The Comeback Kids Do It Again! Clippers Stay Alive With Game 5 Win! 6.28.21
It’s a Monday night of NBA basketball and we have Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between the Clippers and the Suns.
(4) LA Clippers vs (2) Phoenix Suns
LA Clippers (2-3)
Leading in a series is overrated anyway. The Clippers do it again. I thought there was no way they were winning this series, especially with no Zubac for Game 5 with a knee injury. But they’re small ball lineup worked to perfection as Ty Lue coached another masterpiece. The Clippers led for almost the entire game, dominating the 2nd half for a crucial Game 5 to keep their season alive.
And it’s not like Ty Lue and LA made some small changes. They made a lot. Here they are;
– Quicker pace in the first half. Never let the Suns get their defense set, forced a lot of mismatches
– Played small, started the game in a zone defense that gave the Suns fits to start the game
– Even with them going small, they had a 45-43 rebound advantage. Only allowed 7 offensive rebounds. Gang rebounding was very good.
-Ball movement was very good, lots of good shots. Died down in the 2nd half, but steady during the entire game
-Fed Paul George in the 2nd half, 30 2nd half points for PG. Put him in isolation at the top of the key instead of the wing, he dominated.
-Played DeMarcus Cousins and it actually worked. 15 points for Boogie and he was a +/- of +6.
The Clippers were great. That first half was very good offensively. Marcus Morris started the game 6/6 from the field, getting shots in the post over Booker with ease. He would finish with 22 points on 9/16 shooting. The Clippers are now 8-0 when he shoots over 50% from the field. In the first 4 games of this series, he shot a combined 10/34 (29%) and only scored a total of 25 points in those 4 games.
Reggie Jackson turned in another great game, 23 points. Patrick Beverley played excellent defense. Cousins was great of the bench, Batum was a +/- of +18. But of course, there was Paul George.
In that first half, he was ok. 11 points, 5/8 shooting. That’s pretty good. But he seemed relaxed. Some lazy passes and sometimes he would automatically pass instead of trying to score. Safe to say he was better in the 2nd half. He had 20 points in the 3rd on 7/8 shooting. He was aggressive and just hitting every shot in isolation. Made some tough finishes at the rim. He poured it on more in the 4th, finishing with 30 2nd half points, a playoff career high 41 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals on 75% shooting. Paul George everybody.
LA shot 55% from the field and only 33% from 3, although in this game, they didn’t just force up 3’s. They got good shots. Dominated the paint without Zubac down low. Outscored the Suns 58-32 down low, had a 19-8 fast break points advantage. Forced 14 Suns turnovers and that led to 23 points. This was as good as it gets, the closest thing to a perfect game that the Clippers could have possibly played in this situation.
In Game 6, they have to do the same thing. Paul George has to be aggressive from the jump. Guys like Morris and Jackson have to step up. Hopefully the shooting is a little bit better. Defensively, forcing turnovers really helped them and gang rebounding was pivotal. Keep Ayton and company off the glass. The Clippers laid the blueprint down for how they want to win this series. Now they just have to execute.
Phoenix Suns (3-2)
Everybody remain calm. The Suns did not look good in this game. The offense was good, but meh in the grand scheme of things when they simply couldn’t stop the Clippers. Booker and Paul played their best games over the past 3 games but this was ugly.
The Suns were a -26 in the paint without Ayton there constantly. Ayton had to be on the shooter and he was very bad in this game, a +/- of -22 after he had been so good in this series. Ayton also didn’t have nearly the impact he had on the offensive boards in this game than games prior. Bridges and Crowder continue to struggle shooting and they were at the mercy of Paul George in that 2nd half, as he scored 30.
Booker and Paul were solid, not dominant. Both shot below 50% again and Booker was a lot quieter in the 2nd half with only 12 of his 31 points coming in the 2nd half. The bench outside of Cameron Johnson, who had 14 points, didn’t do much. Dario Saric got bullied by DeMarcus Cousins down low and Cameron Payne didn’t have his usual impact.
The Suns can do a few things different. They can’t allow Cousins to be that good. Attack him with those pick and rolls, every single time. That zone defense that the Clippers ran out seemed to shock the Suns, they have to still get into their offense. Run those high screen and rolls and put pressure on the defense. Crowder and Bridges have to hit shots, because they have both been ice cold in this series.
Defensively they have to do a better job one-on-one. Ayton can’t anchor the paint, so the perimeter defense is key. 14 turnovers leading to 23 Clipper points were huge. The Clippers also dominated in transition. If the Suns can limit those turnovers, that’s a huge chunk of the Clippers offense that just goes away. But most importantly, the Suns can’t panic. They have to stay calm and execute the needed changes in Game 6. They have to remain calm because the Clippers have absolutely no pressure on them at all. The Suns do. Lets see how they respond.
What Are Your Thoughts From Game 5? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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