Playoffs Round 1, Game 6: Phoenix Suns (3-2) @ New Orleans Pelicans, Thurs 04/28/22

[In2ition]

[Mori Chu]

I admit it, I laughed.

[TOO]

This team is gonna make some changes in the season. Ain't no way it's winning a title as constructed. They've been figured out.

A little premature, no?

I do not believe so, no. I'd be super stoked to be wrong though.

[Split T]

This team is gonna make some changes in the season. Ain't no way it's winning a title as constructed. They've been figured out.

A little premature, no?

I do not believe so, no. I'd be super stoked to be wrong though.

I certainly don’t think we are an overwhelming favorite, but nobody else is either. I think I’ve got 3 teams at the top, with 2 others I can’t rule out as title possibilities. I’m going to rule out Philly, Memphis, and Dallas.

If I had to rank them, I’d go:

1. GS
2. Phoenix
3. Boston
4. Miami
5. Milwaukee

Why do you say we’ve been figured out?

[Mori Chu]

I would agree that the top three are GS, BOS, and PHX in some order. We could fight over the ordering, though. I still think Phoenix would be my #1 in terms of most likely to go all the way, assuming that Booker will be back to 100% from his hamstring injury. We're the best team of the three when everybody is healthy. Milwaukee drops a few notches due to that awful Middleton injury. Sucks for them.

[bajanguy008]

Finally got around to the 2nd half of the game
Here not emotionally invested as it's already happened and just watching objectively, boy oh boy
I'm surprised I didn't/haven't seen more complaining online because tbh McCollum 4th and 5th fouls were soft and that obviously was a factor
Is what it is though and we've gotten the short end of the stick sometimes

As for us, that last 5mins of the first half when Lance went crazy we were really melting down, no two ways about it. I know it had to be so intense in the locker room at half because Jae head was hot for sure and I'm guessing he isn't one to hold back or mince words. Then with all that going on, Monty deciding to not start Book in the 3rd so his planned 6min stints would come at the end of each quarter. That was some response by the team in the 3rd quarter

[TOO]

This team is gonna make some changes in the season. Ain't no way it's winning a title as constructed. They've been figured out.

A little premature, no?

I do not believe so, no. I'd be super stoked to be wrong though.

I certainly don’t think we are an overwhelming favorite, but nobody else is either. I think I’ve got 3 teams at the top, with 2 others I can’t rule out as title possibilities. I’m going to rule out Philly, Memphis, and Dallas.

If I had to rank them, I’d go:

1. GS
2. Phoenix
3. Boston
4. Miami
5. Milwaukee

Why do you say we’ve been figured out?

They have a glaring weakness that is pretty easily exploited on the boards that they can overcome with good shooting, which is what they did til the last month of the season. Make the Suns shoot 3's and crash the glass and you've got a recipe for beating the Suns. I do not think the Mavs have the players to do it, but the Warriors and Grizzlies however, I do not think the Suns can beat them, same for the Heat and Celtics in the finals.

It all changes if they start hitting their 3's though.

[Split T]

This team is gonna make some changes in the season. Ain't no way it's winning a title as constructed. They've been figured out.

A little premature, no?

I do not believe so, no. I'd be super stoked to be wrong though.

I certainly don’t think we are an overwhelming favorite, but nobody else is either. I think I’ve got 3 teams at the top, with 2 others I can’t rule out as title possibilities. I’m going to rule out Philly, Memphis, and Dallas.

If I had to rank them, I’d go:

1. GS
2. Phoenix
3. Boston
4. Miami
5. Milwaukee

Why do you say we’ve been figured out?

They have a glaring weakness that is pretty easily exploited on the boards that they can overcome with good shooting, which is what they did til the last month of the season. Make the Suns shoot 3's and crash the glass and you've got a recipe for beating the Suns. I do not think the Mavs have the players to do it, but the Warriors and Grizzlies however, I do not think the Suns can beat them, same for the Heat and Celtics in the finals.

It all changes if they start hitting their 3's though.

You think the warriors are going to hurt us on the glass? They are gonna start poole, Klay, and curry.

[TOO]

A little premature, no?

I do not believe so, no. I'd be super stoked to be wrong though.

I certainly don’t think we are an overwhelming favorite, but nobody else is either. I think I’ve got 3 teams at the top, with 2 others I can’t rule out as title possibilities. I’m going to rule out Philly, Memphis, and Dallas.

If I had to rank them, I’d go:

1. GS
2. Phoenix
3. Boston
4. Miami
5. Milwaukee

Why do you say we’ve been figured out?

All they gotta do is hustle, once Ayton leaves the paint he's not any threat to rebound anything, and the rest of the defense is usually outside of the box too, so, yes.

