Booker was sidelined due to injury, and Paul proved himself. The Pelicans dragged the game into the final-quarter decider moment, but Paul, 36, played an absolutely dominant performance. Facing the Pelicans' defense, he singled in from mid-range time and time again, forcing opponents to assist in defense, so as to create space and opportunities for his teammates.
However, in this game Willie Green and Monty fought each other. He knows the depth of the Suns' lineup, with a strong finishing ability at every position, and once fully fired, the Pelicans are even more hot. So the Pelicans decided to let Paul go his own way, after all, the 36-year-old man, constantly shooting from mid-range, seemed to be unkillable.
The ideal is very full, but the reality is very bone. Without Booker, Paul took the team, and he challenged Nance Jr. again and again with small hits. So in the game, after McClem scored, Paul switched colors from mid-range; Alvarado scored 7 consecutive points, Paul even threw violent hands, frantically chasing the catch-up; Ingram also scored a goal and began to fight back, but Paul was still fierce and decisive.
With 49 seconds left in the game and Paul hitting two free throws and the Suns leading 105-97, the game was over. In the final moments, Paul stabilized the control of the court and hit the free throw steadily, while Ingram came back to the sky against the sky at this time, scoring consecutively, which had long been useless.
Throughout the final quarter, Paul shot 7-of-10 and 5-of-6 from the free throw line to blast 19 points, 3 boards and 2 assists. In the whole game, Paul shot 10 of 18, 1 of 6 from three-point range, and 7 of 8 from the free throw line, with 28 points, 4 boards, 14 assists and 1 steal. In the key playoff campaign, Paul played nearly 40 minutes, but he knew all too well how to distribute his physical strength and how to grasp the key moments.
It's not that the Pelicans don't want to help defend, but Paul's assist ability makes him look at the six roads, the combination of virtual and real, and it is difficult to predict. In fact, many shots, Paul did not want to be a hero, and constantly singled shots. But the Pelican, in two bottles of poison, chose to swallow Paul's nightmare. Paul can't be so unsolvable in every game, but unfortunately, this time, he really has no solution.
In the last two games, Paul has delivered a total of 28 assists and not a single turnover, setting a record for the highest number of assists in two consecutive playoff games with zero turnovers. Paul scored at least 19 points for the fourth time in the playoffs, ranking first in history in nearly 20 years. In the playoffs, Paul made at least 10 assists with 0 turnovers in a single game for the seventh time, which is also a well-deserved league first.
The famous Ship went on to taunt James, saying, "Without Booker, 36-year-old Paul once again dominated the game, but James, who was just as old, no longer had that ability. ”
In the next 4th game, Booker is still unlikely to be able to play. If the Pelicans want to beat League Number One, they have to figure out how to break Paul's two bottles of poison.