Before the playoffs, surely no one would believe the Pelicans could cause trouble for the Suns. After all, the Pelicans have a 9th-place regular season record in the West and only made it through the playoffs to reverse and advance to the playoffs. The Suns have the highest regular season record in the league and are the biggest favorites to win the championship this season, and the difference in strength between the two sides is obvious. Now, the Pelicans really cause trouble for the Suns, and the two sides are in a 2-2 series, and if the Suns lose the Battle of TennoZan next, then it will be really interesting!
The Suns have performed very well in the last 2 seasons, and last season, the Suns have successfully reached the finals. Unfortunately, the Suns were unable to take their chances after leading 2-0 in the Finals. In the end, the Suns were beaten by the Bucks for four consecutive innings, and Paul still failed to win the first championship of his career. This season, the Suns have achieved the first record in the league and are once again among the champions. Unexpectedly, however, the Suns were in trouble in the first round of the series, with Booker's injury being part of the factor, and Paul's slump.
The Suns' series G4 with pelicans, the Suns without Booker are like losing their main heart, and the offensive system can't work well. Paul, who has been in the NBA for 17 years, failed to help the Suns win the first match point. Although Paul delivered 11 assists in G4, his offensive performance was disastrous. The whole game 8 shots hit 2 goals, three points is 3 shots 0, in the end Paul in the G4 only got 4 points, 3 mistakes is the highest value of the game, many people even gave Paul a "quarterback" nickname.
Is it possible that Paul has not won a championship so far in his career, but paul is actually too unlucky? Don't believe it, although injuries are part of competitive sports, Paul is really unlucky. How bad was Paul's luck? According to statistics, since 2015, Paul has suffered injuries in the playoffs for 4 years. In the 2015 playoffs, Paul strained his hamstrings. In the 2016 playoffs, Paul fractured his right hand. In the 2018 playoffs, Paul strained his hamstring again. In the 2021 playoffs, Paul suffered a shoulder injury.
Not only that, if you count Paul's partner, then since 2015, there have been 6 years of playoffs that have been very unfriendly to Paul. In addition to the 4 years when Paul himself suffered injuries, there were 2 years when Paul was injured. In the 2017 playoffs, Paul partner Griffin injured his right toe. In the 2022 playoffs (this season), Paul's partner Bukla injured a hamstring and had to miss some playoff games due to injury. In the end, the Suns were equalized by the Pelicans, and the two sides will continue to engage in a brutal battle of Tenno Mountain!
According to the schedule, the Suns and Pelicans series G5 will take place on April 27 at 10am. Whichever team wins this showdown will win the series. While the Pelicans made it through a playoff counterattack to advance to the playoffs, the Pelicans ranked 9th in the West in the regular season this season. If the Pelicans eventually eliminate the Sun on the lower gram, then the "Black 9 Miracle" will be created. At that time, the Pelicans will set a new NBA record, becoming the first team in the NBA to advance to the playoffs as the 9th in the division and successfully eliminate the 1st team in the division!