Suns @ Bucks Sunday Finals game thread 7-11-2021 - Game 3

[Superbone]

Sitting in the Atlanta airport with a suns shirt on. Waiting for my flight to Milwaukee. Many stares.... Multiple nice people telling me if we were playing anyone else.... They'd be rooting for us.

Odd. Stop being nice to me! Haha

I met a couple of young Hawaiians with The Valley shirts on my plane flight home from Phoenix. They became Suns fans in the Nash years. They had flown out from Hawaii to go to game 2 and were on their way back home. Pretty cool to see.

 

[Raindog]

They better start showing our fans now too during the games 3 & 4 broadcasts. Enough with the Deer Valley.

Even better, cut to all the Suns fans in the "real" Deer Valley.

 

[Mainstreet]

I really don't want to jinx anything, but I am not sure we will see another game in PHX this year!

This would be fantastic from my perspective. We have the rest of the summer to celebrate.

Suns need to take care of business tonight.

 

[TJ]

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LMAO of course. Giannis gets his sidekick

 

[Mainstreet]

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LMAO of course. Giannis gets his sidekick

Of course.

 

[schutd]

We get the split someway, somehow in Milwaukee and win this sucker at HOME IN 4 (plus 1).

Heres how long Ive been away. Arent the finals 2-3-2?

 

[Mainstreet]

Heres how long Ive been away. Arent the finals 2-3-2?

It's a 2-2-1-1-1 format.

Personally I like it the best.

 

[AzStevenCal]

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LMAO of course. Giannis gets his sidekick

I'm not too worried about Foster. He typically calls slightly more fouls than the average ref and while he and Paul have history, the list of players that feel the same way about him is quite lengthy. He's often named as the most disliked referee in the game but he tends to grade out at or near the top by the NBA. CP3 and Booker just need to not push the guy's buttons.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm not too worried about Foster. He typically calls slightly more fouls than the average ref and while he and Paul have history, the list of players that feel the same way about him is quite lengthy. He's often named as the most disliked referee in the game but he tends to grade out at or near the top by the NBA. CP3 and Booker just need to not push the guy's buttons.

Say what you will but I don't want to count to 12.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Say what you will but I don't want to count to 12.

The players just can't let themselves get wrapped up in who the ref is. We have shown multiple times in these playoffs that we can overcome the refs favoring the opponent. I would argue game 2 of this series is one of those games.

I'm not completely confident CP can look past it though considering in his presser before the finals he said he expects 0-12. Not a great mindset to have going into a game if you want to win. Hopefully he will be able to not let it get to his head.

 

[Mainstreet]

The players just can't let themselves get wrapped up in who the ref is. We have shown multiple times in these playoffs that we can overcome the refs favoring the opponent. I would argue game 2 of this series is one of those games.

I'm not completely confident CP can look past it though considering in his presser before the finals he said he expects 0-12. Not a great mindset to have going into a game if you want to win. Hopefully he will be able to not let it get to his head.

Yeah. For awhile I thought the referees were going to let the Bucks use boxing gloves in the 1st half.

Until proven otherwise I'm with Chris Paul.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Yeah. For awhile I thought the referees were going to let the Bucks use boxing gloves in the 1st half.

Until proven otherwise I'm with Chris Paul.

Whether Foster is against Paul or not it isn't going to help him or the team to dwell on it. They just have to play their game and focus on doing what they can to win the game.

We saw what happened in game 3 against the Clippers when the team started to focus on the refs and it wasn't pretty. They need to remember the games that they won when the refs appeared to be against them in these playoffs. That will give them a much better chance of overcoming the refs tonight if they seem to be favoring the Bucks.

 

[Cheesewater]

Booker and Paul need to stop hunting and-ones by kicking the legs out on jump shots. Ease up on selling fouls, too. A ref like Foster takes that as disrespect and will punish you for it.

 

[Mainstreet]

Whether Foster is against Paul or not it isn't going to help him or the team to dwell on it. They just have to play their game and focus on doing what they can to win the game.

We saw what happened in game 3 against the Clippers when the team started to focus on the refs and it wasn't pretty. They need to remember the games that they won when the refs appeared to be against them in these playoffs. That will give them a much better chance of overcoming the refs tonight if they seem to be favoring the Bucks.

