. If they were that good they would beat this Suns team.

Suns are good team though the bucks don’t have big man like the Suns , don’t having scoring like the Suns. The East is much weaker then west still. Outside of a healthy Brooklyn there isn’t much competition for the west. Jazz , clippers , lakers , nuggets would all be ECF winners or finalist if they were healthy. The nets if healthy could maybe get to wcf but they would get killed down low

I agree with the East being weak outside of the Nets. I don't think the Suns are that good though.

They would lose to the Clippers or Lakers at full strength. Possibly Denver as well.

They are the 4th or 5th best team in the NBA, but got a lot of injury luck. I don't expect them to make it past the 2nd round next year.

But you can't blame them for playing who they could. Would be the 2nd best team in the East.

Don't think its a foregone conclusion they would lose to either the Clippers or Lakers.
They beat the Lakers in game 1 then CP3 got hurt and could barely dribble the ball, so they are more than capable of beating a "healthy" Lakers team.
Anthony Davis played like 30 games this season, even 36 year old Chris Paul played 70 games. No excuses or pity for AD who is somehow more injury prone than an ancient Chris Paul, same for Lebron who had plenty of rest.

Clippers would have a slight advantage but if your saying Chris Paul is healthy too from the beginning I don't think the gap would be much at all and it could go either way. Chris Paul was very clearly limited for most of the series dealing from getting back into in game shape after covid protocol and dealing with torn ligaments. Also I am going to say it now Kawhi is a great player but also a bit of a ball stopper. Clippers still managed to win two in a row without Kawhi when they were struggling previously. Is Kawhi much more valuable to the Clippers than a 100% Chris Paul? Debatable. He is the better player but that doesn't always translate to making a bigger impact.

As for the Nuggets, no they would lose in 5 or 6 at best even with Murray. Murray does not fix their defensive flaws and Jokic was limited by Ayton.

[LV-Suns]

Lakers had 2-1 lead before AD got hurt. The nuggets would be toss up honestly and the clippers have Kawhi I don’t see crowder stopping him.

The Lakers had a 2-1 lead with CP3 hurt*
The Suns won game 1 in a blowout when when everyone was healthy.

Then lakers adjusted and won 2 games in row before the injury . Since it’s series adjustments were made , if the lakers are healthy next season I hope we can face the Suns agian .

The Lakers beat the Suns where Cam Payne was playing majority of minutes at PG and closing games. Chris Paul got hurt game 1.

[Hello Brooklyn]

Don't think its a foregone conclusion they would lose to either the Clippers or Lakers.
They beat the Lakers in game 1 then CP3 got hurt and could barely dribble the ball, so they are more than capable of beating a "healthy" Lakers team.
Anthony Davis played like 30 games this season, even 36 year old Chris Paul played 70 games. No excuses or pity for AD who is somehow more injury prone than an ancient Chris Paul, same for Lebron who had plenty of rest.

Clippers would have a slight advantage but if your saying Chris Paul is healthy too from the beginning I don't think the gap would be much at all and it could go either way. Chris Paul was very clearly limited for most of the series dealing from getting back into in game shape after covid protocol and dealing with torn ligaments. Also I am going to say it now Kawhi is a great player but also a bit of a ball stopper. Clippers still managed to win two in a row without Kawhi when they were struggling previously. Is Kawhi much more valuable to the Clippers than a 100% Chris Paul? Debatable. He is the better player but that doesn't always translate to making a bigger impact.

As for the Nuggets, no they would lose in 5 or 6 at best even with Murray. Murray does not fix their defensive flaws and Jokic was limited by Ayton.

Obviously its pure speculation and we have no way of proving it. I think its less obvious that the Lakers would beat the Suns than the Nets/Bucks series for example. Which clearly looked like it was decided by injuries.

Maybe the Suns do win. But I have a hard time believing the Suns could beat a healthy LeBron and AD. After Game 3 the series looked over to me. Like the Suns didn't have an answer defensively.

The Clippers one is harder to tell. But with the level Kawhi was playing at I just don't see the Suns being able to compete.

Chris Paul being healthy obviously makes the Suns better. But Paul is simply not as good of a player as Kawhi. So I don't see them making up that gap. Kawhi is essentially unstoppable offensively and the best defender in the league when engaged.

Nuggets, I mean I could be convinced either way. Its not just Murray being good its who hes replacing. The Nuggets basically had no guard play. But after being swept I think if I had to choose I would go with the Suns.

