9:30 PM EST, ESPN – Line: Even, Over/Under: 219.5
As one team looks to take a commanding 3-0 lead, another desperately tries to avoid falling into a damnable hole, as the Phoenix Suns look to press their advantage over the Dallas Mavericks, in Game Three of this Western Conference Semifinal from American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. After struggling at various points of the previous round of the playoffs, the Suns (56-18, 1st in Western Conference) have looked every bit the number one overall seed in the NBA through the first two games of this affair with the Mavericks. Indeed, it has been quite the about-face for Phoenix, who after losing (All-Star Swingman) Devin Booker (26.8 PTS, 46.6% FG, 38.3% 3FG, 86.8% FT, 5.0 REB, 4.8 AST, 1.1 STL, 21.3 PER) to a strained right hamstring midway through Game Two of the First Round, were locked into a bonafide street fight with the upstart Pelicans, who pushed (Head Coach) Monty Williams’ troops to the edge. Fortunately, Booker returned to the hardwood for Game Six, which saw the reigning Western Conference Champions finally put New Orleans to the sword in the form of a 115-109 victory in the Big Easy, which featured a perfect performance from (All-NBA Guard) Chris Paul (14.7 PTS, 49.3% FG, 31.7% 3FG, 83.7% FT, 4.4 REB, 10.8 AST, 1.9 STL, 20.8 PER), who totaled thirty-three points on 14-of-14 shooting from the field. And it was that unexpected experience that led some to believe that the Suns would indeed be on upset alert moving on to this Semifinal against the Mavs, but if we’ve learned anything from the first two chapters of this matchup, it’s that what happened in the previous round has NO bearing on its successor. So, what in the name of Cotton Fitzsimmons has happened in this series, you ask? Well, first and foremost, let us begin by saying that this is a VERY favorable matchup for Phoenix, who coming into this series had won NINE consecutive meetings, and after watching these last two encounters, it’s easy to see why. In three regular season meetings, Williams’ charges averaged 108.7 points on 46.9% shooting from the floor, including 33.7% shooting from beyond the arc, while dishing out 26.7 assists in comparison to committing just 10.3 turnovers, en route to completing the sweep. Thus far, Paul & Co have run rampant offensively, erupting for a prolific 125.0 points on a blistering 56.9% shooting overall, including 45.3% from downtown, while handing out 27.5 dimes opposed to 12.5 turnovers, and utterly DOMINATING Dallas on the glass (+12.0). Wednesday night’s 129-109 blowout marked their sixth straight outing in which they shot at least 50.0% from the field, clearing that benchmark by a WIDE margin. Indeed, the hoop must have looked as wide as an ocean in Game Two, as they torched the Mavs on 64.5% shooting, including 13-of-25 from three (52.0%). Believe it or not, the hosts actually trailed at halftime (58-60) despite netting 57.1% of their attempts, only to reach another level in the second half in which they outscored the visiting side 71-49 on a ridiculous 70.7% shooting and 9-of-16 from the perimeter (56.2%), with both Booker and Paul leading the way with a combined forty-one points on 16-of-21 shooting (76.1%). In the end, the home side knocked down THIRTEEN more field goals than their opponent, making up the difference in being outscored on triples (-12) and from the charity stripe (-2). However, they destroyed the Mavs in the paint (50-32), while turning seventeen turnovers into twenty-one points. Two weeks after straining that hamstring, Booker looked as dangerous as ever, leading the Suns with thirty points on 11-of-19 shooting (57.9%), including 5-of-8 from long range (62.5%), along with four rebounds and assists apiece, while Paul poured in twenty-eight points on a ruthlessly efficient 11-of-16 shooting (68.8%), with six rebounds and eight dimes. Apart from their two stars, (journeyman Forward) Jae Crowder (9.4 PTS, 39.9% FG, 34.8% 3FG, 78.9% FT, 5.3 REB, 1.9 AST, 1.4 STL, 11.3 PER) stepped up with fifteen points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while netting 3-of-4 three-pointers (75.0%). However, the story of this series continues to be the play of Paul and his defiance of father time; turning 37-years of age this week, the 12-time All-Star has been nothing short of a godsend since arriving in the desert last season, improving the club by a SEVETEEN wins en route to a trip to the NBA Finals where they ultimately fell to the Bucks after winning the first two games. This season, he’s guided Phoenix to a franchise record FIFTY-SIX wins, which marks the fourth different team that he’s managed to do that for, further proving his immense influence wherever he goes. And that has been no more apparent than with his current employers, for prior to his arrival, the Suns had gone a decade without a single postseason appearance, marred by a revolving door of plyers, coaches, and executives with nary a plan to be found. However, the addition of the veteran floor general has served as a catalyst for internal growth throughout the roster, with the likes of (young Center) Deandre Ayton (17.2 PTS, 63.4% FG, 36.8% 3FG, 74.6% FT, 10.2 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.7 BLK, 21.9 PER), (versatile swingman) Mikal Bridges (14.2 PTS, 53.4% FG, 36.9% 3FG, 83.4% FT, 4.2 REB, 2.3 AST, 1.2 STL, 14.4 PER), (young sharpshooter) Cameron Johnson (12.5 PTS, 46.0% FG, 42.5% 3FG, 86.0% FT, 4.1 REB, 1.5 AST, 0.9 STL, 15.2 PER), and of course Booker improving exponentially. Emerging from that collapse against Milwaukee as a deeper, more experienced group, Phoenix is exhibiting a ruthlessly singular focus that only champions possess, and they’re now ten wins away from reaching that goal.
