At 121-114, the Suns successfully beat the Lone Rangers at home to take the lead 1-0.
The 7-point difference does not reflect the huge gap between the two sides at all. If the sun had not "released water" at the beginning of the fourth quarter, I am afraid that the point difference would be much larger than this.
Compared to facing the Pelicans in the first round, the Suns became the physically stronger team. Without the disadvantage of the front, the Suns' role players are completely liberated. Doncic can average 40+ per game, but he can't beat people.
Look at Bridges and Crowder, who were ravaged by Ingram in the first round, the opponents in front of them suddenly became Brunson and Dinwiddie, and the height dropped to less than two meters; the only one with the advantage, Doncic, is not the kind of player who relies on explosive power, nor does he have a helper like CJ.
Crowder, who only shot three three-pointers in total in the first round, scored three in one game; Big Joe, who no longer suffered from weight, fully showed his advantage on the defensive end. Even "old Yellow Zhong" Cameron Johnson, who did not suffer in height, blasted out the highest 17 points in the playoffs this season.
Paul Sr. who was forced to score 20 points in the fourth quarter and win 14-of-14 in a game, played only 28 minutes in this game, "only" with 19 points and 3 assists, passing Parker by the way to the fifth position in the playoffs.
In contrast, Dinwiddie and Brunson, who were playing well against the Jazz, were both in a slump. In particular, Brunson, who averaged 27.8 points per game, only scored 13 points in this game, 6 of 16, without the magic of the first round.
One thing drops one thing, and the sun is most afraid of high and hard, which is exactly what the lone ranger does not have. Forward players like Orioles, Paul George, and Alphabet Brother are simply a nightmare for the sun. The Lone Ranger not only lacks such players, but even big centers like Big Varan, and That Tonbo is moving towards his big contract again.
In this round of matches, Doncic may average 40+ per game, but may be swept 4-0.