Re: NBA (2021-2022)
Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 3:49 pm
What a thrilling end to game 5 of the Bucks-Celtics series that was...well, unless you're a Boston fan, I suppose. Jrue Holiday reminded me why he's my favorite NBA player with a legendary block and then a steal to eliminate Boston's last chance to tie things up. In some ways, I thought the Celtics actually played better in game 5 than they did in game 4 -- their offense was more varied and they lead most of the game. Alas, in basketball the 4th quarter is definitely the most important of theem all. It's amazing to see what Giannis gets away with sometimes. He's taken so many bad 3s this series alone that I cringe a little every time he catches the ball on the perimeter, but in game 5 he actually hit two huge shots from behind the arc that took away the Celtics' momentum. Even his sometimes shaky free throw shooting didn't really get him into much trouble: Boston lost their last lead of the game when Giannis missed a free throw and then Bobby Portis scooped up the rebound and scored.
The last Suns-Mavs game was inexplicable. Everyone's talking about Chris Paul not being a huge factor in the last few games, but game 6 was particularly worrying for the Suns because both Paul and Booker seemed to vanish for long stretches of the game. Phoenix's offense and ball handling were shaky. The team just looked uncomfortable in their own skin out there at times. The Mavs on the other hand did a much better job of helping out Luka this time. I don't consider Dallas to be a great defensive team, but they nonetheless ably harassed and pressured the Suns' offense. One thing I thought they did particularly well was put pressure on the Suns' passing. Phoenix likes to make the extra pass and keep throwing the ball around until the opportunity to take the perfect shot opens up for someone. Dallas never let the Suns relax and get comfortable so they never found those perfect shot opportunities, and Phoenix's shooting and turnover numbers reflect that. Ultimately, I don't expect gave 6 will really mean all that much. Every team suffers the occasional letdown during the playoffs. I still think the Suns to go into game 7 ready to play and to close out the series...but it's going to be a bit more interesting than I expected. It'll be particularly interesting to see what kind of adjustments Monty Williams will make. I suspect they'll be significant.
The last Suns-Mavs game was inexplicable. Everyone's talking about Chris Paul not being a huge factor in the last few games, but game 6 was particularly worrying for the Suns because both Paul and Booker seemed to vanish for long stretches of the game. Phoenix's offense and ball handling were shaky. The team just looked uncomfortable in their own skin out there at times. The Mavs on the other hand did a much better job of helping out Luka this time. I don't consider Dallas to be a great defensive team, but they nonetheless ably harassed and pressured the Suns' offense. One thing I thought they did particularly well was put pressure on the Suns' passing. Phoenix likes to make the extra pass and keep throwing the ball around until the opportunity to take the perfect shot opens up for someone. Dallas never let the Suns relax and get comfortable so they never found those perfect shot opportunities, and Phoenix's shooting and turnover numbers reflect that. Ultimately, I don't expect gave 6 will really mean all that much. Every team suffers the occasional letdown during the playoffs. I still think the Suns to go into game 7 ready to play and to close out the series...but it's going to be a bit more interesting than I expected. It'll be particularly interesting to see what kind of adjustments Monty Williams will make. I suspect they'll be significant.