Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily. Hey! We’re in the playoffs now!
The Suns are back in the Western Conference Finals after 11 years.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today.)
What the Phoenix Suns have done this season is impressive.
The way the Suns played in this series, they just seemed inevitable. Other than the first basket, the Nuggets never led. And I never got the sense that Denver was going to win the game, even when they got close. Every rally would be extinguished by a Phoenix bucket; for example, the Suns would counter with a three by Devin Booker when the deficit was down to 43-41. Or Chris Paul would make a midrange J when it was 65-63. The Nuggets couldn’t get over the hump.
While in a midst of a Suns run, MVP Nikola Jokic tried a hard foul on Cameron Payne to get his team fired up. Unfortunately, the swipe hit Payne in the face and Jokic was assessed with a Flagrant Two foul. Your mileage may vary on that call but the fact of the matter was that Jokic put himself in that position and it got him an ejection. Not exactly the best decision.
The remaining Nuggets would try to do their part but once again, the Suns always had a counter to everything. And good gosh, did we see CP3 in action. You can call it a vintage performance but Paul ended up with 37 points and 7 assists. Booker did his job by scoring 34. The margin wasn’t anything huge but, again, it just felt like Denver wasn’t a threat to win the game.
It was bad enough that the Nuggets didn’t have Jamal Murray for the postseason. This would definitely be a different series if he was playing. Unfortunately, these were the cards that were dealt and what a bad hand Denver got. They were probably expected to return to the West Finals with that team but once Murray went out, there was only so much Jokic could do.
Meanwhile, saying that the Suns surpassed expectations is probably the understatement of the year. But they did carry that momentum from the bubble at the end of last season when they went 8-0. They added Paul and Jae Crowder to their team and it was a perfect fit. Phoenix pleasantly surprised everyone by getting the #2 seed then they went on to beat both West Finalists in the first two rounds. Were they fatigued and injured? Sure. But they don’t choose their opponents; what mattered was that they took care of business.
The Suns last made the playoffs in 2010. They made it all the way to the West Finals. Well, in their first playoff run since then, they’re back in the West Finals.
And this time around, they could go even further. They await the winner of the Jazz/Clippers series.
Bullet Passes
There were a few things I was worried about with the Nets. Countering the Bucks‘ length was going to be a challenge but, of course, it was the Bucks’ undoing by actually not taking advantage of it early. The Nets’ defense was a worry throughout the regular season but they showed they were capable of it.
The other thing that was worrisome? Their health.
Kyrie Irving landed on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s foot and it did NOT look good at all. He left the game in the first half. With James Harden still sidelined with a bad hamstring, that pretty much left Kevin Durant alone from their vaunted big three. And P.J. Tucker did a tremendous job guarding him. Durant really wished he still had his bodyguard with him.
Giannis finished with 34 points and 12 boards. Durant had 28-13-5 but also went 9 for 25 from the field. Irving was also the only other Nets player in double figures and we already said what happened to him.
If both Kyrie and Harden can’t go, the Nets are in HUGE trouble. Yes, the Nets are a deep team but it was because they’re so top-heavy. With Durant all alone (and a post-prime Blake Griffin), I don’t like Brooklyn’s chances.
Life, man. Fast.
More than ever this season, the NBA became a battle of attrition. The Lakers couldn’t move forward because they lost Anthony Davis. The Nuggets, we had already mentioned, were without Jamal Murray. The Jazz haven’t had Mike Conley in their series against the Clippers. Boston didn’t have Jaylen Brown. The Nets are going through those injuries. Even Chris Paul had that shoulder scare.
This is why the NBA encouraged to have better scheduling in recent years. And because of the pandemic and the TV deals, that went all away for the sake of “getting back to normal.”
NBA Playoff Scoreboard
June 13, 2021
NBA Playoff Series Count
EAST
#1 Sixers lead #5 Hawks, 2-1.
#2 Nets tied with #3 Bucks, 2-2.
#1 Sixers defeat #8 Wizards, 4-1.
#5 Hawks defeat #4 Knicks, 4-1.
#2 Nets defeat #7 Celtics, 4-1.
#3 Bucks defeat #6 Heat, 4-0.
WEST
#1 Jazz lead #4 Clippers, 2-1.
#2 Suns defeat #3 Nuggets, 4-0.
#1 Jazz defeat #8 Grizzlies, 4-1.
#4 Clippers defeat #5 Mavericks, 4-3.
#2 Suns defeat #7 Lakers, 4-2.
#3 Nuggets defeat #6 Blazers, 4-2.
Watch This Play
Look at Jrue Holiday 5-hole Durant. And Giannis puts one on Blake Griffin.
JRUE NUTMEGGED KD 🤯
GIANNIS DUNKED ON BLAKE 😳 pic.twitter.com/l47tnEwhHv
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 13, 2021
Suddenly, the Bucks look like… a million bucks.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.