USA TODAY International Edition
Suns relying too much on Booker
PHOENIX – The outcome hung in the balance as each second ticked off the clock. So the Suns relied on their star player who fueled their dominance and overcame their erratic play.
Of course, Devin Booker had the ball in his hands. This time, though, Booker could not deliver one of his many shots that would impress a supportive teammate ( Chris Paul), an ally sitting courtside ( LeBron James) and a mentor from up above ( Kobe Bryant).
Instead, Booker drove to the paint and met a swarm of defenders before Bucks guard Jrue Holiday pickpocketed him from behind. Holiday then raced toward the other end of the court to throw a lob to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He threw down the dunk that essentially ensured Milwaukee something more than just a 123- 119 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. While the Suns experienced only their second three- game losing streak this season, the Bucks can cement their first NBA title in 50 years in Game 6 Tuesday in Milwaukee.
“I was just trying to score the ball and he was behind me,” Booker said. “I turned and he was right there.”
That play arguably spelled the difference between Phoenix being on the verge of winning its first title in franchise history and facing elimination. Don’t pin the loss on Booker, who had 40 points while shooting 17 of 33 from the field, 2 of 4 from 3- point range and 4 of 5 from the free- throw line. Pin the loss on the Suns banking their fortunes on Booker just making shots. Phoenix also lost Game 4 despite Booker finishing with 42 points on 17 of 28 shooting.
“We got to move it around,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “We know what Book can do with the ball, but the one thing we talked about was getting to the paint, finding guys on the back side. We feel like that’s a formula.”
The Suns stormed out to a 37- 21 first-quarter lead, only for the Bucks to hold a 64- 61 halftime lead following multiple double- digit runs. The Suns shot a blistering 14 of 19 from the field on eight assists in the first quarter, only to become offensively stagnant in the second with a 10 of 28 clip with three assists. The Suns stayed in the game in the third quarter because Booker scored 14 points on a 6 of 11 clip. But the Suns’ increasing reliance on isolation ball did not match the Bucks’ depth and ball movement.
“The whole third quarter was pretty much that,” Booker said. “We were trading basket for basket for I think five minutes straight. But we’re at our best when we get stops and get out in transition.”
The Suns were hardly at their best in those areas.
They allowed Antetokounmpo to dominate again ( 32 points, nine rebounds), with Milwaukee also leaning on Khris Middleton ( 29 points), Holiday ( 27) and Pat Connaughton ( 14). While the Suns didn’t contest the Bucks enough from deep ( 14 of 28), they became too reliant on their paint and midrange presence at the expense of being enough of a perimeter threat ( 13 of 19).
“It felt a little on and off,” said Suns center Deandre Ayton, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds. “We were playing hard in some spurts. When it got to a point where we’re still in this thing and long stretch of the game we kind of picked it back up. But games like this, you can’t really take no plays off.”
After struggling in parts of the game with his passing and defensive presence, Paul finished with 21 points, 11 assists and a few timely plays. He set up Booker’s 3- pointer that trimmed the Bucks’ lead to 120- 117 with 1: 24 left. Paul then made a layup that cut the Bucks’ lead to 120- 119 with 56.6 seconds remaining. Booker also made his own plays with a finger roll, a block on Middleton’s layup attempt and the aforementioned 3- pointer. Booker then grabbed a rebound off Holiday’s missed floater that could have set up his gamewinning play.
Instead, Holiday disrupted Booker’s hope to win the game by going one- onone. It’s totally understandable for Booker to operate that way, specifically on a possession that could have determined the outcome. But Booker often seemed compelled to play that way most of the time because of the team’s inconsistency. His teammates enabled that because he seemed to be the best option.
Although the Suns’ success surely hinges on how well Booker plays, it also hinges on their ability to master everything else so that the burden does not just fall on him.