Booker Powers Suns To Game 1 Win! What Is Next For The 76ers? 6.20.21
It’s a Sunday slate of NBA playoff basketball and we have a Game 7 and the start of the WCF on the schedule today.
(4) LA Clippers vs (2) Phoenix Suns
LA Clippers (0-1)
This was your chance. No Chris Paul on the other side, this was your chance.
But your rotations were awful. The bench played too many minutes. Zubac, Cousins, and Rondo all got too many minutes and all 3 of them were defensive liabilities. The offense was fine but that defense was terrible as the Clippers lose a very winnable game.
The game started off well. Paul George had 12 in the first quarter as he looked very sharp. The Devin Booker defense was solid and the game was tied after the first quarter. The 2nd quarter was a roller coaster but the Clippers rotations really did them in.
They fell behind by 5 but then DeMarcus Cousins turned back the clock and fueled a 10-0 run that gave the Clippers a 5-point lead of their own. But Ty Lue kept the bench unit in for too long and the Suns came right back with a 10-0 run. DeMarcus Cousins gives you only offense and he gave you good minutes, but he got too many in the first half.
But the Clippers managed that poor bench unit stretch well and trailed by 3 at the end of the first half. PG had 17 and Cousins had 11 off the bench. The offense was fine but the Suns shot 58% from the field in the first half as they were getting whatever they wanted. The Clippers defense needed to be better at closing off dribble penetration.
Marcus Morris’s knee was bothering him and he didn’t start the 2nd half and hardly played at all. So Ty Lue went to Ivica Zubac to start the 2nd half. Yeah, that ended well. The Suns built a lead and then Booker scored 16 straight points at one point, just taking advantage of the Zubac drop coverage.
In the first half, LA put bigger guys like Batum or PG on Booker but now he was guarded by Rondo or Beverley and he was dominating. The game should have been over but the Clippers shooting kept them in the game. Paul George had a mini 8-0 run and the Clippers were 8/13 from 3 in the 3rd quarter. Those 8 3’s are the most 3’s ever hit in a single quarter in a NBA playoff game ever.
So for the game to be tied with Booker going crazy, was an accomplishment.
But they lost things in the 4th because of more bad rotations. The Suns built a 10-point lead early in the 4th with Cousins and Rondo on the floor. The Suns just held their lead. The Clippers couldn’t keep the Suns in front of them and that led to penetration, which led to open shots. The Clippers did cut the lead to two with 22 seconds left, but they allowed a Booker dunk and then the game was over.
The Clippers needed this game without Chris Paul on the other side. But their horrible rotations really hurt them as they drop Game 1.
Paul George was amazing. 34 points and 5 assists with 7 3’s, he was very good. You’ll need that throughout this series to have a chance. Reggie Jackson had 24, another good game from him.
The bench outscored the Suns bench by 14, but not many guys did anything consistently, more like a lot of guys doing little things. That’s valuable, but you really needed 10-15 points from somebody else in this game. Offensively, I am encouraged. The Clippers played really well, they hit 20 3’s. They had pretty good ball movement and they didn’t turn the ball over. My problem is defense.
Why is Cousins playing 13 minutes? He was awful in the 2nd half and the only reason he was ok in the first half was because he was scoring. If he wasn’t scoring, he’s useless. Why is Rajon Rondo playing 22 minutes? Playoff Rondo has been awful and he doesn’t provide scoring. 7 assists are cool but he was a -14 in this game. There’s a reason he wasn’t playing in the Utah series.
Ivica Zubac played 18 minutes, his drop coverage kept getting exposed. Patrick Beverley got bullied by Booker with his lack of size, he played 15 minutes. Tyron Lue can’t play his bench this much. All of these guys get 10 minutes at the most. The bench isn’t good enough for you to play them this much, they all can’t play defense. Luke Kennard is the only guy I like because he can stretch the floor. But Cousins, Rondo, Beverley, and Zubac are going to get exposed if they play this much.
The Clippers allowed 54 paint points and Devin Booker dominated them. They have to keep bigger guys like Batum and Paul George on him. If they want to double him, their rotations from the rest of the 3 guys on the floor have to be better. No more big guys, play small. I know Ayton killed you on the offensive glass, but you have to live with that because it’s either that or what Booker did in this game. The defense has to be a lot better than it was in this game for the Clippers to be successful.
Phoenix Suns (1-0)
Be Legendary. The Suns dominated this game with their offense, as it was unstoppable. Booker was a killer in the pick and roll and he had perhaps his best game as a pro. The Suns role players like Ayton and Bridges were really good and the Suns bench also gave them good minutes. The Suns played a really good game without Chris Paul and they take a 1-0 series lead.
The Suns offense started off slow in that first quarter but they got going in the 2nd. They got good minutes from Cam Johnson off the bench and they weathered a Clippers 10-0 run to go on a 10-0 run of their own and they scored 36 points in the 2nd to take a 3-point halftime lead.
Ayton had 14 at halftime, his offensive rebounding was really good against the smaller Clippers. Booker had 11, nothing special. Cam Johnson had 10 off the bench but the key was their dominance in the paint. 34-22 paint advantage in the first half and they shot 58% from the field with 16 assists. They were getting to the rim and moving the ball really well.
