Game Day: Suns (12-8) @ Pelicans (4-18), Thurs 12/5/24

[The Bobster]

Booker - 6 of 20 shooting
Beal - 7 turnovers

[ShelC]

Just a bunch of dudes out there playing who are good enough to win more games than they lose. No team, no identity. We don't do one thing better than anyone else and none of our stars makes anyone around them better.

I'm also starting to think that the handchecking/more physical play is what's giving Book the most problems. He can't handle it because he's not a bigger wing who can muscle or shoot over defenders and doesn't have a great first step to keep defenders off him. He could do that when defenders couldn't touch him, can't do it now.

[TOO]

This team will go as far as KDs old ass will take it. For better or worse.

[iLLmatic]

I haven’t been able to get behind this team since 2021-2022. I miss having a good basketball team to cheer for.

[Superbone]

Take Bol out

One little sloppy Bol stretch ruined us.

[Superbone]

Feels like an L coming because we can't play any kind of defense.

This. Also, didn't bother stomping on them while they were down. Were content to let them back in it.

[Superbone]

Can't even get a shot off at the end. Embarrassing.

It is. Design a damn play!

[Superbone]

I really want to root for this team. But they don't show heart or hustle or toughness when it matters. You don't get the sense that this team has even the slightest chance of contending for a title, even if KD comes back. The only way we win is when our hero-ball "big 3" manage to hit enough of their chucked up shots. Otherwise we are cooked.

Yeah, this is a second round team if they're lucky. Not enough grit without KD. No emotion.

[Superbone]

Just a bunch of dudes out there playing who are good enough to win more games than they lose. No team, no identity. We don't do one thing better than anyone else and none of our stars makes anyone around them better.

I'm also starting to think that the handchecking/more physical play is what's giving Book the most problems. He can't handle it because he's not a bigger wing who can muscle or shoot over defenders and doesn't have a great first step to keep defenders off him. He could do that when defenders couldn't touch him, can't do it now.

Other teams play like that but we never do.

[ShelC]

Postgame Quotes and Videos

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[Mori Chu]

It kind of feels like the league has "figured out" Devin Booker. If you double him, trap him, push/shove him, hound him, he'll cough up the ball or won't get good shots. He can be slowed down, mitigated. You can beat a Booker team without breaking too much of a sweat if you just defend him properly.

I still love the guy and he still had 28 points. But you just don't get the sense that he is really able to go into F-U mode and counter this kind of defensive play and force the game to react to him. And his handles and passing just aren't good enough for him to turn into a facilitator or decoy if the other team is swarming him.

[In2ition]

I thought the Pels played some good defense on Beal and Book. It seemed like they were knocking Book's dribble away throughout the game. I'm not sure why Bud went to Book at the end, since he was pretty stiffled all night, but I saw this this morning.

[Mori Chu]

I don't agree that health is the biggest problem. But "between anger and apathy" is fairly close to how I feel.

[Kryptonic]

I don't agree that health is the biggest problem. But "between anger and apathy" is fairly close to how I feel.

Health IS our main issue…. Can’t get people to gel if they can’t stay on the court long enough. We also have playoff runs to confirm that health is an issue on aging players.

[AmareIsGod]

Having 2 max contract / 2 of your big 3 out on the court should be good enough to beat a 4-win team. I'm not going to come to accept it like Espo. They were healthy enough to beat the Pelicans and they shit the bed.

[Split T]

I didn’t watch the game, so I can’t really comment, but just saying that New Orleans isn’t a real 4 win team. They have been absolutely decimated by injuries. They were healthier than us last night.

[The Bobster]

The Suns have cast their lot with a couple of veterans with have a long history of injuries.

Those players both miss a large chunk of games and the team's performace drops off.

Nobody should be surprised.

[AmareIsGod]

I didn’t watch the game, so I can’t really comment, but just saying that New Orleans isn’t a real 4 win team. They have been absolutely decimated by injuries. They were healthier than us last night.

That's bullshit. They're a 4-win team without Zion, Alvarado, Hawkins and Theis. I'm tired of excuses. Stop making them for this team.

[Mori Chu]

NOP was missing their arguably best player (Zion) plus 1-2 other key rotation guys. We should be able to beat a team like that. We play with no urgency and have horrible inconsistency from game to game. We're missing KD and Nurk, but Nurk sucks anyway. We should have had enough talent out there to get the W. But we keep giving away games like this that we should be winning if we were even close to being the kind of team good/strong/tough enough to be a title contender.

[specialsauce]

We can't have 2 supermax players on the court and lose to a shit ass team with our "superstars" playing like idiots.

You have got to blow this big 3 up. Their play does not justify their pay.