Playoffs: Clippers @ Suns Sunday game thread 4-16-2023 - Game 1

[Finito]

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[Raindog]

If either Ayton or Cp3 showed up tonight.

Jeebus what is Monty thinking with the rotations? He said Ish. Started Okogie. Now okogie isn’t playing and Ish is. Then he continues to run with Shame game in and game out.

Monty and Shamet is like the dad coaching Pop Warner who insists on starting his crappy, unathletic kid at QB although he can't even throw a football.

 

[Jakester]

Worst thing of all is I doubt the Suns get another game like that from Craig in this series. He was definitely one of the hero's even in a losing effort.

 

[Hoop Head]

Have you looked at the Suns bench?

This is being overlooked. The lack of depth isn't on Monty. He can do no right. Blaming him for this loss is rich. This team has no heart and that's not on Monty. James Jones deserves far more blame than Monty does. You can't make a chicken salad with a bunch of chicken s..... I guess everyone wants a scapegoat though. Monty falls on that sword today, was obvious he would if the Suns lost. KD doesn't shoot enough? Monty's fault! Ayton doesn't shoot enough? Ayton's fault! Odd how that works. Don't get me wrong, Ayton was atrocious but I expected that. Zubac always outplays him.

The Clippers are a legit team, I didn't like this match up at all before they made their deadline moves and they got deeper and better. Westbrook isn't done either, that's obvious. The fit with the Lakers was bad but he's still a much better player than he gets credit for.

This is 4-5 matchup, not 1-8 or even 2-7. The Suns aren't that much more talented than the Clippers. The Clippers have depth and more chemistry. I didn't think we'd lose today but given how poorly we played I'm ok with it being a winnable game in the end as it really shouldn't have been. Hopefully this team responds well.

 

[Finito]

It’s the same old Monty offense. Only now it’s KD instead of bridges/Johnson in corner. Shameful. Fire Monty.

This X100

You have KEVIN ******* DURANT and you just ignore him down the stretch.

Monty is going to run his offense right out of a job

 

[Cheesebeef]

Worst thing of all is I doubt the Suns get another game like that from Craig in this series. He was definitely one of the hero's even in a losing effort.

Yeah… that’s the best we can get from Craig.

 

[Cheesebeef]

This is being overlooked. The lack of depth isn't on Monty. He can do no right. Blaming him for this loss is rich. This team has no heart and that's not on Monty. James Jones deserves far more blame than Monty does. You can't make a chicken salad with a bunch of chicken s..... I guess everyone wants a scapegoat though. Monty falls on that sword today, was obvious he would if the Suns lost. KD doesn't shoot enough? Monty's fault! Ayton doesn't shoot enough? Ayton's fault! Odd how that works. Don't get me wrong, Ayton was atrocious but I expected that. Zubac always outplays him.

The Clippers are a legit team, I didn't like this match up at all before they made their deadline moves and they got deeper and better. Westbrook isn't done either, that's obvious. The fit with the Lakers was bad but he's still a much better player than he gets credit for.

This is 4-5 matchup, not 1-8 or even 2-7. The Suns aren't that much more talented than the Clippers. The Clippers have depth and more chemistry. I didn't think we'd lose today but given how poorly we played I'm ok with it being a winnable game in the end as it really shouldn't have been. Hopefully this team responds well.

The Clippers are not a legit team. They have been below .500 since PG13 went out. And when we lose, they’ll prob get run out of the next round same way Dallas did last year.

 

[Mainstreet]

I can understand some wanting to blame Monty, but I don't know how one can take the GM out of the equation.

Who are the highest paid players on the Suns bench?

It's Shamet, Bazley and Payne.

 

[Covert Rain]

This is being overlooked. The lack of depth isn't on Monty. He can do no right. Blaming him for this loss is rich. This team has no heart and that's not on Monty. James Jones deserves far more blame than Monty does. You can't make a chicken salad with a bunch of chicken s..... I guess everyone wants a scapegoat though. Monty falls on that sword today, was obvious he would if the Suns lost. KD doesn't shoot enough? Monty's fault! Ayton doesn't shoot enough? Ayton's fault! Odd how that works. Don't get me wrong, Ayton was atrocious but I expected that. Zubac always outplays him.

The Clippers are a legit team, I didn't like this match up at all before they made their deadline moves and they got deeper and better. Westbrook isn't done either, that's obvious. The fit with the Lakers was bad but he's still a much better player than he gets credit for.

This is 4-5 matchup, not 1-8 or even 2-7. The Suns aren't that much more talented than the Clippers. The Clippers have depth and more chemistry. I didn't think we'd lose today but given how poorly we played I'm ok with it being a winnable game in the end as it really shouldn't have been. Hopefully this team responds well.

Who is overlooking it? Many of us have said the bench was bad. You know what? The bench has been short handed all season long. It was short handed after KD got here and yet we were winning with KD.

Nobody is ignoring that. It gives the Suns little margin of error.

