Suns @ Lakers Thursday Playoff game thread 5-27-2021 - Game 3

[Cheesebeef]

I am in favor of sitting CP3 for game 3. Give him more time to heal and rehab and see how he feels on Sunday...

i truly think this is the move. It’s an emotional blow to see CP3 struggle out there and the Lakers can play 5 on 4 on D. Only chance we have is if he gets healthy or healthier and continually playing did make him look worse as the game went on.

sit him in Game 3. Maybe the Lakers come in super overconfident and we shock ‘em. Likely not, but you try and buy a little time to get CP3 back in there with as many bullets in the chamber and fire away in Game 4 to get the split.

 

[Mainstreet]

It was definitely the hit from LeBron... Cam had nothing to do with the injury.

This is the way I see it as well although it was not intentional.

 

[Mainstreet]

All kinds of ideas on resting Chris Paul but I think resting him game 3 is the prudent thing to do.

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[Mainstreet]

Tickets for game 5 are on sale.

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[eastcoastSUN]

After seeing CP15 not shy away from the big moment yesterday, I have full faith that we can at least make it competitive for Game 3 if CP3 sits.

There's nothing you can do but ride the momentum of a guy who is playing with every chip on his shoulder - from out of the league, in China, to getting called up in the Bubble and now (potentially) starting Game 3 of the Playoffs against the defending champs.

Look, this isn't the old Suns of the past where if Nash is out, we are literally SOL and hoping Marcus Banks can hit an open 17ft jumper. We have alot of depth. And CP15 aint scared of the bright lights. I say bring it on.

 

[Chaplin]

I think it’s impossible to say the culture hasn’t changed. We used to be the joke of the entire league. Even last year before we got CP3, we made moves to change that culture with the Monty hire and bubble. Last years off-season doubled down on changing the culture and Sarver spent to hammer that home.

losing to the Lakers at this point isn’t about culture. It’s about talent. They had more than us before the series and now that’s compounded incredibly by losing an MVP candidate.

The Lakers don't have more talent than us, even with a hobbled Chris Paul. They only have two otherworldly players.

Again, if Chris Paul was 100% OR (not AND) our wings had stepped up we'd be 2-0. We are better than the Lakers.

 

[82CardsGrad]

i truly think this is the move. It’s an emotional blow to see CP3 struggle out there and the Lakers can play 5 on 4 on D. Only chance we have is if he gets healthy or healthier and continually playing did make him look worse as the game went on.

sit him in Game 3. Maybe the Lakers come in super overconfident and we shock ‘em. Likely not, but you try and buy a little time to get CP3 back in there with as many bullets in the chamber and fire away in Game 4 to get the split.

It's somewhat stunning that, even with a hobbled CP3 who barely played at all in the 2nd half, we essentially played the Lakers even in Game 2.
Had we not turned the ball over as much as we did, which gave the Lakers a whopping 21 points off those TO's, you can make the argument that we win last night. Even with Crowder, Bridges, Saric and Cam Johnson essentially absent!

I might be stretching the what's possible... but, if we can somehow reduce the TO's and get just a bit more output from the 4 players I noted above (while Book, Ayton and Payne remain at their current high level of play), we could actually pull a game out in LA!

 

[95pro]

After seeing CP15 not shy away from the big moment yesterday, I have full faith that we can at least make it competitive for Game 3 if CP3 sits.

There's nothing you can do but ride the momentum of a guy who is playing with every chip on his shoulder - from out of the league, in China, to getting called up in the Bubble and now (potentially) starting Game 3 of the Playoffs against the defending champs.

Look, this isn't the old Suns of the past where if Nash is out, we are literally SOL and hoping Marcus Banks can hit an open 17ft jumper. We have alot of depth. And CP15 aint scared of the bright lights. I say bring it on.

I like that, cp15

 

[95pro]

then there's this too

we know the nba doesn't have the balls to do anything to the lakers

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[Cheesebeef]

The Lakers don't have more talent than us, even with a hobbled Chris Paul. They only have two otherworldly players.

Again, if Chris Paul was 100% OR (not AND) our wings had stepped up we'd be 2-0. We are better than the Lakers.

with Paul, I think you’re right that we’re the better team than this current Lakers team. Without him, I think we’re at a big disadvantage in talent because of what you just said. They have two other worldly players. We have none. That alone makes them more talented. But more importantly, IMO is without CP3, our greatest disadvantage is inexperience. That reared it’s ugly head down the stretch last night when Bron and AD hit clutch shot after shot and we kinda melted down for a two minute stretch of bad shots and turnovers. I fear that only gets magnified on the road with pressure ratcheted up.

Or maybe the young guys come of age on the road. That’s a tall task against defending champs, the refs and on the road.

