The Suns beat the Pelicans at home today to take a 1-0 lead.
At the end of the third quarter, the Suns led their opponents by eight points at 79-71 and eventually won. When the Suns held the lead after the third quarter of the season, the record was 48-0, with a 100% winning percentage.
Paul played 35 minutes today, shooting 12-of-16, 4-of-6 from three-point range, 2-of-2 from the free throw line, 30 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals, with just two turnovers and plus-minus of +20. Paul scored just 11 points in the first three quarters, but in the final quarter he blasted down 19 points in a single quarter to ensure the Suns weren't reversed.
Paul (36 years, 347 days) also became the oldest player in NBA history to cut at least 30 points and 10 assists in a single game in the playoffs, breaking Nash's record (36 years and 85 days), which was also seen in the first game of the 2010 Western Conference semifinals.
For the Suns, it is normal to beat the Pelicans, because the two teams have a big gap in strength and are the group matchup with the largest gap in the first round. The Suns' regular season record is 64-18, while the Pelicans are only 36-46, bringing the difference between the two sides to 28 games. This is the seventh largest win gap between the two sides in the first round of the playoffs after the 67-68 season.
In 1986, the Celtics played against the Bulls in the first round, and the difference in winning between the two sides reached 37 games. In 2016, the Warriors played against the Rockets in the first round, and the win difference reached 32 games. In 1988, the Lakers played against the Spurs in the first round, and the win difference reached 31. In 1996, the Bulls played the Heat in the first round, with a win difference of 30 games, and in 1992, the Bulls played the Heat in the first round and the Celtics in the first round against the Hawks in 2008, the win difference reached 29 games.
Under such a gap, the sun's elimination of pelicans is a high probability event, and even the possibility of sweeping is also very large.
Not only that, but the Suns have a single band in the league this season, and they are the only team with 60 wins this season, eight wins ahead of the second-place Grizzlies. In NBA history, there have only been four previous league first-place wins of at least eight games, and all four teams have won the championship, namely the Lakers in 1999-00 (8 more wins), the Bulls in 1995-96 (8 more wins), the Bulls in 1991-92 (10 more wins), and the Celtics in 1983-84 (8 games).
From that point of view, the Suns' hopes of winning the championship this season are great. Moreover, the Suns have already made the playoffs last season, and their strength has further increased this season, as long as they remain healthy, it is a big hit to win the championship.