Clippers @ Suns Monday WCF game thread 6-28-2021 - Game 5

[TJ]

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Lue catches a lot of poo, even from me, but he’s not phased at all, and the 2016 Finals have given him confidence to push the right buttons

 

[Cheesebeef]

Also, can fans not attack each other here? Tonight REALLY sucked. Like, an almost ALL-TIME sucked because we’re so close. But stop tearing each other apart because you’re pissed we lose.

theres no BAD fans here. There’s a lot of PTSD from previous Suns playoffs. This is where people are supposed to vent.

 

[Raindog]

Knock on Monty is that he is a good "team chemistry" coach... but not so great in game when things don't go to plan. Hopefully, he gets it together before it's too late.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I think he was talking more about your prediction of the Suns being in trouble if they lose next game. That's a no brainer.

But for the record, I am inclined to agree with your D'Antoni comparison if Monty chokes this away.

Dantoni issues are more related to sticking to his system and not playing his bench regardless of matchups. Monty’s issue seems to be in that he’s too nice. Clips are running through walls to win this series. Our guys can’t be bothered to make freaking Reggie Jackson look slightly uncomfortable.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Ah…makes sense now [emoji23]. I am a few beers in. Well as you can tell a few people are still acting like there isn’t cause for concern. See above. I think that is tunnel vision.

I have lots of causer for concern. I’m just in a different place than I usually am. Especially with how resilient we’ve been all year. And with how the Clippers players are falling like flies.

said this in Game 1 of the Lakers series. These whole playoffs are a war of attrition. If we’re healthy in Game 7, I expect to outlast the Clips and the Clippers to pull a Clippers.

 

[GoldGloveschmidt]

CP3 is not playing with the urgency of a guy with his best and last potential shot at a ring. If we somehow blow this series, it's on him. But I don't think these Clippers can beat us 3 in a row. The team will find its groove that it lost when CP3 returned.

 

[TJ]

Also, can fans not attack each other here? Tonight REALLY sucked. Like, an almost ALL-TIME sucked because we’re so close. But stop tearing each other apart because you’re pissed we lose.

theres no BAD fans here. There’s a lot of PTSD from previous Suns playoffs. This is where people are supposed to vent.

Yea. Anyone who’s rooted for this team for more than 11 years knows that things go wrong more than they go right. No one here should be denigrated for expressing genuine concern. Here are legit reasons to fear the worst:

• Ty Lue is 10-2 in elimination games. Best in NBA history.
• Ty Lue has overcome a 3-1 deficit before, and two 2-0 deficits this postseason. He’s not coaching scared
• CP3 has been the figurehead for a 3-1 choke job
• The rest of the team is still very young
  
• The Clippers have the best player in the series by far in PG13
• An argument can be made that Reggie Jackson is the second best player in the series, and he’s playing for a contract.
• The Clippers have had more runs in which it looked like the better team this series

 

[Cheesebeef]

CP3 is not playing with the urgency of a guy with his best and last potential shot at a ring. If we somehow blow this series, it's on him. But I don't think these Clippers can beat us 3 in a row. The team will find its groove that it lost when CP3 returned.

he looks like a guy who had to sit for almost two weeks that had Covid.

or maybe he really is just the biggest choking superstar ever. I mean... he does have A LOT of real ugly playoff meltdowns on his resume. Hoping this isn’t the cherry on top of his playoff poo sundae he’s been serving for years.

 

[Mainstreet]

Devin Booker made adjustments to his face mask.

Duane Rankin
@DuaneRankin

Booker said he did make adjustments to the mask, saying he "opened up the eye pocket" so he could "see a little better." #Suns #NBAPlayoffs #Clippers

9:36 PM · Jun 28, 2021·TweetDeck

 

[Cheesebeef]

Yea. Anyone who’s rooted for this team for more than 11 years knows that things go wrong more than they go right. No one here should be denigrated for expressing genuine concern. Here are legit reasons to fear the worst:

• Ty Lue is 10-2 in elimination games. Best in NBA history.
• Ty Lue has overcome a 3-1 deficit before, and two 2-0 deficits this postseason. He’s not coaching scared
• CP3 has been the figurehead for a 3-1 choke job
• The rest of the team is still very young
  
• The Clippers have the best player in the series by far in PG13
• An argument can be made that Reggie Jackson is the second best player in the series, and he’s playing for a contract.
• The Clippers have had more runs in which it looked like the better team this series

i mean, if TJ and I can agree here after all the crap we’ve spewed at each other over the years, the rest of the board should be able to have some level of decorum with each other!