 

[Cheesebeef]

then there's this too

we know the nba doesn't have the balls to do anything to the lakers

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That’s AD hitting Crowder in LAST YEAR’S playoffs.

 

[WhyAlwaysMe]

How in the hell is he so confident the way the Lakers have been playing?

Even if they beat the Suns they are not going to win the west.

Is this your first Skip Bayless beer?

Also, I think Lakers are probably most likely to come out of the West now. Clippers are cooked. Jazz/Nuggets? Nah.

 

[nashman]

AD and LBJ are both *******! Cry and whine to the refs all the time so if you breath in their direction they are shooting FTs it’s ridiculous. And I am 100% convinced they are the #1 defense because the refs allow them to hack everyone and simply don’t call fouls, it’s crazy Book gets hit all night and they call nothing till the end when it’s too late. These refs make themselves part of the games period! And unfortunately when you have a couple superstars and play for the Lakers you get a crazy amount of calls how many FTs did AD shoot last night. The answer is probably more than our whole team combined...

 

[WhyAlwaysMe]

i truly think this is the move. It’s an emotional blow to see CP3 struggle out there and the Lakers can play 5 on 4 on D. Only chance we have is if he gets healthy or healthier and continually playing did make him look worse as the game went on.

sit him in Game 3. Maybe the Lakers come in super overconfident and we shock ‘em. Likely not, but you try and buy a little time to get CP3 back in there with as many bullets in the chamber and fire away in Game 4 to get the split.

All we need to do is get the split. No need to panic. They didn’t when we handled them in Game 1. Paul’s injury is strange; he might be fine Thursday or he might be done for awhile. I do think he provided some value last night. I would rather he play than Moore or Carter or Galloway (unless he feels worse now/tomorrow than he did last night).

 

[Cheesebeef]

Is this your first Skip Bayless beer?

Also, I think Lakers are probably most likely to come out of the West now. Clippers are cooked. Jazz/Nuggets? Nah.

if we don't beat them, I agree. I think they'll grind their way through the West. But who knows... maybe this is Luka's LeBron 2007 playoffs where he drags that team to a Finals they have no business playing in. Unlikely though.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

The Lakers don't have more talent than us, even with a hobbled Chris Paul. They only have two otherworldly players.

Again, if Chris Paul was 100% OR (not AND) our wings had stepped up we'd be 2-0. We are better than the Lakers.

Those two players make them more talented than us. There’s a reason they were favored in this series.

 

[95pro]

Is this your first Skip Bayless beer?

Also, I think Lakers are probably most likely to come out of the West now. Clippers are cooked. Jazz/Nuggets? Nah.

I completely forgot about Gordon being on the Nuggets. The defense he played on lillard was good. Imagine if we had landed him

 

[Proximo]

Is this your first Skip Bayless beer?

Also, I think Lakers are probably most likely to come out of the West now. Clippers are cooked. Jazz/Nuggets? Nah.

Mavs and Nuggets both should beat the Lakers the way they are playing.

So should the Suns, and hopefully they will. But down Chris Paul it's going to be tough.

 

[Proximo]

Those two players make them more talented than us. There’s a reason they were favored in this series.

Are you seriously that impressed with either right now. Lebron looks like a shadow of himself, and AD even in last nights game was not really that impressive.

 

[95pro]

That’s AD hitting Crowder in LAST YEAR’S playoffs.

Obviously.


To spell it out...

There's history between AD and Crowder.

Last year they did nothing about it.

This year its the nutts not the face/kneck.

The nba will not do anything (suspension) regardless of the facts.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Are you seriously that impressed with either right now. Lebron looks like a shadow of himself, and AD even in last nights game was not really that impressive.

Do they look like vintage Lebron and AD? No. Did they look better than everyone on the suns? Of course they did. Saying anything other is being neither objective nor realistic.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Obviously.


To spell it out...

There's history between AD and Crowder.

Last year they did nothing about it.

This year its the nutts not the face/kneck.

The nba will not do anything (suspension) regardless of the facts.

Personally I thought he kicked him in the nuts purposefully. It wasn’t a a casual leg swing that you typically see in those scenarios it was a quick kick and hit a precise target. I’d like to see if there’s any video of even a single other instance where Davis kicks like that rather than a more casual leg swing follow through. I doubt it exists.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Personally I thought he kicked him in the nuts purposefully. It wasn’t a a casual leg swing that you typically see in those scenarios it was a quick kick and hit a precise target. I’d like to see if there’s any video of even a single other instance where Davis kicks like that rather than a more casual leg swing follow through. I doubt it exists.

i thought it was on purpose as well.

 

[elindholm]

i thought it was on purpose as well.

Totally on purpose. Had it been an accident, you would have seen Davis react with some amount of surprise.

 

[Mainstreet]

Lakers will treat Chris Paul as if he is full strength.

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