It’s Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and the Phoenix Suns are a mere 48 minutes away from advancing to their first NBA finals since 1993.
Although Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton have been the core players of this Suns squad, it’s tough to give a deaf ear to the noise Chris Paul has been making all year long. Without the veteran ‘Point God’ it’s tough to imagine if the Suns would be in this position or not. It’s no discredit to the talent that Booker and Ayton bring to the table, but Paul seems to be the biggest piece of the puzzle that makes things click in Phoenix.
Here’s a closer look at how great the Suns’ trio has been down in their first postseason run together.
- Devin Booker (14 Games): 27.1 PTS, 6.6 REB, 45.2% from the field
- DeAndre Ayton (14 Games): 16.6 PTS, 11.4 REB, 70.9% from the field
- Chris Paul (12 Games): 15.8 PTS, 8.8 AST, 44.6% from the field
There’s no doubt that the Suns have three players beyond capable of taking over a game let alone a playoff series, however, seasoned veterans like Chris Paul have clearly learned to humble themselves despite being up 3-1.
"Yeah, I don't wanna talk about 3-1."
Chris Paul's not tryna hear the 3-1 talks after Suns defeated the Clippers.pic.twitter.com/bQHwYIWfZs
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 27, 2021
The job is not done but Game 5 is the most ideal scenario for the Suns to close out the series at home and be crowned Western Conference Champs. However, before envisioning that, Phoenix will have to outlast Paul George and try and keep things close unless they hand Los Angeles a blowout loss.
The Suns were just 1-of-6 on wide-open 3-pointers last night, and they were just 6-of-22 combined over the last three (7.3 attempts per game).
The Suns averaged 13.8 attempts per game in each of the Lakers and Nuggets series (17.8 per game in the regular season).
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) June 27, 2021
Suns head coach Monty Williams was asked about the quality of looks Devin Booker and Chris Paul got in Game 4, and he ended his answer by saying he was “hopeful that we see an offensive explosion here soon,” while acknowledging the excellent defensive play Pheonix showed in that game as well.
Game 5 will be a test to see who has the better offense down the stretch. The Game 4 outing that saw the Suns win 84-80 was the lowest-scoring NBA game this season that saw a total of a mere nine 3-pointers made by both teams.
PHX and LAC combined to shoot 9 of 51 from the 3-point range… 😬
*Every single NBA game* all year long had at least 11 total made 3s. pic.twitter.com/JXOw2o8ZIC
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) June 27, 2021
In fact, Game 5 could come down to how good Chris Paul can be down the stretch. The veteran guard has shot 11-of-41 (26.8%) from the field in his two games this series. Interestingly enough, Game 5 will also be Paul’s first home game since the semifinals against the Nuggets. But contrary to popular belief, Paul has ultimately performed better on the road than compared to home this postseason.
- Chris Paul at home in 2021 playoffs: 12.0 points, 9.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 47.8 FG%
- Chris Paul on the road in 2021 playoffs: 18.6 points, 8.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 43.2 FG%
Even if Paul isn’t a whole lot better than the past two games, Phoenix knows the last time they were at home was Game 2 of this series in which DeAndre Ayton won the game on an inbound dunk with a mere 0.8 seconds left… this team is confident and their team morale is what has gotten them this far.
The Suns are up 3-1, showing no signs of letting their foot off the gas and getting ready to send yet another Los Angeles team back home…