[Woodsanity]

Don't think its a foregone conclusion they would lose to either the Clippers or Lakers.
They beat the Lakers in game 1 then CP3 got hurt and could barely dribble the ball, so they are more than capable of beating a "healthy" Lakers team.
Anthony Davis played like 30 games this season, even 36 year old Chris Paul played 70 games. No excuses or pity for AD who is somehow more injury prone than an ancient Chris Paul, same for Lebron who had plenty of rest.

Clippers would have a slight advantage but if your saying Chris Paul is healthy too from the beginning I don't think the gap would be much at all and it could go either way. Chris Paul was very clearly limited for most of the series dealing from getting back into in game shape after covid protocol and dealing with torn ligaments. Also I am going to say it now Kawhi is a great player but also a bit of a ball stopper. Clippers still managed to win two in a row without Kawhi when they were struggling previously. Is Kawhi much more valuable to the Clippers than a 100% Chris Paul? Debatable. He is the better player but that doesn't always translate to making a bigger impact.

As for the Nuggets, no they would lose in 5 or 6 at best even with Murray. Murray does not fix their defensive flaws and Jokic was limited by Ayton.

Obviously its pure speculation and we have no way of proving it. I think its less obvious that the Lakers would beat the Suns than the Nets/Bucks series for example. Which clearly looked like it was decided by injuries.

Maybe the Suns do win. But I have a hard time believing the Suns could beat a healthy LeBron and AD. After Game 3 the series looked over to me. Like the Suns didn't have an answer defensively.

The Clippers one is harder to tell. But with the level Kawhi was playing at I just don't see the Suns being able to compete.

Chris Paul being healthy obviously makes the Suns better. But Paul is simply not as good of a player as Kawhi. So I don't see them making up that gap. Kawhi is essentially unstoppable offensively and the best defender in the league when engaged.

Nuggets, I mean I could be convinced either way. Its not just Murray being good its who hes replacing. The Nuggets basically had no guard play. But after being swept I think if I had to choose I would go with the Suns.

Problem is Lebron is starting to look old. How can you tell whether he is just very hurt or he is just declining? Also Anthony Davis like Embiid is just super injury prone maybe more than even CP3 so saying he will be healthy for sure is giving him an advantage he normally does not have. He was lucky last year because he had a huge break before the bubble.

I agree it would be close probably around 50/50 for the Lakers and a slight advantage to the Clippers. I think the Nuggets is a matchup nightmare to be frank since Ayton is one of the few bigs that can limit Jokic. And to me Murray is like a more inconsistent Booker, Suns overall have more talent.

[skones]

This series is going 7.

I dont see how you say this with any sort of confidence.

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Because I saw Milwaukee play great defense last night and get better shots while Phoenix made a lot of tough ones. I think the tide changes with Phoenix on the road and it goes back to Phoenix 2-2. Last night was NOT game 1.

[carrrnuttt]

Don't think its a foregone conclusion they would lose to either the Clippers or Lakers.
They beat the Lakers in game 1 then CP3 got hurt and could barely dribble the ball, so they are more than capable of beating a "healthy" Lakers team.
Anthony Davis played like 30 games this season, even 36 year old Chris Paul played 70 games. No excuses or pity for AD who is somehow more injury prone than an ancient Chris Paul, same for Lebron who had plenty of rest.

Clippers would have a slight advantage but if your saying Chris Paul is healthy too from the beginning I don't think the gap would be much at all and it could go either way. Chris Paul was very clearly limited for most of the series dealing from getting back into in game shape after covid protocol and dealing with torn ligaments. Also I am going to say it now Kawhi is a great player but also a bit of a ball stopper. Clippers still managed to win two in a row without Kawhi when they were struggling previously. Is Kawhi much more valuable to the Clippers than a 100% Chris Paul? Debatable. He is the better player but that doesn't always translate to making a bigger impact.

As for the Nuggets, no they would lose in 5 or 6 at best even with Murray. Murray does not fix their defensive flaws and Jokic was limited by Ayton.

Obviously its pure speculation and we have no way of proving it. I think its less obvious that the Lakers would beat the Suns than the Nets/Bucks series for example. Which clearly looked like it was decided by injuries.

Maybe the Suns do win. But I have a hard time believing the Suns could beat a healthy LeBron and AD. After Game 3 the series looked over to me. Like the Suns didn't have an answer defensively.

