Phoenix Suns - Western Conference Round 2 Roundup

Join us as we review the highs and lows of the of the 2nd round series vs the Nuggets, as well as previewing round 2. Who will we face?

Series Record: 4-0

Games Played and Results:

W - 122 - 105 - Home

W - 123 - 98 - Home

W - 116 - 102 - Road

W - 125 - 118 - Road

Well that series was no where near as close as I thought it was going to be. The Nuggets just didn't have enough fire power to keep up with our efficient offense and fell victim to our stifling defence.

Booker and Paul led the team on offence fantastically and Ayton essentially played Jokic as good as anyone ever has before on the defensive end.

The series was essentially a set of blowouts and frustration showed, as in the final game, MVP Jokic got ejected for trying to hit the ball away from Cam Payne and hitting him in the face in the process. Maybe it was payback for "Suns in 4 Guy" messing up a couple of Nuggets fans in the stands, at the end of game 3.

Apart from those to bits, there was no drama, the Suns just went about their business - winning.

Superstar Watch (stats for the series):

Booker - 25.3 Points, 7.8 Rebounds, 4.5 Assists, 1.0 Steals, 48.6 FG%, 30.8 3PT FG%, 3.5 Turnovers

Chris Paul - 25.5 Points, 5.0 Rebounds, 10.3 Assists, 1.5 Steals 62.7 FG%, 75.0 3PT FG%, 1.3 Turnovers

Scorching Suns:

Chris Paul

This has genuinely got to be one of the best series of Chris' career - it certainly was in terms of shooting accuracy.

Here are Paul's numbers from each game:

Game 1 - 21 Points, 6 Rebounds, 11 Assists, 8/14 FGs, 2/3 3PT FGs

Game 2 - 17 Points, 5 Rebounds, 15 Assists, 6/10 FGs, 2/2 3PT FGs

Game 3 - 27 Points, 6 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 9/16 FGs, 2/3 3PT FGs

Game 4 - 37 Points, 3 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 14/19 FGs

There was nothing the Nuggets could do in this series to slow down the Point God. Their defence couldn't deal with Paul in the pick n roll, especially as CP3 made it a point, all series, to get the switch on the Michael Porter Jr. He's not known as a good defender and was suffering with a bad back, so Chris knew he could take advantage of the match-up and he did.

Struggling Suns:

Cameron Johnson

This is tough one, as most played well, but I've gone with Cam Johnson. He wasn't able to shoot the ball as often as he usually does in this series, attempting only 3.8 FGs and 3 3-pointers. During the season he averaged 8.1 FGs and 5.6 3-pointers.

He averaged 4.8 Points, 1.5 Rebounds, 33.3% FGs, 41.7% 3PT FGs.

Stat Line of the Series:

Chris Paul - Game 4

Chris Paul decided that the Western Conference Semi Finals were not going back to Phoenix for a game 5

Game stat line:

47 Points, 11 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 15/22 FGs (68.2%), 8/10 3PT FGs (80%).

Honourable mentions:

All the Starters - Game 1

I mean - just look at the box score below.

All scored in double-digits. 4 of the 5 scored 20+ points and no one took more than 14 shots or less than 12.

Upcoming Games:

We still don't know who the Suns will face in the Western Conference Finals, with the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers still in the middle of their series.

Both teams pose problems for the Suns. The Jazz can be demonstrated with the Spiderman meme, however I still believe we have the upper hand in the match-up, thanks to Chris Paul being such an incredible leader. I'm also of the opinion that Devin Booker is better than Donovan Mitchell and that the way Ayton played against Jokic in the last round, shows that he'll have no problem dealing with Rudy Gobert.

The Clippers pose a different challenge. They're built around their 2 Superstar wings, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Kawhi is about to miss game 5 for the Clippers and there's reports that he may have an ACL tear. Even if they're fine and face the Suns in the WCF, I once again believe we have the upper hand. LA beat us 2-1 in the season series, but in the 2 wins they shot the ball ridiculously well - something that doesn't tend to happen in the Playoffs, especially with the Suns defence now clicking on all cylinders and leading the Playoffs in all major defensive statistics. Top to bottom we are more rounded, deeper team.

All of the above has a big question mark above it right now though......

Any Other Business:

Chris Paul's Health

Yesterday (Wednesday) it was announced that Chris Paul has entered the NBA's Covid Health and Safety Protocols and it's been reported that he tested positive on Monday for the virus.

Whether the Jazz - Clippers series goes to 6 or 7 games, it's likely that he's going to miss game 1 and probably game 2 as well.

Suns have announced they will give a further update on Saturday.

Have a listen to the Suns Solar Panel pod, featuring Flex from Jersey (the guy that broke the CP3 trade news) as they talk about the Chris Paul situation

Chris Paul up the Assist chart

Back to brighter news.

In the series Paul gained 2 places on the Playoff All-Time Assist list, passing "The Logo" Jerry West and Isiah Thomas placing 13th on the list.

Suns Record Books

In game 4, Booker and CP3 become the first Suns teammates to each score 30+ in a playoff game since Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire in 2005

All-NBA

On Tuesday night the NBA announced the All-NBA teams and for the 1st time since Goran Dragic in 2013-14, the Suns have a player on the List.

Chris Paul has been named to the All-NBA 2nd Team - Congrats CP3!

Unfortunately Devin Booker did not make any of the All-NBA teams. More fuel to his already fiercely burning fire, is what I'm thinking.

Go On My Suns!

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