In the NBA playoffs G4, the Pelicans sat at home to beat the Suns 118-103, rewriting the big score to 2-2, and the two sides returned to the same running line. The Suns are the strongest team this season, their record ranks first in the league, but in the playoffs, the core of the team Booker was suddenly injured, so that the team was caught off guard, can only rely on the elderly Paul alone to lead the team, the last game they were brought by Paul they defeated the opponent, this game Paul was completely targeted, and did not show the strength of the superstar, the Pelicans crushed too strictly, as the biggest dark horse of the CBA this season, they are expected to create a dark horse miracle.
So the stronger Sun, why the Pelicans equalized the big score, there are two reasons, let's analyze together.
Paul slumped, praising his opponents after the game and promising the next adjustment
Why the Suns can achieve such a record in these two seasons, in addition to Booker's more and more mature, Paul's joining is indispensable, whether it is the regular season or the playoffs, Paul uses the most stable play to ensure that the team can be strong, but this game The Pelicans changed their strategy and strictly defended Paul, Paul did not say that the shot was made, every time he received the ball was difficult, and finally Paul only shot 8 shots, hit 2 times, scored 4 points, there were no free throws in the whole game, there were three mistakes, four fouls, All four points were scored in the first 6 minutes, and "São Paulo" did not appear at the crucial moment. The last time Paul scored four points came in 2009, when he lost 58 points in that playoff game.
After Paul was limited, the team can only single Ayton alone, although he shot 11 of 14, got 23 points and 8 rebounds, but in the end it was difficult to fight four hands, Bridges, Clyde, Shamet, Payne and other players fell into the slump with Paul's downturn, and no longer had the strong offense of the regular season.
Paul was very upset after the game, saying: "The Pelicans played very aggressively, they hit a lot of key goals, as opponents, we should give them more praise. I can't find any chance to shoot in this game, it's my own problem, I will adjust in the next game and continue to lead the team forward.
Paul praised the opponent, but also released harsh words, this game pelicans for their defense is completely top-notch, especially the young player Alvarado, defending Paul has appeared many times in the bright performance, the key last quarter once caused Paul 8 seconds violation, a successful steal, the old six did show his defensive skills, as an old-school point guard, you can hardly see Paul dribbling past the front court 8 seconds violation, the old six did all this, but Paul is a superstar after all, he put down the harsh words of the fifth game adjustment, will definitely do what he says, as a fan , we'll see.
The Pelicans' rebounding advantage was too obvious, and the Suns coach was unhappy with the referee
Another reason for the Suns' loss is the control of rebounding, the rebounding comparison is 48-39, the frontcourt rebounding comparison is 19-12, the Total Sun rebounds lost 9, the frontcourt rebounds lost 7, NBA history has been circulating, the rebounder wins the world. In the four-round series, the Pelicans got 65 rebounds on the whole team, while the Suns only had 34 rebounds, such a huge rebounding gap, coupled with the Suns' lack of core Booker, so that the gap between the two sides will not be particularly large, and there is a big score of 2-2 results.
The Pelicans are very strong inside players, Varan, Nance Jr., McCollum are all rebounding masters, especially Varan, in the past four games he grabbed 21 frontcourt rebounds, the total number of rebounds reached 64, this game with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists, beat Ayton. The Pelicans attacked Ingram and McCollum, defended with players such as Varan, and with the advantage of rebounding, it was getting harder and harder for the Suns to eliminate their opponents.
And compared to the pelicans' advantage, after the game, the Suns head coach Monty was very dissatisfied with the referee's decision, the number of free throws between the two sides in this game was 15-42, such a huge gap, how could the Suns win the game, Monty said: In such a fierce playoff, it is difficult to imagine seeing such a number of free throws, the number of free throws in the first half was 17-2, the second half was 25-13, we also attacked the basket wholeheartedly, but unfortunately we could not get the whistle, which led to the game being too difficult to play. Monty's complaint is fully understandable, the four players of the Suns team have committed more than four fouls, and they are all core players of the team, missing major generals, rebounds are exploded, fouls are constantly committed, and it is difficult for the Suns not to lose in this game.