A young team where only 3 players out of the whole team had any kind of PO experience blew out the Lakers in their first ever PO game where their floor general played hurt most of the game. And AD was quite healthy.

That same youth and inexperience betrayed them the next couple of games when CP3 was a shell of himself and was a liability on the floor. They finally adjusted to that and were winning when AD went out in game 4.

It's really not that hard to "speculate" that this Suns team would be capable of beating the Lakers when both squads are healthy.

It's not like it was close after AD didn't play and he would have been that small difference. The Lakers got blown TF out. Like 30 pts blown TF out.

[kwsqd]

The idea that the Suns looked done after game three, when they were leading in game 4 at the time of AD's injury is absurd. Then the Suns proceeded to blow out the Lakers without AD. Saying the Lakers definitely win the series with AD is laughable. At best you can say that they were evenly matched and it would have been a long series.

Clippers with Kawhi barely made it past the Dallas Mavericks. The Suns had the best record against playoff teams *all season long*. It's time to accept that they are a great team.

[Hello Brooklyn]

Don't think its a foregone conclusion they would lose to either the Clippers or Lakers.
They beat the Lakers in game 1 then CP3 got hurt and could barely dribble the ball, so they are more than capable of beating a "healthy" Lakers team.
Anthony Davis played like 30 games this season, even 36 year old Chris Paul played 70 games. No excuses or pity for AD who is somehow more injury prone than an ancient Chris Paul, same for Lebron who had plenty of rest.

Clippers would have a slight advantage but if your saying Chris Paul is healthy too from the beginning I don't think the gap would be much at all and it could go either way. Chris Paul was very clearly limited for most of the series dealing from getting back into in game shape after covid protocol and dealing with torn ligaments. Also I am going to say it now Kawhi is a great player but also a bit of a ball stopper. Clippers still managed to win two in a row without Kawhi when they were struggling previously. Is Kawhi much more valuable to the Clippers than a 100% Chris Paul? Debatable. He is the better player but that doesn't always translate to making a bigger impact.

As for the Nuggets, no they would lose in 5 or 6 at best even with Murray. Murray does not fix their defensive flaws and Jokic was limited by Ayton.

Obviously its pure speculation and we have no way of proving it. I think its less obvious that the Lakers would beat the Suns than the Nets/Bucks series for example. Which clearly looked like it was decided by injuries.

Maybe the Suns do win. But I have a hard time believing the Suns could beat a healthy LeBron and AD. After Game 3 the series looked over to me. Like the Suns didn't have an answer defensively.

A young team where only 3 players out of the whole team had any kind of PO experience blew out the Lakers in their first ever PO game where their floor general played hurt most of the game. And AD was quite healthy.

That same youth and inexperience betrayed them the next couple of games when CP3 was a shell of himself and was a liability on the floor. They finally adjusted to that and were winning when AD went out in game 4.

It's really not that hard to "speculate" that this Suns team would be capable of beating the Lakers when both squads are healthy.

It's not like it was close after AD didn't play and he would have been that small difference. The Lakers got blown TF out. Like 30 pts blown TF out.

I mean you're drawing a lot of conclusions from merely 1 game.

The Lakers also lost Game 1 to the Blazers last year and we saw how that ended.

Suns are a good team. But they didn't have the talent to keep up with LeBron and AD. They even struggled to beat the Clippers without Kawhi. And are a few made FTs from PG away from going to a Game 7 with them.

We will see next season what happens. If they can beat the Clippers or Lakers in a playoff series I will admit they are the best team.

[kwsqd]

There's absolutely zero evidence that the Clippers are some juggernaut with Kawhi. They choked up 3-1 against the Nuggets last year and they could barely beat the Dallas Mavericks this year.

Sheesh.

[Hsker4Life]

There's absolutely zero evidence that the Clippers are some juggernaut with Kawhi. They choked up 3-1 against the Nuggets last year and they could barely beat the Dallas Mavericks this year.

Sheesh.

And they tanked to avoid the Lakers, meaning they’re mentally fragile.

[IamBBAnalysis]

This series is going 7.

I dont see how you say this with any sort of confidence.

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Because I saw Milwaukee play great defense last night and get better shots while Phoenix made a lot of tough ones. I think the tide changes with Phoenix on the road and it goes back to Phoenix 2-2. Last night was NOT game 1.

