Playoffs Round 1, Game 4: Phoenix Suns (2-1) @ New Orleans Pelicans, Sun 4/24/22

[Indy]

I like the idea of DA on BI if they're small with Nance at the 5. Just gotta cover off on Nance.

I like DA on BI and Jae on Nance much better than any wing we have on BI. But Green is very good and will counter with JV if that works for us. And I REALLY don't want us to try and play DA and McGee together. It is crazy that McGee is literally shooting over 95% in the series, on over 20 shots, and isn't a net positive on the court.

[SunsRIt]

Wow

Shouldn’t that yellow tape say Body Blocked by Herb?

[Indy]

Regardless of injuries, or shitty officiating, the facts remain; the Pels have been playing harder and coached better than the Suns.

[bajanguy008]

Indy makes a valid observation which others have echoes
Watching over the game, the initial defense by Jae is very physical and what I realize is that Jonas and whoever else interestingly set the screen for BI to dribble left

We've been aggressively trying to get over the top of the screen then BI goes back right and gets downhill. I wonder if that's by design


It might not be even happening that often but it feels to me that this been working against Jae

[Drewsprocket]

We’re in a bad spot. But we’re still even.
My take on the series:
1. Suns were neck and neck with them despite pels getting all the calls eventually losing focus and giving up momentum.
2. Suns bricking open jumpshots makes the Pels defense look way better. We’re a jumpshooting team that isn’t nailing what the defense is giving up.
3. Without nailing 3s and book out, the series is over. Ridiculous free throw disparity + missing 3’s = loss.
4.
Reality is without Book, if guys the likes of Payne, Crowder, Cam Johnson don’t have themselves a night then it’s over. It is what it is. Nobody locked up Crowder or Payne. Their shots aren’t falling. It’s amazing how close we were the whole game despite the free throw disparity and nobody having themselves a game night.
5. CP3 gonna have to pick up the pace get into his bag in 3rd quarter or keep feeding Ayton so he doesn’t disappear.

[Nodack]

Hadn't seen this one posted yet and it's the story of the series. We're watching Ingram breakout in front of us. Yea, we could use a legit PF for a bigger option (ie, Thad Young), but we know Jae, Mikal, Torrey aren't slouches defensively. BI is knocking down shots over great defense and great defenders. The playoffs are about matchups and we don't have an answer for him yet.

MAKE HIM GO LEFT. SEE IF HE CAN DO THAT.

Sorry, just had to say that. I think 95% of his shots are him going to his right. Overplay it! And if you have DA out there and Jonas isn't, trap BI.

+10,000

The few times they forced him left he missed.

[sunshoopjunky]

CP is back on his walk-it-up bullshit for 15 seconds every possession that lets the defense get set. He's flirted with that 8 second backcourt call at least half a dozen times this series, just barely getting it over halfcourt at the :16 second mark. The refs probably could've called at 2 other violations last night. He's playing too slow, it's been a problem and someone needs to get in his ear about pushing the pace, getting out in transition, getting those deep seals for early scoring opps. He's playing like Mark Jackson, backing down his defender from 70 feet.

A thousand times, yes. I noticed it in the win in game 3 at the end. I was watching the game with a friend and told him if we keep playing like this we won't make it to the finals this year. The games that CP3 missed in the playoffs last year may have been a blessing. Cam pushes the pace to a fault sometimes but may have gotten us some wins in the playoffs last year that could have been losses with CP3 playing slow down ball. With Green knowing our system so well it makes it even worse. We have also needed more players that average 5 or 6 plus FTA a game. I checked and Booker gets 5.27 a game which puts him 29th in the league. Next on the list is Chris Paul at 72nd with 3.14 So combined our 2 best FTA players get less than 9 FTA a game. When you have a player like Giannis that gets 11.44 per game. It's even worse if you look at team FTA, and just to be relevant, specifically in the playoffs so far this year. Of the 16 teams playing in the playoffs, we rank 15 with 20.3 only Chicago gets fewer calls. The Pelicans are 2nd on the list with 29.8. We don't have to be on the top of this list but we can't be at the bottom. It's not just the postseason and Booker being out either as we are ranked 27 out of 30 for the regular season this year and we were 29th in the 2021 regular season and 16th or last place in the 2021 playoffs. This has been a consistent problem for some time we need a PF that can consistently get 4 plus FTA a game. Ayton is not going to get them. Here is a list of PF that may fit in that category.


FTA Rank, Name, Team, Position, FTA per game
4 Jimmy Butler Miami Heat PF 8.02
16 Anthony Davis Los Angeles Lakers PF 6.10
22 Pascal Siakam Toronto Raptors PF 5.64
23 Kristaps Porzingis Washington Wizards PF 5.61
24 Julius Randle New York Knicks PF 5.57
28 Domantas Sabonis Sacramento Kings PF 5.35
35 Christian Wood Houston Rockets PF 4.88
41 Jaren Jackson Jr. Memphis Grizzlies PF 4.33
43 Montrezl Harrell Charlotte Hornets PF 4.19

[Nodack]

Imo, the Pels have been taking it to the basket aggressively and that’s why they are getting calls. The Suns don’t attack the basket near as much and it’s mostly the bigs shooting jump shots and hooks. The discrepancy is on the Suns and not so much the refs imo.

