The Nets have again made the powder speak against the powerless Bucks (125-86), to come off two wins to nothing in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference, Monday, while Phoenix has started its series perfectly in the West, in winning against Denver (122-105).
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If they wanted to send a message to the competition in these play-offs, the New Yorkers would not do it better, as they are so far impregnable.
They kicked the game off the ground, inflicting a heavy 36-19 to Milwaukee. They increased their lead at the break (65-41), thus sealing the fate of the meeting.
This first period was a festival, mixing efficiency and spectacle, between the frozen shoots of Durant (32 pts, 12/18), the tightrope baskets of Kyrie Irving (22 pts) and the dunks worthy of an All-Star Game. by Blake Griffin (7 pts, 8 rbds) whose resurrection cannot be emphasized enough, driven by the ardent desire to finally taste a title at 31 years old.
The quality of the offensive game proposed by Steve Nash – who was one of the most beautiful ambassadors of the time when he was leader, rewarded with two MVP trophies -, its variety, its fluidity, its efficiency (21/42 behind the arc) are a model of its kind. Rarely have we seen so loud on a floor.
“There is still a long way to go, but when we all play hard together good things happen,” Durant commented rightly.
It will take his Nets first to win a title, to compare to the Lakers in their golden period of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or to the Warriors of the “Big3” which included “KD” with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. But they are taking the right path.
We almost forget that this armada is devoid of James Harden! Suffering from the right hamstring, his absence is indefinite, which is not reassuring, especially when it comes to a relapse of a muscle tear.
But Brooklyn is not suffering for the time being in a series where the supposedly armed defense of the Bucks takes water too easily.
Perhaps no other team in the league is able to defeat its armada, the future will tell. In the meantime, Giannis Antetokounmpo (18 pts, 11 rebounds) and his family will have to really beef up their game and also show something else offensively (44% on shots, 30% behind the arc).
. Burning Suns
In the first round, the Suns did a lot by pulling the Lakers out of LeBron James, certainly lessened without Anthony Davis injured in the groin. Their authoritarian success at the expense of Denver, after a collective show of force, proves that they do not intend to stop there.
After a tight first period, Phoenix made the difference in the third quarter, despite a 7-0 conceded from the start. On which, he moved up a gear, inflicting a 25-7 in seven minutes on a completely disoriented opponent, to lead 88-79 at the start of the last twelve minutes.
After this irresistible streak, the hail continued to fall on the head of the Nuggets at the start of the 4th quarter, with ten points in two minutes achieved by Chris Paul (21 in total, 11 assists), clearly more hampered by his contusion to right shoulder.
“We have a real team, in which everyone takes a chance, and in the end we all take a lot of fun. It’s the best in history,” he commented soberly. .
At his side, Devin Booker was very skilful, without forcing his game (21 pts, 8/12 on shots, 8 assists), and Mikal Bridges turned into a top scorer one night (23 pts). Inside DeAndre Ayton (10 pts, 10 rebounds) did not suffer from the comparison with Nikola Jokic (22 pts, 9 rebounds), pushing the Serbian to an unusual clumsiness (9/23).
The Suns thus finished with more than 54% of success on the shots. The Nuggets will have to tighten their ranks on Wednesday if they want to make this series last.
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