Here we are folks. At long last–especially from Chris Paul’s perspective–we’ve made it to the NBA Finals. Legacies are hanging in the balance, including for those at the top of the BSB(R) table. Let’s take a look where our humble tournament stands, review the Conference Finals, and preview this unexpected Finals matchup.
It’s a two-man race. Atop the leaderboard is Eric, who correctly has the Suns in the Finals. In second is Ralph, who is the only contestant to correctly predict both finalists. Jesse and James are close, but their predicted champions have been bounced, making it impossible for them to mount a comeback. Eric only leads by virtue of predicting the correct number of games for Suns-Clippers. Moreover, had Ralph correctly predicted the number of games for either series, he’d be guaranteed victory at this point. Instead, as it stands, Eric is rooting for a Suns victory, which would clinch him a BSB(R) title. Likewise, if the Bucks win it all, the trophy is Ralph’s. As I said earlier, legacies are hanging in the balance, folks.
Conference Finals Recap
Suns vs. Clippers: The series started out in Phoenix, and with a quarantined Chris Paul and an injured Kawhi Leonard. Devin Booker didn’t seem to mind either’s absence–he dropped a 40-point triple double (which was his first career triple double in any game) in a narrow 120-114 win.
Game 2’s margin was even narrower. With CP3 injured again, the Suns eked out a win for the ages (but not before Booker broke his nose during a head-on collision with Patrick Beverley). It’s tough to put it all into words, so you can watch the final three minutes here, but I’d be remiss to not recap the end. The first thing to note is that the final 90 seconds of gameplay took 33 minutes of real time due to several controversial reviews. But, let’s fast forward to the final 35 seconds. Paul George grabs a rebound, runs the length of the court, knifes through the defense, and euro-steps his way to an “easy” layup to take a 101-100 lead. After a Phoenix timeout, Booker catches the ball off of an inbound and drills a Kobe-esque elbow jumper with 27 seconds left to give the Suns a 102-101 lead. Then the Clippers take a timeout, after which Paul George does basically the same thing, drilling a deep two with 21.9 seconds left to regain their own one-point lead. The Suns turn the ball over and are forced to foul Paul George with 8.2 seconds left. Somehow, George–an 87% free throw shooter–misses both. On their final possession, the Suns miss a corner three, but retain possession after a Clipper tips it out with 0.9 seconds. Then the miracle in the valley happens: Jae Crowder inbounds it and Ayton dunks it as time expires, securing a 104-103 win.
One reason I wrote each of those details was to underscore the insanity of the game (although that doesn’t do it justice–there were other clutch plays and controversial calls that I didn’t review). The other reason, though, is to throw a little bit of cold water on the “Playoff P” haterade everyone is getting drunk on. George endured lots of criticism for missing those two free throws, ad rightfully so–he’s too good to miss both in such a crucial moment. But those same critics ignore that he single-handedly took on an entire defense twice in the preceding 30 seconds, both for go-ahead shots that could have won the game in a different universe. Booker, meanwhile turned the ball over twice in the final 66 seconds and scored fewer points. As is usually the case, history is usually a bit more nuanced than the stories we tell ourselves about it after the fact.
Chris Paul returned for Game 3, but his playoff return to Staples Center didn’t go too well. He and Booker shot a combined 10 for 40 from the field. The Clippers, meanwhile, did what they’ve been doing without Leonard–Reggie Jackson continued his renaissance, Terence Mann continue his breakout, and Paul George continued super-starring (although he only shot 9-26). The poor shooting for the three starts continued into Game 4, who combined to shoot 19-64 (including 1-17 from 3). This time though, Booker was the one treading water, helping the Suns to a gritty 84-80 win and a 3-1 series lead.
