The end of the Day 2 action was the most staged Phoenix Suns host of No. 8 New Orleans Pelicans. On paper, the Suns were a big favorite, but as we saw this weekend, anything can happen in the playoffs, and the Pelicans took down two teams last week to win that opportunity. New Orleans did their part to make this game interesting in the second half, reducing the deficit to six points, but Chris Paul and Suns would not miss Game 1 as the defending Western Conference champions withdrew and withdrew 110- 99 wins.
Earlier, the Miami Heat did an easy job for the Atlanta Hawks, 115-91, to lead 1-0 in the series. The Celtics then beat the Nets 115-114, thanks to an incredible shot by Jason Tatum. In the third game of the day, Bucks and the Bulls played a thriller that ended in a 93-86 victory for Milwaukee.
NBA Playoff Schedule, Results
- Miami Heath 115, Atlanta Hawks 91
- Boston Celtics 115, Brooklyn Nets 114
- Milwaukee Bucks 93, Chicago Bulls 86
- Phoenix Suns 110, New Orleans Pelicans 99
Here is the full playoff bracket and the weekly TV schedule.
Here are three key conclusions from what turned out to be quite the last game of the first weekend of the playoffs.
1. Kneel before God on the spot
As we age, we tend to reduce our professional responsibilities. In a perfect world, we have found enough success in our golden years to hire the right young people to take on the burden so that we can intervene only when necessary. This is the stage of Chris Paul’s career right now. He has cultivated such a deep pool of youth in such a fine-tuned machine that he can move through most of the game, but when he has to turn it on, there is more than enough gas in the tank to do so.
This is what happened in this game. The suns led most of the way thanks to their star protection. His teammates made most of the hits. But when New Orleans reduced the deficit to six in the fourth quarter, Paul became the god of points again. Here is this sequence of successive possessions in the fourth quarter:
With seven sunrises we have the following:
- Chris Paul 3.
- Chris Paul is an assistant.
- Chris Paul 3.
- Chris Paul 3.
- Chris Paul going to bed.
- Chris Paul jumper.
This returned the lead to 14. The game is over. This is essentially what made the Suns so special this season. In the first three quarters, their net ratings ranked sixth, seventh and third, respectively. In the fourth? Jumps first with one side mile. They played 130 minutes for the clutch this season and won them with a total of 107 points. When Chris Paul speeds things up, the Suns go from great to historic.
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2. Ghost defenders
Here’s a great stat from Andrew Lopez of ESPN: The Pelicans shot 4 of 18 in undisputed shots in the first half. These are the blows that defenses can’t affect … or can they? The Pelicans apparently missed most of the strikes that Phoenix also hit, but their defensive strategy was so aggressive that it changed the way New Orleans acted, even when the possessions were going right.
Pelicans play an unusual number of threats without shooting for a playoff team. Herb Jones and Jackson Hayes can largely be left alone from deep down. Jonas Valanchunas and Naji Marshall can do the same, both of whom can do 3, but not often enough to influence the defense. The Suns took advantage of this by sending as many defenders of the ball as possible. Brandon Ingram and CJ McCallum barely found their eyes open throughout the half.
When they found them, they rushed. This happens when the defense plays a super-aggressive style for which the attack is not suitable. Even when they had room in their heads, they knew it was fleeting and affected their blows. The Pelicans, of course, adjusted and had a strong offensive half. A similar story unfolded in their victory in the playoffs over the Clippers. But the Suns have a different level of protection. They are so good that they can challenge blows that they don’t actually compete.
3. Dance with Nance
New Orleans doesn’t have a very good option for use in the center against Phoenix. There are only a handful of great men in basketball who check every defensive field you have to check against them. Jonas Valanchunas is too slow. Jackson Hayes is too harsh. Larry Nance Jr. is too young. Everyone has flaws. All three will play significant minutes.
Hayes and Valanchunas lost their minutes by 11 points each. Nance lost only three. This is a small sample, but the Clippers game was somewhat similar. The pelicans came to life insultingly only when they were young. Nance is not a goal scorer like Valanchunas, but he can cover as much ground as Hayes and allow better scorers to play elsewhere. His playmaking is just as valuable. His 14 points and three assists do not give enough to show how influential he can be offensively.
Nance played just 20 minutes in that game. Valanchunas received 31. As the series progresses, we will probably see how these two numbers turn. Nance sacrifices the rebounding advantage that Valanchunas brings, and he is so small that DeAndre Ayton can get away with almost anything against him one on one in attack. But in these high-leverage games, it just starts to seem that the Pelicans need Nancy’s flexibility on the floor as much as possible.
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