(3天内)Deandre Ayton played Nikola Jokic to a Game 1 draw and that’s a major win for surging Suns由asjkfj 发表在翻译团招工部 https://bbs.hupu.com/fyt-store
But nobody predicted that would last. Paul is Paul. Campazzo is an older rookie who would only have a tiny role if Jamal Murray were healthy. Paul returned to form in a huge fourth quarter. Campazzo’s lack of a reliable jumper was a serious offensive issue in the second half for Denver. Game 1 turned Phoenix’s direction, 122-105, giving them early control of this second-round series.
The Nuggets will be at a large disadvantage in the backcourt over the next couple weeks — Paul and Devin Booker compared to Campazzo and Austin Rivers — and don’t make that up nearly enough on the wing or in reserve. So to upset the Suns, considering the matchup imbalance elsewhere, it seems pretty obvious that they need Nikola Jokic to outplay Deandre Ayton by a pretty significant margin. In Game 1, he didn’t. It was essentially a draw. Which is a major win for the surging Suns.
Phoenix’s substitution pattern at the center spot wasn’t difficult to read in the opener. Coach Monty Williams tied every single Ayton second to Jokic. When Jokic subbed out, Ayton subbed out. When Jokic went to the scorer’s table, Ayton followed. Both played 36 minutes and 25 seconds, their court time mirroring each other.
That’s a credit to Ayton, who picked up his only foul with 3:51 left in the second quarter. Ayton played physical, rebounded well, held his own in the post, contested a game-high 16 shots, per the NBA’s tracking data, and still managed to be called for one foul in 36 minutes, never making Williams worry about keeping him out there.
Go back to that Blazers series the Nuggets just completed. Jusuf Nurkic is Portland’s starting center. He fouled out in three of the six games and had five fouls in another. He lived in foul trouble the entire series and that limited his minute totals to below 30 per game. Portland actually won Nurkic’s 173 minutes by 45 points, but lost his 125 bench minutes by 53 points and, because of it, lost the series.
Jokic repeatedly got Portland’s best big in foul trouble, then pummeled his backups. That’s exactly what he did to Ayton back in January. The Nuggets and Suns went to double overtime in a regular-season game in Phoenix. Ayton fouled out with a couple minutes left in the first overtime, leaving Phoenix to try Frank Kaminsky on Jokic. Jokic destroyed him in their remaining court time together, putting up 11 points in five minutes in double overtime to seal the win.
Kaminsky didn’t even step on the floor in Game 1 — he wasn’t needed. Because Ayton stayed disciplined on Jokic in the post, didn’t pick up any cheap whistles fighting for rebounds or reaching in on defense, Williams wasn’t forced to use a backup center on Jokic. He just went with Ayton and then, when Jokic left the floor, he was able to use the shorter but more versatile Dario Saric (instead of Kaminsky) in a small-ball environment more conducive to Saric’s strengths and Phoenix’s non-Ayton preference. The Suns won the Saric minutes by four points, the Ayton (and Jokic) minutes by 13 points and the game by 17.
Jokic didn’t play poorly. His final stat-line reads fine: 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks. But he needed 23 shots for those 22 points, he had his third-worst shooting night since the start of May, he didn’t shoot a single free throw for only the fifth time this season and those three assists are minuscule for a guy who averaged 8.3 this season.
Credit Ayton with a primary chunk of that. Ayton lost Jokic a few times in half-court traffic, allowing him to step back and get too clean of a look from deep. But everything inside the line, Ayton defended to near perfection, as the regular season tape indicated. Jokic has a tough time moving him in post isolations and Ayton’s long arms seem to bother Jokic’s feathery fadeaway much more than most. Here’s an example.
The Suns also have an ideal defensive ecosystem around Ayton. Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges hold their own in their individual wing matchups and, if forced onto Jokic on a switch, can at least make it semi tough. Paul is almost never out of position. Booker is better than most realize on that end. They’re a smart, long-armed, well-prepared defensive unit.
But Ayton’s early career leap is probably Phoenix’s biggest development on that end. As a rookie, he was completely lost. At the tail end of his third season, he’s in the second round of the playoffs making sharp, decisive defensive reads like the one shown below — basically, a double closeout — where he sees Jokic popping and actually shoves his slightly out of position teammate, Bridges, toward Jokic to take it away.
That forces Jokic to swing it to Campazzo, which is already a mini success. Campazzo is the inferior shooter. But Ayton’s work isn’t done. He closes out on Campazzo and gets a solid contest. This is great defensive work.
Ayton outplayed the Lakers’ bigs in the first round. The Suns, partly because of that, advanced. He just played Jokic to a draw in Game 1. If he does that a few more times, these Suns will be in a great position to advance again.