Or...the Suns make adjustments to what the Bucks were doing. Seems likely. And all the people talking about Bucks going home...I don't see that advantage. If anything it's more pressure on the Bucks. And the Suns play just as good on the road. It doesn't phase them at all.

[carrrnuttt]

Obviously its pure speculation and we have no way of proving it. I think its less obvious that the Lakers would beat the Suns than the Nets/Bucks series for example. Which clearly looked like it was decided by injuries.

Maybe the Suns do win. But I have a hard time believing the Suns could beat a healthy LeBron and AD. After Game 3 the series looked over to me. Like the Suns didn't have an answer defensively.

A young team where only 3 players out of the whole team had any kind of PO experience blew out the Lakers in their first ever PO game where their floor general played hurt most of the game. And AD was quite healthy.

That same youth and inexperience betrayed them the next couple of games when CP3 was a shell of himself and was a liability on the floor. They finally adjusted to that and were winning when AD went out in game 4.

It's really not that hard to "speculate" that this Suns team would be capable of beating the Lakers when both squads are healthy.

It's not like it was close after AD didn't play and he would have been that small difference. The Lakers got blown TF out. Like 30 pts blown TF out.

I mean you're drawing a lot of conclusions from merely 1 game.

I'm drawing conclusions from ALL the games the Suns played against the Lakers.

Suns: Blew out Lakers in a game where AD is healthy and CP wasn't
Lakers: Lakers with a healthy Davis and crippled CP (6pts) beat the Suns by 7 points
Lakers: Lakers win by 14 in LA. CP scores 7pts in 27 mins while the overconfident Lakers clown
Suns: Was leading the Lakers up until AD got injured. CP is still a shell of himself (18pts)
Suns: Blew out the Lakers by 30. CP is still a shell of himself (9pts)
Suns: Desperate, must-win game for the Lakers. They lose by 13. CP is still a shell of himself (8pts)

And you're drawing conclusions from 2 games the Lakers won, one of which was on their homecourt and both with a crippled floor general who wasn't leading his young team as well as he is capable of.

[Hello Brooklyn]

I'm drawing conclusions from ALL the games the Suns played against the Lakers.

Suns: Blew out Lakers in a game where AD is healthy and CP wasn't
Lakers: Lakers with a healthy Davis and crippled CP (6pts) beat the Suns by 7 points
Lakers: Lakers win by 14 in LA. CP scores 7pts in 27 mins while the overconfident Lakers clown
Suns: Was leading the Lakers up until AD got injured. CP is still a shell of himself (18pts)
Suns: Blew out the Lakers by 30. CP is still a shell of himself (9pts)
Suns: Desperate, must-win game for the Lakers. They lose by 13. CP is still a shell of himself (8pts)

And you're drawing conclusions from 2 games the Lakers won, one of which was on their homecourt and both with a crippled floor general who wasn't leading his young team as well as he is capable of.

Its literally one game bro. Like I get it was a bad game for the Lakers. You can't convince me that how the series would go.

Yes I am influenced by games 2 and 3. But thats not the main point.

The broader idea is that AD and LeBron have won a Championship together. And are both better than anyone on the Suns.

Most people still think the Lakers win that series if not for the injuries. It can make you made but its the truth.

Only way to change that narrative is to beat them next season.

[kwsqd]

There is no evidence to support the idea that the Lakers were a better team than the Suns this year. The Suns destroyed the Lakers without AD and were basically even with them when they had AD--this is all with a one armed Chris Paul. Booker outplayed Lebron in the first round, offensively and defensively.

[carrrnuttt]

The broader idea is that AD and LeBron have won a Championship together.

And?

Did that Championship in any way go through this specific Suns team? Is the overall composition of the Lakers the same from the Championship season?

We have a sample size of 3.5 games where the Suns played a mostly healthy Lakers but only half a game where the Suns were fully healthy themselves and the Suns essentially won 1.5 of those games. How come the Lakers don't get doubt from their wins against a Suns team that barely had one of their most important players in it?

I'm not guaranteeing that the Suns still win with everyone healthy, but you also can't guarantee it for the Lakers based on the samples.

[Spanish_Laker]

People still forget we lost our best perimeter defender and shooter in KCP when we were up 2-1. No AD, no KCP, 60% LeBron is the reason we end up losing the series and everyone knows it.

[handsome salary]

Could we get back to the Bucks instead of all this what ifs from losing teams.

[handsome salary]

Could we get back to the Bucks instead of all this "what ifs" from losing teams.