On Sunday, the Phoenix Suns lost 111-101 to the Dallas Mavericks in game four, and Suns star Chris Paul surpassed scoring points for the first time in his playoff career, prompting the seasoned point guard to adjust his play to avoid referee whistles.
"It's crazy, man. This is crazy. Paul got six fouls in 23 minutes and scored just five points, after which he said, "I can't put myself in that situation and let the referee do that." I can only look at myself and find ways to get better. ”
In the first 26 seconds of the game, Paul got his first foul and was already blown four fouls at halftime. Suns head coach Monty Williams said he should have replaced Paul earlier before the end of the second quarter, rather than leaving him on the court. He had already committed 3 fouls on his back. The risk finally happened: Paul had 1:52 left in the first half to receive his fourth foul.
"Our whole team should be more autonomous, dare to pick up the beams, start with me." Some of the decisions I made tonight put us in trouble. I shouldn't have put Paul on the pitch before the end of the first half, especially before half-time. Williams said.
Lone Ranger star Luka Doncic called Paul "one of the best point guards the league has ever played," and Paul's fourth foul was when the two of them were scrambling for rebounds— a feat Paul excelled in.
"I saw that he was trying to grab the rebound and I was a bit surprised. He asked me ' Did I push you that hard?' I said'no, but that was a very clever ball!' He said, 'Okay, I get it. Doncic said after scoring 26 points and 11 assists.
Paul's fifth foul came a few minutes into the start of the third quarter when he dribbled in the backcourt before colliding with Jaylen Brunson, who was defending him by the Lone Rangers. Williams challenged the penalty, but the referee upheld the verdict after the challenge.
Referee Fitzgerald defended the ruling in an interview with reporters after the game: "Chris Paul turned the direction to the defender's path and did not give the defender the opportunity to avoid physical contact, which is why he was whistled for an offensive foul. ”
Williams knew paul would be disqualified with just one foul left, so he replaced paul with 9:32 left in the third quarter and didn't get him back on the court until 10:28 with 10:28 left in the fourth quarter. The Suns were tenacious during that time. In the absence of an All-Star Commander, their point difference only widened from 7 to 9. Unfortunately, Paul didn't stay on the pitch for another iconic finish. As of Sunday, Paul had averaged 9.7 points in the fourth quarter of the playoffs this season, leading the league.
In the 4th minute of the fourth game, he played only 1 minute and 30 seconds before fouling Brunson in another round, thus receiving his sixth foul and being sent off. Fitz Gerrard explained to reporters when asked about the blowing penalty that "when Brunson jumped up to grab an offensive rebound, Paul grabbed Brunson's right wrist, causing Brunson to lose his balance in the air and fall backwards."
According to ESPN statistics, this is the fourth time Paul has been sent off in a playoff career and the first since 2018. As Paul sat on the bench, the Suns' offense was tough. ESPN statistics show that the Suns shot 42% (including 27% from three-point range) when Paul was out, compared to the Suns' 53% shooting percentage (including 50% three-point shooting) when he was on the court. Understandably, Paul has always been concerned about his family, having been harassed at the American Airlines Center on Sunday, and he sidestepped specific questions after the game.
"I've got to go back and watch the video and figure it out." Paul said, "Tonight it seems to be confused. ”
Suns shooting guard Devin Booker led the team with 35 points, alluding to the controversy over the referee's decision in Game 4. Booker said: "I've played 500 games of this kind or something like that, and I've never seen a game like this today. So it's tough. It's a different type of game, a different energy. I mean, I had foul trouble at the beginning of the game. An unjustified technical foul. ”
Booker said he believes the Suns will respond strongly in game five at home to Phoenix. Booker said: "We're just going to play our game, play the Suns basketball. We're going to keep playing, whether we feel like the referee is targeting us or not. We all have to fight all the way to the end. I think everyone in our team has been through worse situations than that. ”
Paul scored 14 points in the 28th minute in the fourth quarter of game two to help the Suns take a 2-0 lead and ushered in a nightmarish series. In his last two games against the Lone Ranger, he's only scored just 17 points in total, not to mention seven turnovers in game three and six fouls in game four.
Williams said expecting to win in Game Five and then beat Dallas in Game Six is the mentality of his team. Booker pointed out that the Suns played in three series games in the playoffs last year, plus the Suns also played six games in this year's first-round victory over the New Ollian Pelicans.
"We know it's a series, it's the playoffs." Booker said, "The best teams in the NBA are all here, and no one wants to lose. So accept it all, flush out the game and face it with the right mindset. If we've been worried about the last few games, I think we'll be at a disadvantage. ”