Suns @ Warriors Tuesday game thread 5-11-2021

[AzStevenCal]

Uh, what can the team take from this one?

That we aren't as good as our record.

 

[Mainstreet]

I never thought we could count on Saric since he got here. Nothing has really changed. Ayton? That's a different story. We can't go far with him playing like he has the past two games.

I said it after the last game. Booker can put up 30+ and Paul 10 assists and we are still very beatable unless Ayton shows up. If Bridges is off too? It's going to be tough to counter many teams we face in the playoffs.

Ayton is the Suns only interior player as a starter. They rise and fall on his shoulders.

The Suns need Saric when Ayton goes to the bench or he is not clicking but that is not happening.

Kaminsky and Craig give the Suns all they have.

 

[Cheesebeef]

That we aren't as good as our record.

we’ve definitely benefitted from good health to our core 4 and a rash of injuries/load management throughout the rest of the league.

we also peaked too soon... or our schedule just caught up to us. Still been a really fun season. Just gonna be bummer of an ending.

the off-season will be huge to see if they can make one legit title run before CP3’s legs fall off.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I never thought we could count on Saric since he got here. Nothing has really changed. Ayton? That's a different story. We can't go far with him playing like he has the past two games.

I said it after the last game. Booker can put up 30+ and Paul 10 assists and we are still very beatable unless Ayton shows up. If Bridges is off too? It's going to be tough to counter many teams we face in the playoffs.

Last two games?

Ayton's last 9 games: 10.2 pts 9.4 Rebs (and only 8.7 rebs in 6 games this month - and that’s only bc of a 15 rebound night)

At least he’s getting to the line, oh wait, that’s 17 FTs in 9 games. NOT EVEN TWO PER GAME.

With some nonexistent defense.

maybe he’s got a wall. This is almost the most games he’s played in a season. He sure seems sluggish, lazy and uninterested.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I put his lack of shots on cp3 and book, not him. Although he should have got a couple offensive put backs.

He doesn’t even try to post up against smaller players and when he does it’s a turnover.

 

[Mainstreet]

I put his lack of shots on cp3 and book, not him. Although he should have got a couple offensive put backs.

Ayton stands around too much when he is down on the low post and is too easy to defend.

He has been in single digit scoring and rebounding three out of his last four games.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Are you watching him closely on offense? I keyed on him all night on offense. Tonight he never rolled hard to the basket. Sometimes He would make a weak at best attempt to get position on guys six inches shorter than him and then just stand there and do nothing. And he wasn’t attacking the glass.

he makes himself a non-factor on offense because he’s not willing to fight for position or possibly do the work to learn how to get it. I don’t know which one it is, but It doesn’t matter at this point because the end result is the same.

I think I made the decision tonight to look at us for what we really are... more of a 7 seed who played relatively injury free in a messed up season where injuries and load management dominated the league. So, I won’t go in being disappointed that we have to play the Lakers as a 2 seed. As we’ve come down the stretch and started playing full rosters, we’re looking more and more like a 4-7 club. And if the Lakers are healthy I DO look at them as a title favorite. So, what I want to see in that matchup is how much of a fight we give them. Does Devin play like a star when the lights shine brightest? Does DA get up for playoff games or continue this turtle crawling back in his shell performance the last ten or so games.

that’s what I’m kind of resigning myself to. But this team is obviously ahead of schedule. They’re a playoff team. If you had told me that at the beginning of the season, I’d have been stoked. The question in the off-season will be what is the move that makes them a contender with the big boys?

Yeah this sums up my thoughts well. It was a fun regular season. There’s finally life in this ball club. Lots of pressure on James jones now.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

That we aren't as good as our record.

Is that a lesson of some sort?

 

[GatorAZ]

He doesn’t even try to post up against smaller players and when he does it’s a turnover.

He’s playing like a female dog.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Ayton stands around too much when he is down on the low post and is too easy to defend.

He has been in single digit scoring and rebounding three out of his last four games.

That’s really what it comes down to. He’s too easy to defend. He won’t fight for position or learn to seal his defender. The fact that those two things are STILL a problem means he isn’t learning. He isn’t getting better.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

He’s playing like a female dog.

Lol. I’m not going there . . .

 

[AzStevenCal]

we’ve definitely benefitted from good health to our core 4 and a rash of injuries/load management throughout the rest of the league.

we also peaked too soon... or our schedule just caught up to us. Still been a really fun season. Just gonna be bummer of an ending.

the off-season will be huge to see if they can make one legit title run before CP3’s legs fall off.

That is a big part of it. We had an easy schedule and caught a lot of breaks, the schedule turned and even the breaks weren't enough to keep us winning at the same pace.

 

[Mainstreet]

Last two games?

