Last night was a wild one for the NBA. Celtics fans like me went on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, while Suns fans had their championship dreams crushed once again. Without further ado, let’s discuss yesterday’s matchups.
GAME ONE – CELTICS DEFEAT SIXERS 95-86
Jayson Tatum nearly gave me a heart attack this game. Similar to game five, he got off to a freezing cold start, going 1-15 from the field, with six of his 14 missed shots being from beyond the arc. This abysmal three-and-a-half quarter performance should’ve been enough of a chance for Philly to put us away for good, but somehow, they never lead by more than five all game. Then, with 4:14 left in the fourth and the C’s down two, Tatum decided to wake up.
Once that first step back over Embiid dropped through the rim, I knew it was back to Boston for game seven. Tatum just has this unbelievable microwave ability to heat up in no time at all, and all it takes is one highlight while he’s being guarded by the star player on the opposing team. And I won’t lie, I was calling the man Jayson “Trade-em” for the first three quarters, but by the end of the game I was ready to give him the keys to the city of Boston.
Before last night’s matchup, I wrote in my last post that the Celtics needed to play a complete team game to come out on top. They didn’t come close to a putting together a complete game last night, but luckily the 76ers didn’t either. This allowed Boston to escape with a win, but I know that Philly won’t come out like they did last night in game seven. The 76ers will come out firing, and the Celts will need to answer in a big way. So, I will say it again. The Celtics need to play a complete team game on both sides of the court to win this series. I know that sounds like an elementary assessment, but there is no team where that statement is truer than the Boston Celtics.
GAME TWO – NUGGETS CLOSE OUT SUNS 125-100
Now, there is no squad that plays more complete team games than the Denver Nuggets. Jokic lead his crew with a 32-10-12 triple double, while KCP and Jamal Murray also breached the 20-point mark with 21 and 26 respectively. This well-rounded attack tallied to a total of 81 points by the end of the first half, and Denver’s defense held the Suns to only 51.
Probably a bigger reason why Phoenix’s season came to a close was their crippled roster. Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul both sat out with injuries, and it was blatantly clear that the Suns were missing their efforts. Also, Devin Booker, who was averaging 36 points per game on 60% shooting throughout the playoffs, ended up with just 12 last night. So, questions there are many in Phoenix after the gamble involving one of the biggest trades in league history falls short.
Here’s my closing thought on the Sun’s season: While the duo of Durant and Booker is my pick for the most intimidating in the league, unfortunately it didn’t prove to be enough to thwart a deep roster like the one Denver has. Also, I believe that Chris Paul has played his last game as a Sun. Who will Phoenix bring in to replace CP3? Will it be a Kyrie + KD reunion? Will Monty Williams keep his job? All questions to be answered this offseason, but Sun’s fans should be happy that the duo of KD and DBook will be around for a few more years.