Game Day Playoff Edition - WCF Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Clippers Game III Thursday June 24

[Superbone]

We just don’t have it tonight. We ain’t winning this.

No witty retort on this night.

[bajanguy008]

Wow
Got caught up at work and didn't make my usual pregame post about not being sloppy with the ball and not letting the other team out hustle you. Match their desperation.....

Were there some garbage calls, certainly but just bad turnovers and I swear they got to so many loose balls.
You hear it all the time that players can't simulate an actual game don't matter how much cardio they do off the court. So clearly CP3 wasn't right stepping into this kinda intensity after a week and a half.
Not sure if it was the mask or if Book is actually letting Beverley bother him. Probably bit of both but definitely some bad decisions on his part

10/40 between those two is absolutely brutal but my issue is we played like a team up 2-0. That's the disappointing part for me

[djy2j]

Paul was rusty.

Bookers mask affected his shot.

The refs were only allowing one team to be physical.

Patrick Beverly is racking up bad basketball juju and Father Time is undefeated.

No need to panic. Suns in 4.

[Cap]

Odds update.

Game 4:

 -120 (52.2%) Suns
 +100 (47.8%) Clippers

Series:

 -450 (78.3%) Suns
 +340 (21.7%) Clippers

Championship:

 +140 (39.3%) Suns
 +150 (37.8%) Bucks
 +700 (11.8%) Clippers
 +750 (11.1%) Hawks

[Flagrant Fowl]

Match their desperation.....

This is my takeaway from the game. 9 playoff wins in a row can make anyone a little too comfortable.

The Suns need to recapture that F-you energy they had through the first two rounds.

[Superbone]

Paul was rusty.

Bookers mask affected his shot.

The refs were only allowing one team to be physical.

Patrick Beverly is racking up bad basketball juju and Father Time is undefeated.

No need to panic. Suns in 4.

I was with you until the Suns in 4 part. Suns in 5 works for me.

[Superbone]

Got caught up at work and didn't make my usual pregame post about not being sloppy with the ball and not letting the other team out hustle you. Match their desperation.....

Oh, so it's your fault.

[Superbone]

Polly says, Suns in Fo! GO SUNS!!

I can tell that Polly is really getting into it more and more the further the Suns are going into the playoffs. Tough not to when they are undefeated in her lifetime.

Well, Polly. You had a good run. Let's start another one!

[Flagrant Fowl]

I guess this ends Polly's career as a Suns good luck charm. Now she has to get a real job.

[Superbone]

Well, Clippers did what they had to tonight. Game 4 should be the toughest of the series. Suns need to battle and take it. That's all there is to it. Hopefully Paul has shaken off the rust and Book has shaken off the sensation of wearing a mask. Let's battle and knock the Clips down for the count on Saturday.

[JeremyG]

Match their desperation.....

This is my takeaway from the game. 9 playoff wins in a row can make anyone a little too comfortable.

The Suns need to recapture that F-you energy they had through the first two rounds.

I was a little worried the team might take their foot off the gas thinking they could let up a little with CP3 coming back. They knew they had to play with desperation without CP3 the first two games.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I've had a few hours to calm down and the sky isn't falling, but it's certainly overcast.

There are some things still bothering me.

Booker will never admit it and I thought he was pretty unlucky early in the game, but his nose/mask bothered him. Beverley deserves some credit for it as well in this game. Booker must be better. He can't go out with a 2-0 lead because he was handled by Patrick Beverley. (right? )

More importantly, we're kinda fucked without Cam Payne. We've all seen that Cam Payne is the bench. Other guys contribute and play a role, but Cam is the key to that part of the game. I don't trust anyone else to run the offense, so I think Monty would have to stagger Paul and Booker more.

[Mori Chu]

Well, Polly. You had a good run. Let's start another one!

I'll try, but I don't think I can have another baby in time!

[ShelC]

[ShelC]

Clips brought it, we didn't. Paul looked slow and rusty but so did much of the team. He wasn't the shot in the arm we maybe thought he'd be and the rest of the team, especially Book, looked like they were dragging a bit. The Clips took away the midrange area it seemed so Book and Paul were crowded at the FT line extended where they usually get those shots. So those shots were tougher, then they became hesitant and indecisive which led to bad shots/turnovers.

Zubac made his mark, which worried me at the start of the series. He's a good rebounder and finisher, tough inside and has given DA some problems before with his physicality and post play. Still, everyone said we needed to look for DA more.

Clips hit their 3s, we wasted 3-4 possessions in the 3rd when they had the lead right around that 8-11pts that could've brought us back. Just poor execution. But it was a janky game to start with the early fouls. The refs were really on their bullshit, calling it one way for us and another way for them. I understand Monty wanting the team to not get caught up but I wish he'd have laid into the refs during the game or used a challenge. I also would've dug into the bench for Gallo or Carter just to give the Clips a different look and shake things up. They have our main stuff scouted so why not throw a wrench into things and see if one of those guys can get hot for a few possessions.

[wpmiller42]

Clips brought it, we didn't. Paul looked slow and rusty but so did much of the team. He wasn't the shot in the arm we maybe thought he'd be and the rest of the team, especially Book, looked like they were dragging a bit. The Clips took away the midrange area it seemed so Book and Paul were crowded at the FT line extended where they usually get those shots. So those shots were tougher, then they became hesitant and indecisive which led to bad shots/turnovers.

Zubac made his mark, which worried me at the start of the series. He's a good rebounder and finisher, tough inside and has given DA some problems before with his physicality and post play. Still, everyone said we needed to look for DA more.

Clips hit their 3s, we wasted 3-4 possessions in the 3rd when they had the lead right around that 8-11pts that could've brought us back. Just poor execution. But it was a janky game to start with the early fouls. The refs were really on their bullshit, calling it one way for us and another way for them. I understand Monty wanting the team to not get caught up but I wish he'd have laid into the refs during the game or used a challenge. I also would've dug into the bench for Gallo or Carter just to give the Clips a different look and shake things up. They have our main stuff scouted so why not throw a wrench into things and see if one of those guys can get hot for a few possessions.

I agree with a lot of this. Though I think we did get a good amount of mid-range looks, and I thought we missed more than a few that we usually make.

If they're going to put Beverly on Booker all game, I hope we run some post up opportunities for Booker. Booker's got the size advantage and has decent post moves. Maybe have Ayton pop out to the opposite wing to bring Zubac a little bit away from the basket or something like that.

[AmareIsGod]

When you just don't have it as a team, you should exploit what does work. Last night, Ayton was working. Should have really worked that more to the tune of 30+ points for Ayton. May or may not have changed the outcome.

[Nodack]

Monty: "We as a team can do a better job getting DA the ball"

I might be wrong but it seems like they they do feed Ayton a lot in the first quarter of most games and then he is lucky if he gats any more touches the rest of the game. He had over 10 points in the first quarter last night and ended up with 18 for the game.

[JeremyG]

It's disgusting that they always refuse to go to Ayton when Booker and/or Paul are struggling. And now it cost us a playoff win (and may have against the Lakers also). Have him post up in the low post like Shaq. He can't possibly have a worse % than Booker or Paul chucking all those shots.

[JeremyG]

Booker will never admit it and I thought he was pretty unlucky early in the game, but his nose/mask bothered him. Beverley deserves some credit for it as well in this game.

Actually, Beverley deserves all the credit for it, since it was his forehead that smashed into Booker's nose.