Today's playoff Pelicans beat the Suns to tie the series total to 2-2. But there was a discordant scene in the game, with Pelican rookie Jones stealing the Suns' sideline and then breaking through to the layup. Paul stopped Jones from losing the foul, and slow motion showed Paul hitting Jones in the head while defending. The referee gave Paul a first-degree malicious foul after a review, and Jones subsequently made two technical foul free throws. Paul's move caused an uproar. Whether Paul was intentional or unintentional, this game Paul and the Suns lost outright.
Paul scored four points at the beginning of the game, but he did not expect that paul shot all the shots in the next 42 minutes of the game. Paul ended the game with just four points in a single game, and the last time Paul scored four points in a single game in the playoffs was 13 years ago. Paul's feel was very sluggish, and the Suns' offense came to a standstill. As we all know, Paul is the Suns' offensive driving force, and Paul's average assists per game in the regular season is the first in the league. Under his combing, the Sun's attack is well organized, and the players' running positions are very skillful. The Suns lack an important scorer after Booker's injury, and the Pelicans will focus more on Paul. When the Suns needed to score, it was Booker who stood up, and now they need Paul to stand up, but Paul's performance today was disappointing.
Paul has been inactive since the second half, and even if he could deliver exquisite passes, he would not change the outcome of the team's loss. Because the rest of the Suns don't have that autonomous offensive ability, the real strong kill with the ball can only rely on Paul. As a contrast, Ingram is exuberant in verse 3. Difficulty in holding the ball, mid-range strong kills, and breakthrough dunks are all coming. Led by Ingram, the Pelicans hit an offensive climax, suppressing the Sun's counter-attacking fire. At this time, if Paul can show something, will the Suns reverse the score?
Paul didn't feel good today, he was restricted from saying anything, and he was very depressed when he played. Today the Pelicans were perfectly in place for his defensive strategy, limiting Paul with losing draft Pick Alvarado. Alvarado is a player with a high basketball IQ, and today he made Paul an offensive offense and successfully stole Paul. After the violation, people felt that Paul's mentality was a bit out of balance. In the playoffs over the past few years, Paul has always given people a sense of maturity and stability. No matter how the game fluctuates and how many points the team is behind, Paul can maintain his mentality. Last year, the Suns were able to defeat the stormtrooper and successfully reach the finals. In today's game, Paul was clearly out of form, and being snatched by the lost draft was an example.
After Paul's state of mind fluctuated, there was the scene mentioned at the beginning of the article. The Suns' serve was snatched by Jones, who drove straight in. At this time, Paul was alone in the inside defense, and Paul hurried to defend. But unexpectedly, it hit Jones directly in the face, and the referee looked back and gave Paul a first-degree malicious foul. It's not easy for us to judge whether the ball was intentional or not, but Paul is indeed a player who plays a lot of small moves. How many small gestures did Paul make? There are many small movements that we can't see, such as pulling, pushing, and elbowing, and Paul has played to his extremes within the scope of the rules. After all, his height is here, and he has to think of some ways to attack. However, once the poor control turns into malicious fouls, it is not worth the loss.
The intensity of playoff confrontations has increased, and the NBA will not easily blow penalties for some small actions. Players shouldn't turn into deliberately hurtful moves, and the Sun's 2-2 mentality may now be chased by the Pelicans. As the leader of the team, Paul should help the team regulate this mentality. They still have the upper hand and have home-court advantage. Hopefully Paul can bounce back as soon as possible in the next game. Dear friends, how do you evaluate Paul's performance in this game? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below the article.