Meanwhile, one can’t help but feel as if it’s getting late early for the Mavericks (52-30, 4th in Western Conference), who now find themselves two games away from elimination. Indeed, this has been quite the turn for Dallas, who overcame early adversity in the First Round before besting the Jazz in six games. Coming into the playoffs, they were dealt disappointing news as (All-NBA Guard) Luka Doncic (28.4 PTS, 45.7% FG, 35.3% 3FG, 74.4%, 9.1 REB, 8.7 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.6 BLK, 25.1 PER) was diagnosed with a calf strain muscle, which would go on to sideline him for the first three games of the series. Needless to say, that was supposed to be a MAJOR loss for the Mavs, for the Slovenian international led them in a wealth of categories, including points (28.4), minutes played (35.4), three-pointers (201), free-throws (364), rebounds (9.1), assists (8.7), and PER (25.1). While the sky appeared to be falling in North Texas, these games aren’t played on paper, and to the surprise of many, (Head Coach) Jason Kidd’s troops remained VERY formidable without their young floor general, winning two of their first three games of the series. Without Doncic, the Mavericks averaged 109.7 points on 45.0% shooting from the field, including 40.5% from beyond the arc, while dishing out 21.0 assists in comparison to committing a scant 6.0 turnovers. A major component of their success in these three contests was (emerging Guard) Jalen Brunson (16.3 PTS, 50.2% FG, 37.3% 3FG, 84.0% FT, 3.9 REB, 4.8 AST, 0.8 STL, 17.1 PER), who erupted for 32.0 points on 50.7% shooting and 41.2% from downtown, along with 5.3 rebounds and assists apiece, including a playoff career high FORTY-ONE points in Game Two’s 110-104 victory at American Airlines Center. And then once they got Doncic back in action, the outcome of that affair was academic, as Dallas advanced to the second round for the first time since 2011, which coincidentally was the last (and only) time that they hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy. However, all that good will that they had built during their conquest of Utah has completely dissipated as they’ve fallen into an 0-2 against Phoenix. So, what in the name of Don Nelson has happened in this series, you ask? Well, as we stated earlier, this matchup never shaped up to being a particularly favorable one for the Mavs, who after Wednesday night’s defeat have now dropped ELEVEN consecutive meetings with the Suns. Arguably the biggest problem they face is that their opponent plays a very similar brand of basketball as Doncic & Co, though they’ve proven to be significantly better at it. Looking at these two teams, they both prefer to play at a slower pace and utilize a plethora of pick and rolls within the halfcourt, all the while led by two of the savviest floor generals (Doncic and Paul) that the league has ever seen. Basically, this means that neither side turns the ball over much, which lends towards more efficient offense, while also ensuring that the game is played at a measured tempo. Unfortunately, that is where the similarities end, for it has become painfully evident that Doncic simply doesn’t have the supporting cast or costar (I.E. Booker) that his counterpart has. In the first two games, the Mavericks have averaged a stellar 111.5 points on 46.3% shooting from the field, including 41.3% from beyond the arc, where they’ve blasted the Suns in that regard, outscoring them by twenty-seven points thus far. While those figures are certainly good enough to win in the playoffs, they haven’t come close in this matchup, as Dallas has been outscored by an average 13.5 points, while getting gashed for all those gaudy numbers that we mentioned earlier. Needless to say, this has been quite the downturn for a team that under Kidd’s watch had developed into one of the better defensive units in the NBA; the Mavs ranked sixth overall in defensive efficiency (109.4), second in points allowed (104.7), and first in three-pointers conceded (10.9). With that said, their opponent is arguably the best in the league when it comes to the midrange game, while their overall lack of size and length exposing them on the glass (-24) and has really stifled their ball movement. On the season, Dallas averaged 23.5 assists (25th Overall) in comparison to committing just 12.5 turnovers (3rd Overall), but through two games has managed to hand out a scant 17.5 helpers opposed to 13.0 turnovers. Granted, Doncic has continued to get his, averaging a robust 40.0 points on 53.8% shooting, including 9-of-21 from three (42.9%), along with 8.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists. Unfortunately, Phoenix has taken away virtually all of his outlets, with the aforementioned Brunson really struggling to make a mark with 11.0 points on 32.5% shooting overall. Furthermore, (veteran Guard) Spencer Dinwiddie (15.8 PTS, 49.8% FG, 40.4% 3FG, 72.5% FT, 3.1 REB, 3.9 AST, 0.7 STL, 19.0 PER), who has been revitalized since arriving via midseason trade with Washington, has been in the same boat with just 9.5 points on 33.3% shooting off the bench. Simply put, Kidd needs more from everyone not named Luka Doncic, and while there is certainly optimism that they’ll play better at home, this particular matchup has done nothing but highlight the deficiencies that this roster still possesses. No matter the outcome of this series, expect the franchise to be active in searching for a legitimate costar opposite of Doncic, particularly a big who can score in the frontcourt. In the meantime, they must find a way to disrupt the Suns’ rhythm, for while it’s realistic to believe that they won’t continue to shoot such a high percentage as this series continues to progress, it’s also unlikely that they’ll continue to shoot as well as they have themselves.