Bucks @ Suns Saturday Finals game thread 7-17-2021 Game - Game 5

Mainstreet

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The Suns and Bucks are tied 2-2 in the Finals with Game 5 being played at Phoenix Suns Arena.

Whoever wins two out of the next three games is the NBA Champion.

The game will be televised on ABC.

Start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. Arizona time.



Edit: Phoenix Suns Arena renamed to Footprint Center.
 
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Covert Rain

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I have not quit on this team but the pressure is all back on the Suns right now. The story of the series is Chris Paul. 15 turnovers in the last three is the most by a player since 2012. What makes that a such a big deal is that Ayton goes how Paul goes. By Paul being so ineffective he basically limits Ayton's effectiveness as well. Booker can't simultaneously score 40 and pass to Ayton. If Paul remains this ineffective the Suns can't win this series. I am just saying it now. Paul needs to find a way to contribute and stop with the turnovers for us to have a chance.

Both teams held court. It's now a 3 game series. Paul needs to find a way for two of the next 3 to play better. If he does that we will be fine. We will win.
 

Dr. Jones

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I have not quit on this team but the pressure is all back on the Suns right now. The story of the series is Chris Paul. 15 turnovers in the last three is the most by a player since 2012. What makes that a such a big deal is that Ayton goes how Paul goes. By Paul being so ineffective he basically limits Ayton's effectiveness as well. Booker can't simultaneously score 40 and pass to Ayton. If Paul remains this ineffective the Suns can't win this series. I am just saying it now. Paul needs to find a way to contribute and stop with the turnovers for us to have a chance.

Both teams held court. It's now a 3 game series. Paul needs to find a way for two of the next 3 to play better. If he does that we will be fine. We will win.
Accurate.
 

Cheesebeef

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I have not quit on this team but the pressure is all back on the Suns right now. The story of the series is Chris Paul. 15 turnovers in the last three is the most by a player since 2012. What makes that a such a big deal is that Ayton goes how Paul goes. By Paul being so ineffective he basically limits Ayton's effectiveness as well. Booker can't simultaneously score 40 and pass to Ayton. If Paul remains this ineffective the Suns can't win this series. I am just saying it now. Paul needs to find a way to contribute and stop with the turnovers for us to have a chance.

Both teams held court. It's now a 3 game series. Paul needs to find a way for two of the next 3 to play better. If he does that we will be fine. We will win.

he’s got to stop with the behind the back passes and crazy dribble drives that go nowhere if he doesn’t have a good handle on the ball. His turnovers have just been killers the last two games.
 

Cheesebeef

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Booker and Ayton are going to dominate this game and we’ll get the benefit of the whistle. Our role guys shoot better at home. Also our fans in the arena have been awesome and the Valley jerseys are back. LFG.
Yeah. I think our guys are going to get REAL tired hearing about how the Bucks have taken control of the series after a game we handed them on a silver platter. I expect a W and a thunderous stadium to rock it.
 

Cheesebeef

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I will say I was really disappointed that after Monty apparently stressed playing with more pace, we seemed stuck in mud offensively with so little movement or running off rebounds. CP3 and Booker barely getting the ball over midcourt all game and eating the shot clock was beyond annoying.
 

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If suns lose this bucks win finals to avoid gm 7....

Let's see
 

dscher

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What a ride...... honestly, I don't care! I've enjoyed sports again at a high level for the first time in a lonnng time. The experience is what I'll remember.... On that note: Suns in 7....maybe. :lol:
 

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Random thought for game 5 but if Payne got hurt on that layup, I wouldn't mind seeing Craig come in as CP3's substitution going forward. Booker can run point for that time, and Craig would give us the defense to guard Middleton along with some for rebounding. We are seriously getting killed on the boards, and Craig is probably our best defender against Middleton.
 

Proteus

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This series will either be the greatest triumph in Arizona sports history or the worst collapse in Arizona sport history. :eek:
 

82CardsGrad

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I believe I’ve said enough about CP3… Bottom line here is that he has been the clear-cut alpha leader of this team all season. And it’s crushing to have your leader now be the chief cause for losing the most important games in franchise history.
The pressure on this team is now combustible, but for Paul it’s even more so.
If he’s hurt to the point where he can’t be a productive and positive contributor (which I am certain is not the case), then he needs to sit, or at least not get starter mins. It’s beyond irresponsible to play a guy who is so compromised due to injury, that he can only serve as a turnover machine.
IMHO, he’s tired, worn-down and frustrated, which is causing his rookie-style decision making… It’s on him and Monty to design schemes to take pressure off of him (he shouldn’t be the sole guard bringing the ball up the court each possession). But ultimately, it’s on CP3 to man-up, power-up and get this team across the finish line…
Oh, I would also bench Bridges and start Cam Johnson! Bridges has gone into full crater mode, while Cam has risen to new heights!
 

Dback Jon

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he’s got to stop with the behind the back passes and crazy dribble drives that go nowhere if he doesn’t have a good handle on the ball. His turnovers have just been killers the last two games.
And the slow walk of the floor barely making it over the time stripe before the eight second count

The suns let the other teams cross midcourt unimpeded but the suns are harassed every second

It’s become a major weakness that the other teams are exploiting and Monty has not reacted
 

95pro

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Looks like they were letting cp3 get to his midrange spot, then running guys at him blocking passing lanes. We need bridges to step up at some point on both ends of the floor. Cam was doing great, suns were up, bridges came in and it went down the tube. This doesn't absolve cp3's performance too. Book was on fire and he commands the ball? Same thing in game 3, Payne was in and all cp3 wanted to do was dominate the ball. I get it, he wants the responsibility but at what expense?
 