You know what the Suns can’t afford? Having a short bench, then your coach making unfathomable changes in lineup in Game 1 of the playoffs and crapping the bed on top of that.

 

[Pokinmik]

Obviously monty switching everything up and getting us in a hole early was awful. His rotations throughout the game were awful as well. And even though we hung around, the game was lost at the end when the clippers made 3 straight 3s with under 2min left. A 9pt barrage late like that usually leads to a double digit deflating victory. For as bad as the Suns played and were coached it was actually a miracle the game was winnable.

 

[Red Bird]

Where was TJ in all of this? Arguably our best scorer off the bench and he doesn’t play 1 sec in a game where the bench had 10 points. That combo Monty threw out after we took the lead was just freaking awful.

 

[ajcardfan]

The Clippers are not a legit team. They have been below .500 since PG13 went out. And when we lose, they’ll prob get run out of the next round same way Dallas did last year.

I would never count out Kawhi Leonard.

 

[Folster]

Ayteen and Ayt from DominAyton! There's not a more Aytonesque line in a big game.

 

[Raindog]

Jones deserves blame, too. He and Williams were both stubborn asses in how they handled the Crowder situation. And Jones has a weird preoccupation with bringing in reclamation projects to fill out the roster. Which is fine if your team is a bottom feeder, not so much if you're supposed to be a championship contender.

Nevertheless, none of that excuses Monty's repeated coaching malpractice in key situations. It's not an either or proposition.

 

[Finito]

I can understand some wanting to blame Monty, but I don't know how one can take the GM out of the equation.

Who are the highest paid players on the Suns bench?

It's Shamet, Bazley and Payne.

This isn’t the first time though. We’ve seen this. It’s doesn’t matter who’s playing well Monty goes with his guys.

How did TJ Warren not get one minute

 

[Germz249]

What the hell..

Time to trade everyone away..

(I am just joking btw)

 

[Cheesebeef]

Jones deserves blame, too. He and Williams were both stubborn asses in how they handled the Crowder situation. And Jones has a weird preoccupation with bringing in reclamation projects to fill out the roster. Which is fine if your team is a bottom feeder, not so much if you're supposed to be a championship contender.

Nevertheless, none of that excuses Monty's repeated coaching malpractice in key situations. It's not an either or proposition.

Yup. Blame enough to go around for everyone when you face plant in Game 1 against a team missing their second best player.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I would never count out Kawhi Leonard.

Kawhi is incredible. No doubt but if he beats us and George ain’t healthy in the next round, they ain’t gonna look as good as they do beating us.

We’re soft. That’s on Monty and JJ. That’s the type of team they’ve built… while somehow being brain dead to the reality that the NBA revolves around the 3 ball now and for multiple seasons, we’ve totally ignored that as far as player personnel.

 

[Jakester]

Ross and Okogie barely play and Wainwright and Shamet get big bench minutes including in the 4th. The rotations were so baffling today it's almost like Monty's mindset was screw it we can lose game 1 at home as long as I get to keep messing with the lineups.

 

[95pro]

Zero points for TJ and Ross.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

If either Ayton or Cp3 showed up tonight.

Jeebus what is Monty thinking with the rotations? He said Ish. Started Okogie. Now okogie isn’t playing and Ish is. Then he continues to run with Shame game in and game out.

Blame Jones or Monty or whoever but not finding an adequate backup wing that can consistently put up decent minutes is a total joke.

 

[Cheesebeef]

In a physical series, sitting our most physical defender and energy guy who’s started the entire second half of the season is next level WTF?

 

[Hoop Head]

Who is overlooking it? Many of us have said the bench was bad. You know what? The bench has been short handed all season long. It was short handed after KD got here and yet we were winning with KD.

Go through all the pages here about this game and depth isn't really discussed. Its "Fire Monty" left and right. What is he supposed to do without depth?

Also over the last few game threads people are hyping up our end of the bench guys to be more than they are. They're not legit supporting players on a contender.

You know what the Suns can’t afford? Having a short bench, then your coach making unfashionable changes in lineup in Game 1 of the playoffs and crapping the bed on top of that

Hold on, you don't want them to have a short bench? This isn't making sense to me. The bench is short because the players are bad. No one on the bench should be seeing more than 10 minutes a night but in this thread people are complaining because KD played 40+ minutes. So you admit there isn't much of a bench but also say they can't afford to sit the bad players on the bench? Sorry but I'm not understanding what you want from this team right now.

 

[nashman]

Monty is toast unless he wins a chip this season period! Dude just is a terrible in game coach and seems not not sense flow in any game it’s ridiculous!

 

[Pokinmik]

It’s insane looking at the box score minutes and how Monty dispersed them. Maybe the worst coaching performance I’ve ever seen. Usually you go like 8-9 deep in the playoffs tops…with your 6th and 7th man getting like 15-20ea and then a scrub or two getting a few minutes at 8th-9th. Monty literally had 5 extra guys coming in and out for just a couple minutes, absolitely insane.