Ayton's last 9 games: 10.2 pts 9.4 Rebs (and only 8.7 rebs in 6 games this month - and that’s only bc of a 15 rebound night)

At least he’s getting to the line, oh wait, that’s 17 FTs in 9 games. NOT EVEN TWO PER GAME.

With some nonexistent defense.

maybe he’s got a wall. This is almost the most games he’s played in a season. He sure seems sluggish, lazy and uninterested.

Ayton hitting a wall is probably the best case scenario as he might play better when the Suns get rest before and during the postseason.

 

[Covert Rain]

Last two games?

Ayton's last 9 games: 10.2 pts 9.4 Rebs (and only 8.7 rebs in 6 games this month - and that’s only bc of a 15 rebound night)

At least he’s getting to the line, oh wait, that’s 17 FTs in 9 games. NOT EVEN TWO PER GAME.

With some nonexistent defense.

maybe he’s got a wall. This is almost the most games he’s played in a season. He sure seems sluggish, lazy and uninterested.

I was specifically calling out the last two as good examples.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Ayton hitting a wall is probably the best case scenario as he might play better when the Suns get rest before and during the postseason.

That’s just me scratching for any small bit of hope with the big soft serve. That’s what he reminds me of . . . rancid melting soft serve vanilla ice cream.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I was specifically calling out the last two as good examples.

You weren’t wrong. I was just showing it’s not a short term issue. Not a blip. It’s soft serve at his most consistent.

 

[Cheesebeef]

That’s really what it comes down to. He’s too easy to defend. He won’t fight for position or learn to seal his defender. The fact that those two things are STILL a problem means he isn’t learning. He isn’t getting better.

there was a play halfway through the 4th where this couldn’t be clearer. He got the ball close to the post. Had someone 6 inches shorter guarding him, he skittishly tried to back him down, didn’t get much movement, the ball got poked away, he gathered back, panicked and then with 1 seconds left on the clock, instead of shooting a 15 foot turnaround, he threw the ball out to CP3 27 feet from the hoop for a shot clock violation.

he still has zero confidence in the post, whether it’s or Embiid or Dalvin Cook guarding him.

 

[Mainstreet]

That’s just me scratching for any small bit of hope with the big soft serve. That’s what he reminds me of . . . rancid melting soft serve vanilla ice cream.

Ayton and Saric have almost disappeared. The Suns don't have enough size and muscle if they don't get it from the center position.

If I were going to throw an idea off the wall, the Suns season ending schedule was brutal and they buckled under the load physically and mentally. This does give some hope come playoff time if team is spent. They will have a chance to regain their earlier energy and chemistry before the playoffs.

Who would have thought the Suns are a top four seeded team in the West before the season?

 

[Cheesebeef]

The thing that really sucks about playing the Lakers is that I was hoping this team would get some GOOD playoff experience this year, either have a tough first round 7 game series win, put up a fight in the second depending who they’re playing. Something to show for the great turnaround and something to build on playoff wise going into next year.

a complete and utter humiliation at the hands of the Lakers just isn’t great experience to build off. But maybe it makes Jones realize he needs to make one more BIG move to actually compete at that level.

 

[Mainstreet]

there was a play halfway through the 4th where this couldn’t be clearer. He got the ball close to the post. Had someone 6 inches shorter guarding him, he skittishly tried to back him down, didn’t get much movement, the ball got poked away, he gathered back, panicked and then with 1 seconds left on the clock, instead of shooting a 15 foot turnaround, he threw the ball out to CP3 27 feet from the hoop for a shot clock violation.

he still has zero confidence in the post, whether it’s or Embiid or Dalvin Cook guarding him.

I still remember that video from the Laker's game when Booker was blitzed and Ayton stood on the right side of the key beside Gasol. I still see that play when I close my eyes.

Passing to Crowder was still the right play but Ayton has to move and present a target when a player is in trouble.

 

[Mainstreet]

Lack of defense is a big part of the problem.

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[Cheesebeef]

Lack of defense is a big part of the problem.

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yeesh.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

We really need to beat Portland on Thursday. That could secure us the 2 seed and get the Lakers the 6th seed.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I’d start load managing guys. If we lose 2 of 3 and Clippers win 2 of 3 ( and their schedule is a walk), we could get the 3 seed.

or we could totally tank, lose all 3 games and maybe even slip to the 4 seed if Denver sweeps.

We really need to beat Portland on Thursday. That could secure us the 2 seed and get the Lakers the 6th seed.

the Lakers would still need to win out AND the Blazers would need to lose again to someone else because they’ve got the tie breaker over LA if they end up tied.

 

[Covert Rain]

Lack of defense is a big part of the problem.

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That’s not a bad stretch. That’s falling off a damn cliff.