That was only amplified in the 2nd half.
Devin Booker scored 16 straight in the 3rd as he kept attacking Zubac’s drop coverage on screens. The Suns offense was still rolling but their defense was poor. The Clippers shot 8/13 from 3, as they were winning those one-on-one battles. The Suns allowed a lot of dribble penetration and that led to a lot of open 3’s. If they played somewhat better defense, they would win.
That’s what happened. The Clippers stopped making shots as the Suns allowed less dribble penetration. Their offense continued to roll, like a hot knife through better as they continually attacked the paint. They built a lead and a late Devin Booker dunk sealed the deal as the Suns get a very impressive Game 1 victory to start this series off.
40 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists for Booker, who had 29 in the 2nd half. He was excellent in all facets of the game. Deandre Ayton had 20 points and 9 rebounds, with 3 offensive rebounds. He had some problems with the Clippers small ball lineup, but his offensive rebounding presence was very good.
Mikal Bridges had 14 points and Jae Crowder had 13. They both hit timely shots and did their best to slow down Paul George, who shot 39% for the game despite 34 points.
Cameron Payne had 11 points and 9 assists, another really good game. But the bench was very good, despite the fact that they were outscored by 14.
Cam Johnson had 12 points. 8 for Torrey Craig and Dario Saric had 2. While that’s decent, their impact was felt. Johnson was a +14 in 25 minutes. Craig was a +18 in 15 minutes. Saric was a +9 in 11 minutes. They all came in and contributed good minutes.
The Suns shot 55% from the field and 41% from 3. They were a +20 in the paint and they had 15 points off turnovers. They had 16 fastbreak points and 31 assists. They moved the ball well without Chris Paul and their defense fueled their offense. Devin Booker was amazing, great Game 1 all around for the Suns.
We don’t know when Chris Paul is returning, but it should be sometime before the end of this series.
(5) Atlanta Hawks vs (1) Philadelphia 76ers
Atlanta Hawks (4-3)
Wow, what a game. The two teams battled and battled and battled until the end but the Hawks showed why they were the better team. They played excellent defense and an unsung hero named Kevin Huerter led them to the win.
Even with Trae Young struggling, the Hawks pulled out their 3rd road win of this series and they upset the #1 seeded 76ers to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kevin Huerter had a playoff career high 27 points and 7 rebounds, he was excellent. He hit 3 big free throws with under a minute to go that really sealed the deal in this game.
John Collins had 14 points and 16 rebounds, he was a force down low. Clint Capela had 13 points and he did a pretty good job on Embiid. Trae Young was awful, 5/23 shooting and 2/11 from 3 but he had 21 points and 10 assists. He also hit a big 3-pointer with 2:31 left that momentarily silenced the crowd.
Danilo Gallinari was another hero, the free agent signup for the Hawks this year had 17 points off the bench but he stole the ball from Embiid and got a dunk the other way with 42 seconds left, putting the Hawks up 6 and ending the game.
The Hawks looked like the more poised team, even though they have considerably less playoff experience than Philly. They forced 17 turnovers and that led to 15 points for them. They had the better bench, they shot better from the field, and they got to the free throw line more. They were the better team.
Now they are in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bucks. Game 1 of that series is on Wednesday, that should be a good series.,
Philadelphia 76ers (3-4)
God this team is so disappointing.
All year, 76ers fans were saying this year was different, Ben Simmons is the DPOY, we’re winning the East. All of that just to lose in the 2nd round, blowing an 18-point lead in Game 4 and a 26-point lead in Game 5. You lost 3 home games in this series and you lost when Trae Young shot 5/23 from the field.
Trust the process, indeed.
Ben Simmons has to go. He’s scared to shoot the ball, he’s a liability, and you’re paying him so much to play one side of the ball. He literally passed up a wide open layup when you’re down by two with 3:29 left in game 7. He passed up the layup, Thybulle got fouled, and he only went 1/2 from the line. He just has to go.
I think you would have won this series with James Harden. I know Tyrese Maxey is good, but you would have won this series with James Harden. The Simmons-Embiid duo is done, hopefully. Daryl Morey has to make a move this offseason, but who would want Simmons. He’s the anti modern NBA and if you want postseason success, you can’t have him on your roster.
Your MVP? 8 turnovers in Game 7. Embiid was good but 8 turnovers is 8 turnovers, not good. He still had a very good game, but he had half of team’s turnovers. Harris struggled, the bench did next to nothing, it was a failure summed up in one game.
This team needs changes. Doc Rivers has now blown 3 3-1 leads as a head coach, it’s not a coincidence, he’s just not that good as a coach. Ben Simmons has to go. For what, I don’t even know, he just has to go. You need to build this team around Embiid, instead of trying to fool yourself with this Simmons-Embiid “duo.”
The Process isn’t over Philly, it won’t be until you at least make the Finals. And let me tell you, this current team won’t win. Expect changes this offseason.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 2 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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Great Post…. Agree about Simmons… Is AI still playing??