I still have faith. This is the series that Champions win which made them really EARN a title or mentally teaches a pretender a lesson and breaks your heart to be better next season. I would hate for it to be the latter because this opportunity just doesn’t come around that often, but.., it will
Be whatever it will be.

 

[Mainstreet]

Nothing much good to take away from the game but one would think the Suns are trailing in the series when they are up 3-2.

 

[Raindog]

I also still maintain the Suns biggest blunder this past off-season was not investing some resources in a big body that could truly spell Ayton and maybe even play along side him in some situations. Saric is definitely not looking like the former, and probably not the latter either.

How nice would it have been to have Aron Baynes or Richaun Holmes at several points during this series and the ones before... or anyone similar?

 

[sdscard4]

I also still maintain the Suns biggest blunder this past off-season was not investing some resources in a big body that could truly spell Ayton and maybe even play along side him in some situations. Saric is definitely not looking like the former, and probably not the latter either.

How nice would it have been to have Aron Baynes or Richaun Holmes at several points during this series and the ones before... or anyone similar?

Wouldnt matter refs would fix that quick

 

[Proximo]

I didn't see many Suns games at all until the playoffs. For the most part Ayton has been good but 2 of the last 3 games he's had hugely negative plus minus games. He just didn't hold on to the ball tonight kept getting a hand on it but losing it I think because smaller guys bug him

Well he did not give full effort tonight. Not sure why, but he just does that some games.

We will need a good effort from him on the boards to beat this team again.

 

[dscher]

would hate for it to be the latter because this opportunity just doesn’t come around that often, but.., it will
Be whatever it will be.

Yep.. and just enjoy the ride while it lasts. These moments of ups and down..while nauseating at times....are also part of and what make it fun.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Well he did not give full effort tonight. Not sure why, but he just does that some games.

We will need a good effort from him on the boards to beat this team again.

tonight felt like that SA game where we won ten games in a row, had a tough east coast swing coming up, they had multiple guys out and we just fell flat on our freaking faces thinking we could just show up and win.

we’ve done that MULTIPLE TIMES this year. We’ve also responded to those face plants, every time, including the next game post SA meltdown and BEAT Milwaukee on their home floor in an epic finish. I expect to see that kind of effort on Wednesday, win or lose.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Yep.. and just enjoy the ride while it lasts. These moments of ups and down..while nauseating at times....are also part of and what make it fun.

yup. The sweet is never so sweet without the sour. Hopefully this is the sour and ends with the sweet.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Yep.. and just enjoy the ride while it lasts. These moments of ups and down..while nauseating at times....are also part of and what make it fun.

people on the politics boards wouldn’t believe how much we see eye to eye on this board!

 

[Proximo]

tonight felt like that SA game where we won ten games in a row, had a tough east coast swing coming up, they had multiple guys out and we just fell flat on our freaking faces thinking we could just show up and win.

we’ve done that MULTIPLE TIMES this year. We also came back in the next game post SA meltdown and BEAT Milwaukee on their home floor in an epic finish. I expect to see that kind of effort on Wednesday, win or lose.

I hope so.

that terrible start pretty much sunk us in this game, just like it sunk the clippers in the previous game.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I still think we win in 7.

I think it’s a toss up. I think we have the more talented team but Monty is being way outcoached in this series.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Um...no

keep thinking that bud the rest of us are having normal conversation

First thing you did was run to troll me. How much rent do I owe for space I occupy in your head?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Listen I think we this but guys let’s not forget this is an extremely young team

Booker
Ayton
Bridges
Cam Johnson
Cam Payne

All playing big playoff minutes for the first time. They need to learn there going to get everybody’s best shot every night. It was clear from jump they thought the Clippers were going to lay down tonight.


they’ll learn

Never got that impression from Booker. He played with urgency.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

PG is literally strolling to his spots whereas Booker has to straight up brawl to get to his.

That’s not accurate, we’ve put a body on George. Why else does he have to push off all the time? Tonight he just didn’t care and took care of business. It’s an advantage being 3-4 inches taller than book.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I hope so.

that terrible start pretty much sunk us in this game, just like it sunk the clippers in the previous game.

yeah... if we go down early in Game 6, I can see the younglings starting to press and it getting out of hand.

Tonight just really blows. We were all expecting entrance back into basketball nirvana and instead, got a whipped cream pie with crap instead of chocolate underneath it just smashed in our collective face.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

The fix is to give Craig, Johnson, Payne and even Carter more minutes... if Bridges, Crowder and CP are looking flat.

Monty needs to shake up the energy factor when the starters come out flat... instead of waiting until late in the second quarter to try anything at all different when things aren't clicking.

He doesn’t like to adjust his rotations much. I expect more of the same until he’s forced to admit otherwise in the third quarter.