[Indy]

Imo, the Pels have been taking it to the basket aggressively and that’s why they are getting calls. The Suns don’t attack the basket near as much and it’s mostly the bigs shooting jump shots and hooks. The discrepancy is on the Suns and not so much the refs imo.

looking at the shot charts, we took almost the exact same number of shots in the paint last night.

[Uncle_Gene]

Very true, Nodack.

Suns take a lot of jump shots and don't get to the basket enough. That should be something CP and Cam Payne should do regularly.

[Superbone]

"We have to raise our level of physicality, as much as they let us." Cam Johnson.

That's just it though. The Pelicans are allowed to be physical but we're not. The Pelicans are being officiated like the old NBA and we're officiated like the new NBA. We don't stand a chance if that continues.

[Superbone]

Payne has been atrocious. I don't see Monty making that switch, but it is warranted based on Payne's play.

At the very least, we should give Payne and Holiday equal time.

[Superbone]

Two more efforts like last night and Suns can watch the rest of the playoffs at home like the rest of us.

Not me. I'll be at Game 5 rooting at my darnedest. The Suns DARE NOT lose in my presence!

[Superbone]

Hadn't seen this one posted yet and it's the story of the series. We're watching Ingram breakout in front of us. Yea, we could use a legit PF for a bigger option (ie, Thad Young), but we know Jae, Mikal, Torrey aren't slouches defensively. BI is knocking down shots over great defense and great defenders. The playoffs are about matchups and we don't have an answer for him yet.

Yeah, bad time for us for him to become the second coming of Kevin Durant.

[AmareIsGod]

"We have to raise our level of physicality, as much as they let us." Cam Johnson.

That's just it though. The Pelicans are allowed to be physical but we're not. The Pelicans are being officiated like the old NBA and we're officiated like the new NBA. We don't stand a chance if that continues.

Agree. So many want to point out that we're being outcoached and outplayed. We're also playing against some very suspect officiating. How can you expect us to run our offense or play aggressive defense when it's nothing but whistles, stars in foul trouble and quickly getting in the penalty? It's not like we're just committing stupid fouls and the Pelicans are playing great defense. If we play even half as physical of defense as they're playing, especially game 4, it's foul, foul, foul.

Play harder, sure. It will just lead to guys fouling out. It's the playoffs for one team and soft officiating for the other team.

[JeremyG]

Hadn't seen this one posted yet and it's the story of the series. We're watching Ingram breakout in front of us. Yea, we could use a legit PF for a bigger option (ie, Thad Young), but we know Jae, Mikal, Torrey aren't slouches defensively. BI is knocking down shots over great defense and great defenders. The playoffs are about matchups and we don't have an answer for him yet.

Yeah, bad time for us for him to become the second coming of Kevin Durant.

If only they had Durant instead.

[Shabazz]

"We have to raise our level of physicality, as much as they let us." Cam Johnson.

That's just it though. The Pelicans are allowed to be physical but we're not. The Pelicans are being officiated like the old NBA and we're officiated like the new NBA. We don't stand a chance if that continues.

Agree. So many want to point out that we're being outcoached and outplayed. We're also playing against some very suspect officiating. How can you expect us to run our offense or play aggressive defense when it's nothing but whistles, stars in foul trouble and quickly getting in the penalty? It's not like we're just committing stupid fouls and the Pelicans are playing great defense. If we play even half as physical of defense as they're playing, especially game 4, it's foul, foul, foul.

Play harder, sure. It will just lead to guys fouling out. It's the playoffs for one team and soft officiating for the other team.

Officiating is not the reason our supporting cast has shat the bed on O.

For all the troubles our D is had, it’s definitely better when the other team is taking the ball out of the basket. If we’d shot even a league average percentage on open 3s, that may have had enough of a trickle down effect on our D.

Also, forget adjustments, what happened to Monty the Motivator? We’re playing tentative and they’re playing like they own us. We’re getting shown up by a bunch of rookies. The fact that we’re getting blasted so badly in 3rd quarters is also an indictment on Monty.

[bajanguy008]

This play was part of that big 4th quarter run and I was like Dang, Willie even using some of our sets to put the nail in the coffin
I always smirk when Book n sometimes Mikal would catch the defender sleeping with this. Was rough getting it done to us especially when we were reeling at that point

[Furlanfufi]

What scares me is that we don't even resemble that record breaking team we were a month ago. Even in the wins.
I really, really hope we turn the corner next game.

[Flagrant Fowl]

This play was part of that big 4th quarter run and I was like Dang, Willie even using some of our sets to put the nail in the coffin
I always smirk when Book n sometimes Mikal would catch the defender sleeping with this. Was rough getting it done to us especially when we were reeling at that point

That also wasn't called a foul when the Pels did it to Crowder or Payne.