Covert Rain

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I will say I was really disappointed that after Monty apparently stressed playing with more pace, we seemed stuck in mud offensively with so little movement or running off rebounds. CP3 and Booker barely getting the ball over midcourt all game and eating the shot clock was beyond annoying.
I noticed that especially with Paul. When the ball was in his hands it felt like we switched to a half court set. It's the crap that got us into trouble in the Clips series in a couple games (waiting for the end of the shot clock). I heard the same thing....Monty saying pick up the pace. Yet, it appeared Paul was doing the opposite. Monty has some tough decisions to make and some tough adjustments to make for this game and beyond if Paul's game doesn't return.
 

Cheesebeef

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I also don’t understand for the life of me why Cam Johnson got pulled at the end of the game for Ant-Man. He was awful on D again last night and a complete no show on O, while Cam, as usual, was playing pesky D and hitting shots from every part of the floor.
 

DJ Tabooh

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I also don’t understand for the life of me why Cam Johnson got pulled at the end of the game for Ant-Man. He was awful on D again last night and a complete no show on O, while Cam, as usual, was playing pesky D and hitting shots from every part of the floor.
Cam is becoming our most valuable player off the bench. He still has areas to improve in but he competes at a high level and he’s a knockdown shooter. Idk what’s happened to Mikal...he was a terror in game 2. He let Middleton go crazy and gave us nothing offensively.
 

Cheesebeef

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Cam is becoming our most valuable player off the bench. He still has areas to improve in but he competes at a high level and he’s a knockdown shooter. Idk what’s happened to Mikal...he was a terror in game 2. He let Middleton go crazy and gave us nothing offensively.

Bridges’ numbers in the playoffs are down across the board from 13 ppg on 54% FG/42% from 3 to 11 ppg on 47.5% FG/35% from 3.

and his much talked about D has been spotty at best to downright bad at worst.

And the fact he is just completely no showing for multiple games the last two series should give this team plenty of pause when it comes to contract extensions this off-season. They can’t make the Shawn Marion mistake and wayyyyyy overvalue this asset that will negate us from improving the team in the future because we had a role player choking a significant part of the cap with a star’s salary.
 

Covert Rain

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This team seems to play so much better with fast starts. If I was Monty, I make a change in the starting lineup. I put Cam into the starting lineup and put Bridges on the bench. If Paul is compromised because if injury we can use the extra fire power in the starting lineup. I question if Monty is willing to make the change. He has been slow to adjust at times throughout the playoffs.
 

Cheesebeef

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This team seems to play so much better with fast starts. If I was Monty, I make a change in the starting lineup. I put Cam into the starting lineup and put Bridges on the bench. If Paul is compromised because if injury we can use the extra fire power in the starting lineup. I question if Monty is willing to make the change. He has been slow to adjust at times throughout the playoffs.
Not sure if that fixes the problem. We got off to a fast start last night. Went up 16-7 and the Bucks were practically begging us to run them out if the Gym and then we got stagnant.

also, the two games we won, we actually got down early.

man... that loss last night was just brutal. So many plays to nitpick and point out that were killers. The one that still bothers me more than any was Ayton letting Connaughton out rebound him for a put back score while they were down 5 with 5 left. That should just NEVER happen.
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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Not sure if that fixes the problem. We got off to a fast start last night. Went up 16-7 and the Bucks were practically begging us to run them out if the Gym and then we got stagnant.

also, the two games we won, we actually got down early.

man... that loss last night was just brutal. So many plays to nitpick and point out that were killers. The one that still bothers me more than any was Ayton letting Connaughton out rebound him for a put back score while they were down 5 with 5 left. That should just NEVER happen.
Yup, as I stated earlier, Ayton was beating on the boards through 3 quarters and then just went absent down the stretch. Admittedly he wasn’t getting a lot of help, but rebounds like the connaughton showed it was more than just getting boxed out, he went into “I’m tired mode” just like when he didn’t jump to get the inbound pass where Giannis took it away from him and coasted in for a dunk.
 

Cheesebeef

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Yup, as I stated earlier, Ayton was beating on the boards through 3 quarters and then just went absent down the stretch. Admittedly he wasn’t getting a lot of help, but rebounds like the connaughton showed it was more than just getting boxed out, he went into “I’m tired mode” just like when he didn’t jump to get the inbound pass where Giannis took it away from him and coasted in for a dunk.

This is where you give ammo to the people who think you’re relentless on Ayton. that play wasn’t on Ayton. That was an awful pass.
 

Covert Rain

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Not sure if that fixes the problem. We got off to a fast start last night. Went up 16-7 and the Bucks were practically begging us to run them out if the Gym and then we got stagnant.

also, the two games we won, we actually got down early.

man... that loss last night was just brutal. So many plays to nitpick and point out that were killers. The one that still bothers me more than any was Ayton letting Connaughton out rebound him for a put back score while they were down 5 with 5 left. That should just NEVER happen.
It may not fix the problem but what it does it take pressure off the offense trying to compensate for Paul. The bench is there to spell your guys and keep the score where it is as much as possible. In fact, Bridges coming off the bench means he is likely matched up against other bench guys which means it might open up his offense a bit and put less pressure on him defensively. Overall the team has not helped Ayton much on the boards. They love to stand around and watch him do it. They are beating him up down there and our guys have been standing around on multiple occasions.

Which leads to my next point. Ayton's guy on several occasions leaks out when Ayton is under the basket. NONE of our other guys are picking up those guys in transition. It's pathetic. We had ZERO fast break points until at one point late in the game to I think their 12??? THAT should never happen. Especially, if you are standing around watching Ayton do all the dirty work.
 

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