In Game 5, Paul George responded with the game of his life–a 41-13-6 masterclass in scoring (he went 15-20 from the field). The other Clippers vets were in full force–Jackson, Marcus Morris, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Beverley combined to shoot 27-48 from the field. The Suns had no answers–at least not in Game 5. In Game 6, though Chris Paul responded with the game of his life, scoring 41 points on 16-24 shooting, to go with no turnovers. The Suns were way more physical with Paul George, and won the game 130-103 despite shooting 21 fewer free throws.
- G.O.A.T.: Deandre Ayton, who hit the sole game winner and was the Suns’ most consistent performer, beginning-to-end
- Goat: Patrick Beverley, who shoved Chris Paul in the back out of frustration and will be suspended to start next season.
Bucks-Hawks: All playoffs long, the Hawks have taken other teams by surprise. This series was no different: they stole Game 1 in Milwaukee 106-103. Trae Young at 48-7-11 in a dominant performance, which included a now-famous shimmy before nailing an open three. the game was close–Capela hit a go-ahead put-back with 29.8 seconds left, which proved to be the game-winning play.
The Bucks responded in Game 2 with a blow-out 125-91 win, which felt over at the half. At home In Game 3, the Hawks came out with way more energy. But as the game entered winning time, Middleton showed why he’s the best scorer in the series. First, Trae Young sprained his ankle on the ref’s foot late in the third, and injury that would keep him out of Games 4 and 5. Then, Middleton went supernova in the fourth, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter (part of his playoff career high of 38).
The Hawks didn’t fold in Game 4, though, dealing the Bucks a major blow with a 110-88 blowout win, and even more importantly, an injury to Giannis. Antetokounmpo hyper extended his knee trying to defend Capela in midair, and would not return for the rest of the series. The Bucks, however, didn’t mind. Back in Milwaukee
Conference Finals Recap
Suns vs. Clippers: The series started out in Phoenix, and with a quarantined Chris Paul and an injured Kawhi Leonard. Devin Booker didn’t seem to mind either’s absence–he dropped a 40-point triple double (which was his first career triple double in any game) in a narrow 120-114 win.
Game 2’s margin was even narrower. With CP3 injured again, the Suns eked out a win for the ages (but not before Booker broke his nose during a head-on collision with Patrick Beverley). It’s tough to put it all into words, so you can watch the final three minutes here, but I’d be remiss to not recap the end. The first thing to note is that the final 90 seconds of gameplay took 33 minutes of real time due to several controversial reviews. But, let’s fast forward to the final 35 seconds. Paul George grabs a rebound, runs the length of the court, knifes through the defense, and euro-steps his way to an “easy” layup to take a 101-100 lead. After a Phoenix timeout, Booker catches the ball off of an inbound and drills a Kobe-esque elbow jumper with 27 seconds left to give the Suns a 102-101 lead. Then the Clippers take a timeout, after which Paul George does basically the same thing, drilling a deep two with 21.9 seconds left to regain their own one-point lead. The Suns turn the ball over and are forced to foul Paul George with 8.2 seconds left. Somehow, George–an 87% free throw shooter–misses both. On their final possession, the Suns miss a corner three, but retain possession after a Clipper tips it out with 0.9 seconds. Then the miracle in the valley happens: Jae Crowder inbounds it and Ayton dunks it as time expires, securing a 104-103 win.
One reason I wrote each of those details was to underscore the insanity of the game (although that doesn’t do it justice–there were other clutch plays and controversial calls that I didn’t review). The other reason, though, is to throw a little bit of cold water on the “Playoff P” haterade everyone is getting drunk on. George endured lots of criticism for missing those two free throws, ad rightfully so–he’s too good to miss both in such a crucial moment. But those same critics ignore that he single-handedly took on an entire defense twice in the preceding 30 seconds, both for go-ahead shots that could have won the game in a different universe. Booker, meanwhile turned the ball over twice in the final 66 seconds and scored fewer points. As is usually the case, history is usually a bit more nuanced than the stories we tell ourselves about it after the fact.
