Suns @ Clippers Saturday WCF game thread 6-26-2021 - Game 4

Cheesebeef

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Generally for a team to win a championship, it's not going to have one blowout game after another. Just not possible.
Over the years, it seems like playoff teams have three types of games:

one or two good blowouts of an opponent (i.e., the Lakers series)
at least one miracle ("Havlicek steals the ball . . . .") Ayton's game-winning lob
And at least one hell of a defensive game. The Suns had a great game to close out the series vs. Golden State in 1976, as I recall holding Barry way under his average.
Last night they had #3. Yes, the Hairdressers were cold, but so were we. I don't think Crowder has hit more than 2 3-point shots in the last 3 games. He is badly off, as is Bridges, not to mention Booker had another sub-par game, partly due to D, partly I'm sure due to the mask (which he took off).

Still, a great team is going to need one or two of those lockdown games to win the championship. Glad to see the Suns won one of those.

And at some point, they are ALL gonna be hot, and at some point, even Jackson is gonna start missing.

yeah... I’ve been saying the above as well. Every title run seems to have signature moments. Usually at least one each series. Book’s 47 closing out the defending champion Lakers. The entirety of the Denver thrashing. Ayton’s Valley-Oop.

and I also had been waiting in the dreaded Crowder cold streak. Good to get that hopefully out of the way in this series before the Finals.
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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Re-watching the game now. How in the hell is that a tech on Payne and not one on Mann? Mann literally instigated the whole thing and even gave Payne a little shove to the chest...
Yeah that one and the tech that Booker got when George walked up his back and gave him a slight shoulder to the back. JVG is right, in all technical situations they should go to tape to see who the instigator was. That’s the guy who should always get the tech bc they’re creating the real problem.
 

Bufalay

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Yeah that one and the tech that Booker got when George walked up his back and gave him a slight shoulder to the back. JVG is right, in all technical situations they should go to tape to see who the instigator was. That’s the guy who should always get the tech bc they’re creating the real problem.

George got a technical in almost the mirror opposite of that play earlier in the game.
 

leclerc

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Re-watching the game now. How in the hell is that a tech on Payne and not one on Mann? Mann literally instigated the whole thing and even gave Payne a little shove to the chest...

That's been happening many many times the last 2-3 games. Some of the Clippers, especially (ew) Beverly, Morris and Mann, also Paul George, push the Suns players on dead balls and if the Suns player as much as winks there is a double tech. These refs need to go into a room with some people from NASA and figure out that the smart thing to do to keep control of the game is to take the bad guy. I'm obviously pointing to the Clippers as bad guys here.
 

Cheesebeef

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That's been happening many many times the last 2-3 games. Some of the Clippers, especially (ew) Beverly, Morris and Mann, also Paul George, push the Suns players on dead balls and if the Suns player as much as winks there is a double tech. These refs need to go into a room with some people from NASA and figure out that the smart thing to do to keep control of the game is to take the bad guy. I'm obviously pointing to the Clippers as bad guys here.

it’s almost always the retaliation that gets noticed. That’s why you have to be smart playing a dirty team.
 

Covert Rain

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I get all the discussion around the technicals but this is the WCF. You cannot be baited into getting a technical. You cannot lose your composure no matter who starts what. Crowder is two Technicals away from getting suspended for a game. It’s how the Clips get into your head.
 

Cheesebeef

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I get all the discussion around the technicals but this is the WCF. You cannot be baited into getting a technical. You cannot lose your composure no matter who starts what. Crowder is two Technicals away from getting suspended for a game. It’s how the Clips get into you head.

yup.

and Crowder’s not alone. Book has 5 also. Must not lose their cool next game. Or really again for the duration of the pkayoffs.
 

CardsSunsDbacks

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yup.

and Crowder’s not alone. Book has 5 also. Must not lose their cool next game. Or really again for the duration of the pkayoffs.
If the Suns don't handle their business in game 5 it could even come into play in this series. They need to let the other guys be the "enforcers" from here on out.
 

ajcardfan

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Amazing Season. I was praying for a play in game at the start of the season. No way I ever expected this.
2 months ago many were crying to trade DA, look at him now he's the rock steady playoff machine.
And he's not even getting as many touches as he should, feed that giant sob.

