On April 18, Beijing time, Paul, who was about to turn 37, rewrote history again. In the first game with the Pelicans, he played 35 minutes, shooting 12 of 16 from the field, 4 of 6 from three-point range, 2 of 2 from the free throw line, 30 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, only 2 turnovers, plus or minus +20! According to statistics, Paul became the oldest player in history to cut at least 30 points and 10 assists in the playoffs.
Defending wins championships, that's a truth for the NBA. In the first half of the game, the Suns' defense was suffocating. In the first quarter, they gave the Pelicans only 16 points, and the second quarter only scored 18 points.
Look at how well the Suns defended in the first half, with the Pelicans shooting just 22.4 percent from the field and just 4-of-15 from three-point range. What's even more terrifying is that in the first half, the Pelicans did not fight under the shooting and only 4 of 18 shots.
Bridges, who was shortlisted as a defensive player of the year, showed tough defense, and in the first half, he defended the Pelicans players on 0-of-10 shooting.
However, the Suns defense also had problems in the third quarter, allowing the Pelicans to blast down 37 points in the single quarter. You know, they only let their opponents score 34 points in the first half.
Fortunately, in the fourth quarter Paul broke out and the sun stabilized the situation. How strong was Paul throughout verse 4? He scored 13 points in 192 seconds and scored 17 straight points on all 7 shots. In the fourth quarter, he scored 7 of 8 in a single quarter and scored 19 points.
Paul also made new history, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to cut at least 30 points and 10 assists in the playoffs (36 years and 347 days), after that record holder was Nash (G1 in the 2010 Western Conference Semifinals, 36 years and 85 days).
It is worth mentioning that after the game, Paul revealed that when he blocked and demolished, he heard Willie Green shouting "go down the road" (defense), and then Paul also made targeted changes on the offensive end.