Chris Paul returned for Game 3, but his playoff return to Staples Center didn’t go too well. He and Booker shot a combined 10 for 40 from the field. The Clippers, meanwhile, did what they’ve been doing without Leonard–Reggie Jackson continued his renaissance, Terence Mann continue his breakout, and Paul George continued super-starring (although he only shot 9-26). The poor shooting for the three starts continued into Game 4, who combined to shoot 19-64 (including 1-17 from 3). This time though, Booker was the one treading water, helping the Suns to a gritty 84-80 win and a 3-1 series lead.
In Game 5, Paul George responded with the game of his life–a 41-13-6 masterclass in scoring (he went 15-20 from the field). The other Clippers vets were in full force–Jackson, Marcus Morris, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Beverley combined to shoot 27-48 from the field. The Suns had no answers–at least not in Game 5. In Game 6, though Chris Paul responded with the game of his life, scoring 41 points on 16-24 shooting, to go with no turnovers. The Suns were way more physical with Paul George, and won the game 130-103 despite shooting 21 fewer free throws.
- G.O.A.T.: Deandre Ayton, who hit the sole game winner and was the Suns’ most consistent performer, beginning-to-end
- Goat: Patrick Beverley, who shoved Chris Paul in the back out of frustration and will be suspended to start next season.
Bucks-Hawks: All playoffs long, the Hawks have taken other teams by surprise. This series was no different: they stole Game 1 in Milwaukee 106-103. Trae Young at 48-7-11 in a dominant performance, which included a now-famous shimmy before nailing an open three. the game was close–Capela hit a go-ahead put-back with 29.8 seconds left, which proved to be the game-winning play.
The Bucks responded in Game 2 with a blow-out 125-91 win, which felt over at the half. At home In Game 3, the Hawks came out with way more energy. But as the game entered winning time, Middleton showed why he’s the best scorer in the series. First, Trae Young sprained his ankle on the ref’s foot late in the third, and injury that would keep him out of Games 4 and 5. Then, Middleton went supernova in the fourth, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter (part of his playoff career high of 38).
The Hawks didn’t fold in Game 4, though, dealing the Bucks a major blow with a 110-88 blowout win, and even more importantly, an injury to Giannis. Antetokounmpo hyper extended his knee trying to defend Capela in midair, and would not return for the rest of the series. The Bucks, however, didn’t mind. Back in Milwaukee, Brook Lopez became Lew Alcindor and scored 33 points on 14-18 shooting. It was a dominant showing from the Bucks, and the aggressive play from Giannis’ supporting cast continued into Game 6. Trae returned, but he wasn’t the same. Meanwhile, Middleton sensed the moment, scoring 16 straight points in the third quarter. He and the Bucks kept the Haws at bay, answering their every push, and ultimately winning 118-107.
NBA Finals Preview
Where to begin?! I’m in the middle of Game 1 right now, so I’m going to be a little scattered, but here we go:
- How healthy will Giannis be? He was doubtful going into the day, upgraded to questionable at 1:30pm, and now looks fine midway through the first quarter. The Suns were the betting favorites
- How will the Suns defend Giannis? Ayton seems like the only person fit for the job, but that will leave Lopez available to feast on anyone else defending him. Lopez has proven to be a versatile scorer in Giannis’ absence, and he may punish whoever is defending him.
- Can Middleton and Holiday maintain the aggressive approach they showed without Giannis? Middleton has proven the be the best scorer on the Bucks, and can get to his spots against elite defenses.
- Everything with Giannis’ free throws: Will he hit them? Will they call any violations? Will the Suns intentionally foul him at all?
- Can the Suns get Ayton involved? He’s been their most consistent player this playoffs and has stepped up his game in a way that now one foresaw, both offensively and defensively. If they can get him going, that will be a presence like non other on their roster.
- Which Chris Paul and Devin Booker will we see? Not even Paul has been to this big of a stage. Both were inconsistent in the Conference Finals, but Paul seemed to find his rhythm as the series went on Booker on the other hand, seemed to falter.
Alone In The Green Room 