Many people have had knee jerk reactions every time Ayton and Booker have had bad games or even bad 5 minutes on this board. That's ok, but they start talking crazy stuff, like trading Ayton and get kind of hysterical insisting that is what should happen. No patience at all.

It's why, for years now, I lurk on the Suns board but very rarely post. And, I love the Suns as much as I love the Cardinals. This is a happy time, so the board is in a good mood. It's nice here right now.
 

ajcardfan

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it’s almost always the retaliation that gets noticed. That’s why you have to be smart playing a dirty team.

I can't even blame the Clippers for what is an obviously intentional tactic. It is working. We fall for it almost every time.
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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Many people have had knee jerk reactions every time Ayton and Booker have had bad games or even bad 5 minutes on this board. That's ok, but they start talking crazy stuff, like trading Ayton and get kind of hysterical insisting that is what should happen. No patience at all.

It's why, for years now, I lurk on the Suns board but very rarely post. And, I love the Suns as much as I love the Cardinals. This is a happy time, so the board is in a good mood. It's nice here right now.
That’s why heat of the moment game time takes should (a) always be looked at in context - for instance if someone says “book sucks” it likely means he sucks that game or even in that few moments; and (b) taken with a grain of salt because they’re usually more born from emotion than analysis.
 

ajcardfan

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That’s why heat of the moment game time takes should (a) always be looked at in context - for instance if someone says “book sucks” it likely means he sucks that game or even in that few moments; and (b) taken with a grain of salt because they’re usually more born from emotion than analysis.

And, the same thing does happen in Cards games, which is why I also don't post much in game threads.
 

Vacard

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I get all the discussion around the technicals but this is the WCF. You cannot be baited into getting a technical. You cannot lose your composure no matter who starts what. Crowder is two Technicals away from getting suspended for a game. It’s how the Clips get into your head.
Well personally Cam Johnson is better suited to start anyways. Crowder may have better rebounding and defensive presence (debatable) but Cam is mostly lights out and has the smoothest jumper I’ve seen in this players. Like it’s all rim or nothing.
 

CardsSunsDbacks

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I can't even blame the Clippers for what is an obviously intentional tactic. It is working. We fall for it almost every time.
To be fair Booker was able to bait PG into a technical early in the game with the exact same tactic. Just be physical and don't react to the physicality of the other team.
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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I can't even blame the Clippers for what is an obviously intentional tactic. It is working. We fall for it almost every time.
I only fault them for actions that aren’t basketball actions. Physical play? Fine. The BS? That’s not basketball. Even when the suns have really sucked and it would behoove them to muddy up a game with reckless play I can’t ever recall them doing so. The closest I can ever recall it was the ainge beanball on Elie (and who among us wouldn’t have done that to elie?) and Rajasthani clothesline (and that wasn’t a game long endeavor but a point in time retaliation). More than the clippers engaging in it, I take umbrage with the refs for allowing it. Although okay always gets more physical in the playoffs, you don’t see this in any other series and this era is supposed to have moved far away from this junk to improve the aesthetic of basketball closer to it’s original beauty. So it’s a weird outlier which if given oxygen by the refs, may grow once again in frequency. Something the nba surely does not want.
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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And, the same thing does happen in Cards games, which is why I also don't post much in game threads.
Very true. Because I watch a lot of both games solo the gameday threads are typically my only outlet for frustration. When I watch with cheese, or when I used to go to the bar for football, gameday thread frustration hot takes decrease exponentially.
 

Cheesebeef

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I can't even blame the Clippers for what is an obviously intentional tactic. It is working. We fall for it almost every time.

I don’t blame the Clips either. Bully ball is ALL they have in this series. We’re the better team. We should know what they’re trying to accomplish with the cheap shots. fighting fire with fire only gives them MORE confidence that they’re getting under our skin. Best way to shut them up is to run them off the floor and send those fools fishing.
 

Covert Rain

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I don’t blame the Clips either. Bully ball is ALL they have in this series. We’re the better team. We should know what they’re trying to accomplish with the cheap shots. fighting fire with fire only gives them MORE confidence that they’re getting under our skin. Best way to shut them up is to run them off the floor and send those fools fishing.
This. The Clips have already proven they can get under the skin of the players on this team. Run them off the floor and none of that matters.
 

Cheesebeef

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Bob is the Executive Producer for Suns TV so his answer should be pretty reliable.

July 8th is my birthday. That would be an incredible present to be back in the Finals and get a W that day.
 

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