Beijing time on April 29, today the NBA also arranged 3 playoff games, and the two games in the west (sun vs. pelicans, lone rangers vs Jazz) will also determine who the two teams in one of the semifinals are, with the Suns eliminating the Pelicans by an aggregate score of 4-2, the Lone Rangers eliminating the Jazz with an aggregate score of 4-2, and the semifinals of the upper half of the West are also officially released, and it will be the Sun and the Lone Rangers who usher in a head-on match.
Appreciating each other, Paul and Doncic will face each other in the semi-finals
As the number one contributor to help the Lone Ranger usher in the rise in recent years, Luka Doncic's style of play is also appreciated by the Suns' main controller Chris Paul, as early as the 2020 All-Star Weekend, Paul revealed in an interview with the media that his must-see show is Doncic's game, it can be seen that the veteran is very appreciative of Doncic's junior, and Doncic is also very admired by Paul, the old senior, when Paul was still wearing a rocket suit, Doncic, who was still a fledgling rookie player, Just in the case of the confrontation with Paul, the smile was revealed, and in January of this season, after the Lone Rangers lost to the Suns by 8 points, Doncic also praised Paul in the post-game press conference, calling him the best point guard in the league.
On the one hand, the team that wants to hit the championship again, and on the other hand, the team that has reached the Western Conference semifinals again after 11 years of absence, the Lone Ranger finally got rid of the dilemma of the first round this time, but it is really difficult to cross the mountain of the sun. It is true that there is still a certain disparity in the strength of the two sides, but Doncic and Paul, the two backcourt brains with high ball quotient, will definitely bring a different visual feast to everyone this time. These two all-star guards who appreciate each other and feel sorry for each other meet in this semi-final, and one of them is bound to stop on the semi-final stage and miss the Western Final.
Doncic may use the body advantage to create a misplaced singles opportunity for Paul
In terms of personal strength, Doncic, who averaged 29 points, 10.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1 block in the playoffs this season, is undoubtedly better, and in the case of the next semifinals and Paul's position, Doncic can use his height and weight advantages (height 2 meters 01, weight 104KG) to create a misplaced opportunity to crush Paul with his body, but Paul, who just led the Suns to eliminate the Pelicans 4-2, is not a vegetarian, as a short point guard with a height of only 1 meter 85, Paul can traverse the battlefield for more than 10 years, naturally there is a reason.
The Pelicans forced out the strongest Paul, can the Sao Paulo mode be opened again in the semifinals
In this series, in the case of Booker missing several games due to injury, Paul has reappeared in his "Sao Paulo" mode, 6 games to finish, he can also contribute 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 11.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game, shooting a shooting rate of 56.7%, especially today's elimination of the Pelicans, Paul is like a god, with 14 shots to refresh the NBA playoff record. In the semi-final with the Lone Ranger, Paul will definitely continue to show his signature mid-range, but also continue to let the ball run flexibly, to activate other role players, and participate in the attack together. When the Pelicans forced out the strongest Paul, in the next semi-final with the Lone Ranger, the old cannon can continue to emit what kind of light under the super giant confrontation with Doncic, which is indeed worth looking forward to.