They have a glaring weakness that is pretty easily exploited on the boards that they can overcome with good shooting, which is what they did til the last month of the season. Make the Suns shoot 3's and crash the glass and you've got a recipe for beating the Suns. I do not think the Mavs have the players to do it, but the Warriors and Grizzlies however, I do not think the Suns can beat them, same for the Heat and Celtics in the finals.

It all changes if they start hitting their 3's though.

You think the warriors are going to hurt us on the glass? They are gonna start poole, Klay, and curry.

[Nodack]

This team is gonna make some changes in the season. Ain't no way it's winning a title as constructed. They've been figured out.

A little premature, no?

I do not believe so, no. I'd be super stoked to be wrong though.

I certainly don’t think we are an overwhelming favorite, but nobody else is either. I think I’ve got 3 teams at the top, with 2 others I can’t rule out as title possibilities. I’m going to rule out Philly, Memphis, and Dallas.

If I had to rank them, I’d go:

1. GS
2. Phoenix
3. Boston
4. Miami
5. Milwaukee

Why do you say we’ve been figured out?

They have a glaring weakness that is pretty easily exploited on the boards that they can overcome with good shooting, which is what they did til the last month of the season. Make the Suns shoot 3's and crash the glass and you've got a recipe for beating the Suns. I do not think the Mavs have the players to do it, but the Warriors and Grizzlies however, I do not think the Suns can beat them, same for the Heat and Celtics in the finals.

It all changes if they start hitting their 3's though.

“Make the Suns shoot 3's and crash the glass and you've got a recipe for beating the Suns.”

That makes sense when a bunch of the Suns normally good three point shooters are shooting poorly. Crowder, both Cams and Shamet have really shot poorly in the last few regular season games leading into the playoffs. They kind of broke out of it last game and the Suns won. If you are the apposing team you can’t count on those guys shooting blanks every game. Odds are at least 1-2 will get hot.

[Mori Chu]

I mean, yeah, if any of the remaining teams goes cold from 3, they probably will lose their series. You could say that doubly about the Warriors; they live and die by the 3. I do worry about the 3-point shooting from guys like the Cams, Crowder, and Torrey Craig.

[Nodack]

Shooters get hot and cold. It’s like playing Russian roulette. That’s sort of what gives the NBA such charm. Any team on any given night…

[JeremyG]

I didn't get to watch the game because I was moving back to the Valley of the Sun(s) on Thursday, but I was able to hear Jon Bloom's call on the radio! What a performance by the almost 37-year old CP3 and the rest of the team.

[JeremyG]

I need a bit of a scouting report on Dallas. How scary are they? Who on their team do you think will give us trouble? Who's overrated? Which of our guys is likely to go off against them, and who will probably struggle? Etc. For example I'm curious how Ayton is likely to do against their bigs. Ayton in the past seems to "get up" for games against other prominent bigs like Embiid or Jokic and less so for teams without a dominant center. Will he go back into his shell against Dallas's centers?

Uhh...remember the Valley Oop game? In fact, the WCF was his best playoff series last year.

[specialsauce]

And actually Ayton sucks against Embiid

[Indy]

And actually Ayton sucks against Embiid

Embiid goes off (averages 37 points on 24 FGAs against Ayton), but he goes off on everyone. Ayton still shoots nearly 70% against him, and has done a decent job staying out of foul trouble.

Most importantly, we have a 4-2 record against them when both guys play.

[In2ition]

A little premature, no?

I do not believe so, no. I'd be super stoked to be wrong though.

I certainly don’t think we are an overwhelming favorite, but nobody else is either. I think I’ve got 3 teams at the top, with 2 others I can’t rule out as title possibilities. I’m going to rule out Philly, Memphis, and Dallas.

If I had to rank them, I’d go:

1. GS
2. Phoenix
3. Boston
4. Miami
5. Milwaukee

Why do you say we’ve been figured out?

They have a glaring weakness that is pretty easily exploited on the boards that they can overcome with good shooting, which is what they did til the last month of the season. Make the Suns shoot 3's and crash the glass and you've got a recipe for beating the Suns. I do not think the Mavs have the players to do it, but the Warriors and Grizzlies however, I do not think the Suns can beat them, same for the Heat and Celtics in the finals.

It all changes if they start hitting their 3's though.

You think the warriors are going to hurt us on the glass? They are gonna start poole, Klay, and curry.

The Warriors beat the Suns on the glass in every game they played vs each other. In the first 2, they had a double digit lead on rebounds and also beat the Suns on Offensive rebounds in each game. Wasn't it noticeable?