But nobody predicted that would last. Paul is Paul. Campazzo is an older rookie who would only have a tiny role if Jamal Murray were healthy. Paul returned to form in a huge fourth quarter. Campazzo’s lack of a reliable jumper was a serious offensive issue in the second half for Denver. Game 1 turned Phoenix’s direction, 122-105, giving them early control of this second-round series.
The Nuggets will be at a large disadvantage in the backcourt over the next couple weeks — Paul and Devin Booker compared to Campazzo and Austin Rivers — and don’t make that up nearly enough on the wing or in reserve. So to upset the Suns, considering the matchup imbalance elsewhere, it seems pretty obvious that they need Nikola Jokic to outplay Deandre Ayton by a pretty significant margin. In Game 1, he didn’t. It was essentially a draw. Which is a major win for the surging Suns.
Phoenix’s substitution pattern at the center spot wasn’t difficult to read in the opener. Coach Monty Williams tied every single Ayton second to Jokic. When Jokic subbed out, Ayton subbed out. When Jokic went to the scorer’s table, Ayton followed. Both played 36 minutes and 25 seconds, their court time mirroring each other.
That’s a credit to Ayton, who picked up his only foul with 3:51 left in the second quarter. Ayton played physical, rebounded well, held his own in the post, contested a game-high 16 shots, per the NBA’s tracking data, and still managed to be called for one foul in 36 minutes, never making Williams worry about keeping him out there.
Go back to that Blazers series the Nuggets just completed. Jusuf Nurkic is Portland’s starting center. He fouled out in three of the six games and had five fouls in another. He lived in foul trouble the entire series and that limited his minute totals to below 30 per game. Portland actually won Nurkic’s 173 minutes by 45 points, but lost his 125 bench minutes by 53 points and, because of it, lost the series.
Jokic repeatedly got Portland’s best big in foul trouble, then pummeled his backups. That’s exactly what he did to Ayton back in January. The Nuggets and Suns went to double overtime in a regular-season game in Phoenix. Ayton fouled out with a couple minutes left in the first overtime, leaving Phoenix to try Frank Kaminsky on Jokic. Jokic destroyed him in their remaining court time together, putting up 11 points in five minutes in double overtime to seal the win.
Kaminsky didn’t even step on the floor in Game 1 — he wasn’t needed. Because Ayton stayed disciplined on Jokic in the post, didn’t pick up any cheap whistles fighting for rebounds or reaching in on defense, Williams wasn’t forced to use a backup center on Jokic. He just went with Ayton and then, when Jokic left the floor, he was able to use the shorter but more versatile Dario Saric (instead of Kaminsky) in a small-ball environment more conducive to Saric’s strengths and Phoenix’s non-Ayton preference. The Suns won the Saric minutes by four points, the Ayton (and Jokic) minutes by 13 points and the game by 17.
Jokic didn’t play poorly. His final stat-line reads fine: 22 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocks. But he needed 23 shots for those 22 points, he had his third-worst shooting night since the start of May, he didn’t shoot a single free throw for only the fifth time this season and those three assists are minuscule for a guy who averaged 8.3 this season.
Credit Ayton with a primary chunk of that. Ayton lost Jokic a few times in half-court traffic, allowing him to step back and get too clean of a look from deep. But everything inside the line, Ayton defended to near perfection, as the regular season tape indicated. Jokic has a tough time moving him in post isolations and Ayton’s long arms seem to bother Jokic’s feathery fadeaway much more than most. Here’s an example.
The Suns also have an ideal defensive ecosystem around Ayton. Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges hold their own in their individual wing matchups and, if forced onto Jokic on a switch, can at least make it semi tough. Paul is almost never out of position. Booker is better than most realize on that end. They’re a smart, long-armed, well-prepared defensive unit.
But Ayton’s early career leap is probably Phoenix’s biggest development on that end. As a rookie, he was completely lost. At the tail end of his third season, he’s in the second round of the playoffs making sharp, decisive defensive reads like the one shown below — basically, a double closeout — where he sees Jokic popping and actually shoves his slightly out of position teammate, Bridges, toward Jokic to take it away.
That forces Jokic to swing it to Campazzo, which is already a mini success. Campazzo is the inferior shooter. But Ayton’s work isn’t done. He closes out on Campazzo and gets a solid contest. This is great defensive work.
Ayton outplayed the Lakers’ bigs in the first round. The Suns, partly because of that, advanced. He just played Jokic to a draw in Game 1. If he does that a few more times, these Suns will be in a great position to advance again.
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