On May 8, Beijing time, in the fourth game of the Suns and Nuggets Division Finals, Kentavios Caldwell Pope scored a meaningless two-pointer in the last 4.5 seconds to chase the score to 124-129.
A five-point difference isn't a big deal, but in terms of the time remaining, it's enough for the Nuggets to give up resistance. When Devin Booker sent the ball to Kevin Durant, Pope did not attempt to foul again, and Durant dribbled the ball to the last bit of time before high-fived the crowd on the sidelines to celebrate the hard-won victory.
At the far end of the frame, a white figure also walked into the field, offering applause to these soldiers who managed to hold on to their home court and draw the series 2-2 on aggregate.
That man was Chris Paul, who was supposed to be the Suns' on-court commander, holding his ground with his teammates until the final victory. However, the veteran, who just turned 38, has missed the last two games in a row due to a groin strain in the second game of the series, and it is embarrassing that these two games have the Suns have the last laugh.
In the summer of 2020, when the Suns brought Paul to Phoenix with Richie Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Jaylen Lechu and a first-round pick, he faced a real mess - missing the playoffs for 10 consecutive years, and two young stars, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, had talent but didn't know what to win.
And Paul, one of the most outstanding point guards in NBA history, has just led the rebuilding Thunder to the playoffs, and his experience, court awareness, and leadership are precisely the Suns' most scarce assets.
Paul did not live up to expectations, in his first season with the Suns, he helped the team win 17 more games, return to the playoffs as the second place in the West, and eliminated the Lakers, Nuggets, and Clippers all the way to the Finals, although he lost to the Bucks and missed the championship, but this result is satisfactory enough.
That summer, in return, the Suns signed a four-year, $120 million contract with Paul to continue to strengthen the team and hit the first championship in team history, with him and Booker as the core.
But the sky is not as expected, although the Suns swept the West in the regular season last year and won the first place in the division, but lost to the Lone Rangers in the second round, and replaced Durant before the deadline of this season, the paper strength has been greatly upgraded, but in the playoffs it stumbled again, and after the first round due to the opponent's injury luckily passed, the second round was beaten 2-0 by the Nuggets.
Not only that, Paul, who suffered injuries at several key moments in his career, also strained his groin in Game 2 of the series with the Nuggets and is expected to miss at least a week, which is undoubtedly worse for the already problematic Suns. There are even people who start singing that they will be swept 4-0.
These people must not have imagined that in a desperate situation, but forced out the potential of the Suns - without Paul, Booker is more responsible, as a big core of the ball, the matchless mode is more intense, although Durant's hand has not fully recovered, but also relies on aggression to win 29 free throw opportunities in two games, two super scorers combined to score 158 points, Randale, Shamet and other role players also stepped up, the Suns won two consecutive games at home, pulling the two sides back to the same starting point, the next three games and two wins, although there is only one home court, success or failure is still unknown.
Please note: Despite the seemingly desperate 0-2 to 2-2 experience for the Suns, no one has been able to win the series so far on the road. There is an old saying in the NBA, "A series must start with the away team", and in the first round of this year's playoffs, the Warriors also lost two away games first, found a sense of winning at home, and finally eliminated the Kings by seven, and now, the Suns have every chance to stage the same story.
In terms of game content, the Suns also showed an improvement over previous games. The tacit understanding between Booker and Durant has gradually increased, and the Booker's baseline ball before the end of the first quarter today is sent directly to the front court, and Durant's extreme catch and whistle hit are the best proof.
Due to Durant's huge containment, it also makes the players defending him heedless and dare not easily let go of his bag Booker, giving the latter many opportunities to shoot lightly one-on-one, or even empty. In this series, Booker averaged 36.3 points per game, shooting 63.7% from the field, half of which belongs to Durant.
Not only that, but thanks to the presence of the two superstars, the Suns' other role players have gained a lot of super open space, and as long as they can take advantage of these opportunities, the Suns' offense will be more difficult to defend.
In addition, Paul's injury forced Monty Williams to try more bench rotations, and Warren and Ross, who played little time in the first two games, entered the regular rotation in the last two games and played a role.
Although the playoffs are a stage for superstars, with 48 minutes in a game, 7 games in a series, and winning four series to win a championship, the Suns still need more support from role players if they want to meet their goal of trading Durant.
Of course, while the Suns have shown some positive signs compared to the first two games of the series, there are also some stubborn problems that remain unresolved. For example, Ayton is still a dou who can't be supported, and even if he wins, it doesn't seem to have much to do with him. Another example is defense, the Suns won two consecutive games, but let Jokic play 30+17+17 and 53+10 crazy statistics, Jamal Murray also scored 60 points in two games, although offense is the best defense, but only attack but not defense, I'm afraid it's difficult to go far.
At the end of the day, this has just reached the divisional semifinals, and even if the Solar reverses the Nuggets, there are more difficult battles waiting for them. The problem of insufficient run-in in the regular season is difficult to completely solve through a playoff trip, and the Suns' championship plan may not be successfully realized this year.
Maybe in the offseason, they can properly dispose of Ayton in exchange for other lineup puzzles that are more suitable for Booker and Durant, while using the limited resources in their hands to continue to strengthen the defensive force and make the strength at both ends of the court more balanced, then before the start of next year's playoffs, they will become real championship contenders.
Unfortunately, Paul may not be able to witness that day. In this year's playoffs, his performance proved that with Booker and Durant's two attack points, his role on the offensive end is no longer indispensable. On the defensive end, at the age of 38, he is only cunning and less tough.
Most importantly, Paul's $30.8 million salary next season will only be guaranteed to $15.8 million, while $30 million in 2024-25 will be completely insecure. With Paul's current age and state, and his role alongside Booker and Durant, it's perfectly understandable if the Suns ultimately choose to trade or cut Paul.
If the Suns continue to lose after Paul's injury and are out dismal, the team will inevitably make major personnel changes in the offseason, then Paul, who has a high non-guaranteed contract, will naturally be the first target;
But if the Suns prove they can win without Paul, or even play better, it will remind management that the money can be spent in a more appropriate place.
After today's victory over the Nuggets, the Suns have earned hope for themselves again. But for Paul, from the moment he was injured a few days, he was doomed to lose.