Suns take 2-1 series lead over Clippers: Booker scores 45, Russ drops 30 | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

every time i watch the

suns

i have less faith that they can win 16 games in these playoffs every single one eats they got into the playoffs and i was like oh boy you never lost to durant. I don't love the depth of him, but man, this looks like it should, if he's healthy, it should be the team in game one. I was like yikes I think the second game even though they won. and Durant and then game three no Kawhi Leonard Norm Powell has the game of his life you can cook and I don't understand but 42 could have made six million a year I get all of that but 42 correct points to Norm Powell one more time in the game yeah Durant is standing in the corner like he's Joe Harris from his own Nets teams like he's there if you need me to shoot there I'll just relax and once again and Monty Williams who I have immense respect for as a man and as a coach he knows what he's doing and clearly feels like I can't rest these guys I can only show you the numbers we are now a week into this NBA playoffs the two

lead

ers in minutes per game are the two wings of his sons and in the top ten is Chris Paul who is my size and my age they desperately need Tori Craig in every one of these yeah she's actually played really well she's right she had a great opportunity I don't think you can gain. an NBA championship with a five man team you just don't make a lot of sense no question but I'm not that worried about KD and Booker's minutes now I hope they go down at least a bit but KD had he been injured , but he had a big break, so he might have fresh legs right now, should Booker is young and Booker is a strong guy, you know, a tough guy.

Chris Paul has to be a concern.

things

, one, he could get hurt outright, I mean, he gets hurt a lot in his career history and you put up these kind of minutes for the last time since 2017 or 2016, I think that was the last year he averaged over 32 minutes per game and now you've got him playing 39 again, he's a deep athletic team like the Clippers, the second thing is even if he stays healthy, will he be effective last night? He shot 5 of 18. maybe it's not a coincidence, it probably is and everybody's wearing down open shots because they're going to have sights, we're going to go for Durant's double, we're going to try to do what we can with Booker Chris is going to get some open shots and he hit 5 of 18 and he's always been a good shooter the only thing no nick the son i hear you but we said it before i'm not going to go into that every team in the west though they have questions no that's the only thing can save them is everyone has some problems this is what i was worried about at the end of the game tyler was like hey what else do i have in my bag of tricks? what about the crazy little lineup? three Norman Powell 6'4 Terence man 6'5 and ayton and KD were still there and it looked like the Suns didn't quite know what to do now maybe it's because they've only played a handful of games but I thought this was saying you could implement something weird and the sons didn't have an answer and it was also once again Tyler reminds everyone that he has won three coaches in basketball.

I know Kawhi Leonard and I mean they're a Highland three bone in the last minute before maybe they'd still need something else, but for maybe stealing that game my concern is twofold, one is that it's not just big minutes, is that it took those big minutes to get away against a team without their two best players because we both said yesterday that it should be a chance for Chris Paul and others to get some rest and this is my second concern I know we haven't talked much Denver since they started the playoffs Denver has looked great in the third quarter against the Timberwolves in the last game even though the

series

will be a quick

series

that nowhere in NBA sports is more difficult than Denver because of the altitude if even if the sun advance someone thinks they are going to advance in five at this point no i think the

clippers

are going to win another one especially if kawai is back if this series goes six or seven and you are playing this level of minutes the sun or the nuggets so

take

a week off and you're playing at altitude that's no big man and the sun and the nuggets look good the nuggets look great

russ

had another good game 30 points 12 assists let's

take

a look at his numbers too game one he scored nine points and he was shooting 16 percent but he was making so many amazing plays that we actually classed as a good game game two we had 28 shots 56 and lastly he had 30.

Nick are you surprised? Are you sure this is as shocking as you keep almost everything I remember in the NBA? you on this issue and by the way you have been proven right but you were the DraStic minority here it was the opinion that Russell Westbrook can no longer help a team in a chase through a championship it was the opinion almost universal. I know every team that was looking for a championship could have had it for nothing and none of them wanted it none of them except the Clippers well that's a right thing because and when they signed the Clippers what I'm talking about when I was in the Lakers and they could have acquired him it was all like you have to attach an asset to get us because he's a tough candidate not because he can't play yet he's a guy not a Kevin Durant we're using a drop he's been over there. and fit you're listening I'm not arguing with you on that it's just you you seemed like you were reacting when I said I'm surprised because YouTube I mean it's not Charlie Chris as I mean the greatest thing you've ever seen in the NBA no , only the most surviving, I was more sure that a guy had just ended up at this level of player, we had two years of evidence of that, well on the Lakers, the evidence was that he didn't fit in, even with the Lakers, not now he played about as well as his numbers suggested but remember he was like 18 7 what a six last year I mean he can still put up numbers he was just a horrible fish and he hadn't.

He did not test the defense in the center. He didn't test defense with the Rockets. He didn't run the defense with the Wizards. He didn't manage pairs with the Lakers. He now he's flying around the court blocking everyone's shots. give him a lot of credit I'm surprised this is what surprise dad was so efficient cause even on his hay day he wasn't efficient scoring so it's a surprise I'll give you that and then defense where it's all over the floor not only do you know the defense of the position, but as you pointed out a few days ago, he's flying from behind blocking shots and hitting the ball and

things

like that, but Nick just when he was there this year, that's why everything clicked with the Lakers 36. and 10 in a win over Memphis since he was with the Clippers 24-7 in a win over OKC with the Clippers and then a great 25-9 game in another win later in the season and in Houston he put up big numbers in a few playoff games , so I don't blame the Lakers so much, I mean they never should have put him there, but he didn't fit well, he's a unique player and Allen Iverson wouldn't have fit in all the places you thought he might be out. from the league because he wouldn't accept a different role than he had at the moment it seems he doesn't have to accept and this is like his new home yes he is doing great you have to run away that you were with Nick too no he had a different team , the wildest opinion was that it was all the bronze glitch that was not right in the media saying all that, yeah thanks for watching please subscribe here for more of the show and to see clips of other shows on FS1.