There is really not much choice. Focusing on the game is about all they can do and not let the referees get under their skin.

 

[Mainstreet]

Booker and Paul need to stop hunting and-ones by kicking the legs out on jump shots. Ease up on selling fouls, too. A ref like Foster takes that as disrespect and will punish you for it.

Referees might want to look at Giannis too.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Say what you will but I don't want to count to 12.

Foster has a short trigger and does not allow sustained reactions from the players but the players already know that. If we allow this to become a problem, that's on us not Scott.

There have always been rumors that Foster was dirty (close friend of Donaghy) but even if he was "dirty" at one time, I don't believe he could have continued that way (too much scrutiny). Anyway, we just need to keep our emotional outbursts short and play our game.

If we get screwed we get screwed. But there was a time in this league where Foster's style of keeping players at a distance and maintaining tight control was the standard. Maybe it's changed (I assume it has changed) but most of us that played any level of basketball and are over 45 grew up expecting referees to act like Foster does IMO.

 

[Mainstreet]

Foster has a short trigger and does not allow sustained reactions from the players but the players already know that. If we allow this to become a problem, that's on us not Scott.

There have always been rumors that Foster was dirty (close friend of Donaghy) but even if he was "dirty" at one time, I don't believe he could have continued that way (too much scrutiny). Anyway, we just need to keep our emotional outbursts short and play our game.

If we get screwed we get screwed. But there was a time in this league where Foster's style of keeping players at a distance and maintaining tight control was the standard. Maybe it's changed (I assume it has changed) but most of us that played any level of basketball and are over 45 grew up expecting referees to act like Foster does IMO.

As long as referees call it the same for both teams I have no problem with it.

From my observation Chris Paul treats the referees fairly so when he makes note of a referee I have to think twice.

I don't believe the Bucks players are better behaved than the Suns players.

 

[Bufalay]

They better start showing our fans now too during the games 3 & 4 broadcasts. Enough with the Deer Valley.

They should show suns fans in deer valley

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

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LMAO of course. Giannis gets his sidekick

It would be hilarious if it weren’t so damned predictable and awful. Foster gets to add to his “legacy.”

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I'm not too worried about Foster. He typically calls slightly more fouls than the average ref and while he and Paul have history, the list of players that feel the same way about him is quite lengthy. He's often named as the most disliked referee in the game but he tends to grade out at or near the top by the NBA. CP3 and Booker just need to not push the guy's buttons.

While this may be true, how many of those players have an 0-11 mark with him him reffing? Can’t be many bc some players have to end up on the other wiser of those games. The probability of that stat being a pure accident is difficult to believe given Paul’s overall winning percentages.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Booker and Paul need to stop hunting and-ones by kicking the legs out on jump shots. Ease up on selling fouls, too. A ref like Foster takes that as disrespect and will punish you for it.

I honestly don’t think book and Paul are hunting fouls. With most midrange jump shots you’re floating a bit from the launch spot which would cause your foot to rise and Paul’s jumpers almost all have a lean back which also requires a leg to rise as a counterbalance. Do I think some players (including Paul and book) do it purposefully to attempt to get a foul? Yes. Do I think every instance of a leg kick is such an attempt? No. And in fact I think the one that was called an offensive foul on book was a bad call.

 

[Bufalay]

While this may be true, how many of those players have an 0-11 mark with him him reffing? Can’t be many bc some players have to end up on the other wiser of those games. The probability of that stat being a pure accident is difficult to believe given Paul’s overall winning percentages.

While this may be true, how many of those players have an 0-11 mark with him him reffing? Can’t be many bc some players have to end up on the other wiser of those games. The probability of that stat being a pure accident is difficult to believe given Paul’s overall winning percentages.

I think the stat relates to playoff games. In that case Pauls winning percentage probably isn’t much higher than 50%. If the games are mostly second round games his percentage is probably under 50%. In that case the chances of 0-11 is still low but not as low as one might assume.

 

[Mainstreet]

Cam Payne talks about the keys to winning and the importance of beating the Lakers in the first round.

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[Dr. Jones]

Foster's appointment for game 3? Too predictable.

 

[Cheesebeef]

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LMAO of course. Giannis gets his sidekick

called it the second we won Game 2.