The Suns waste our time

Sunday's Behind the Boxscore, every playoff series

This is what happens when we let the new owner build the team.

Mark Cuban bought the Dallas Mavericks a few days after this century started. Since then each and every one of the introductory press conferences establishing new NBA ownership featured some question referencing Mark Cuban, and how the new owner compares with Cuban’s free-spendin’ ways. In years immediately following Cuban’s takeover, introductory owners wouldn’t wait for the prompt, alerting media to comparisons with the Mavs hero without solicitation. Those guys don’t own NBA teams anymore.

Mark Cuban knows the ins and outs of every Maverick transaction, and he has major opinions on every minor player in the NBA, let alone the monstrous ones. If new owners want to emulate Cuban’s beaming lack of ignorance, beautiful. It makes for less awkward free agent press conferences.

But Mark Cuban didn’t mold his Mavs in his image, he lets the basketball voices win. The NBA thought Cuban would fire the men running the team he bought, each Nelson, by the time the ink on Mark’s Maverick purchase dried. Instead Cuban kept Nellie for another half-decade, kept his son Donn Nelson for a decade even after Nellie sued the Mavericks. Cuban eventually fired Nellie’s son, who is currently suing the Mavericks, but the front office turnover is exceedingly low by NBA standards, if exceedingly toxic.

Mark had it made entering his Jan. 2000 purchase: Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley already on board, working under either rookie deals or bargain, second-go extensions. And Mark’s 2024 version had a lot of help from the Suns’ old GM, the lovely Luka is only in Texas because Phoenix screwed up.

Mat Ishbia’s Suns had no such balance upon Ishbia’s late-2022 purchase. His ex-GM’s picks in 2016 and 2017, Dragan Bender and Josh Jackson, did not have that dog in them. Rather, outside them.

The Suns’ 2015 selection is a Hall of Famer, Devin Booker at No. 13, good work, but Ryan McDonough’s 2018 draft day blurt saddled Ishbia and current (for now) GM James Jones with DeAndre Ayton, a never-gonna-be-All-Star selected ahead of at least one future Hall of Famer (second-round pick Jalen Brunson may miss the Hall of Fame and instead settle for thrice-reelected mayor of New York).

Jones was no better, dismissing first-rounders on record or at the trade deadline. JJ may not have been the voice to bring draft steal Cameron Johnson to Phoenix, but he was definitely the one dealing Jalen Smith for Torrey Craig’s eventual free agent burn, and eager to pair Johnson in the move aligning Devin Booker with Kevin Durant.

That’s enough to build around, Booker and Durant, what’s left to add is fundamental. Three-point shooting, playmaking, leadership, toughness in the paint, size. Jones and mostly Ishbia went out and tried to find all this depth with two people and not ten, dealing it all for Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic.

Ishbia dotted the Durant deal with extra first-round picks. Bereft in times of bidding, the Suns “had to” send every second-rounder available to Washington for another shooting guard, famous guy.

This left no hole in the backcourt for Jrue Holiday to fill, once it came time to trade Ayton for something impactful, someone to play defense, someone with championship experience and the standing to call others out.

Jones was like, listen, I got Keita Bates-Diop. And we were so desperate to see KD and Devin and Beal work that we were like, listen. They got Nassir Little.

Famously, Beal has a no-trade clause, as if encouraging a team to take on 34 percent of the cap in the form of 31-through-33-year old Bradley Beal was ever a go. Three years and $160 million remaining on Beal’s deal.

Making over nearly 36 percent of the cap in 2024-25 and 2025-26 will be Kevin Durant, who turns 36 in September. His extension comes sooner than Mat thinks, Ishbia can’t decline that extension, go back on all those things he said about Durant and the Suns when they met.

These are the good times, the Suns are only a top-three payroll in 2024. The Suns figure to be tops in NBA payroll (and by a lot) in 2025, 2026 and 2027. It will be seven years (first overall pick: a boy whose voice hasn’t cracked yet) before the Suns have a first-round pick of their own, something that isn’t the worst of two or three other teams’ first-round selection (2026: Washington or Orlando or Memphis in 2026, Brooklyn or Philadelphia or Washington in 2028, Washington or Memphis in 2030). No second-rounders, and already in Dutch with the NBA after tampering for Drew Eubanks.

Is this worse mismanagement than what McDonough put Phoenix through? After all, Elie Okobo might be better than any Phoenix point guard at the moment.

The answer is no, Elie Okobo is still not better than Luka Dončić, but this is a hole. We think we’ve seen NBA teams in predicaments before — Brooklyn, Brooklyn again — but these Suns are provably inept, and the next GM won’t matter, because Mat Ishbia will still be the boss.

Sitting in his seat, listening to his Suns soullessly work an insurance company’s jingle into the celebration routine after made free throws. And Mat is cool with it — that’s Jake’s music!

The Suns game operations could crank up something local or new or interesting, instead settling upon a national advertising jingle for a company whose secondary spokesman is an NBA point guard the Suns couldn’t win a title with. The one the Suns sent six second-round picks (that’s almost one first-round pick!) and three potential future first-round swaps away with, only to get Beal.

Chris Paul will either earn the Warriors an asset this June (in a deal with with his $30 million non-guaranteed deal), or level the Warriors with lovely luxury tax savings should Golden State pass on dealing him.

Which Phoenix shoulda done. Chris Paul won just as many playoff games as the Suns in 2024. And Nurkic is not that guy, unless you need someone to roll into teammate’s Achilles.

Frank Vogel signed a five-year, $31 million contract before this season. The Suns already raked him in the press anonymously, they’ll fire a few of his assistants and try it again next year with a new GM because GMs are cheap, especially when the owner’s opinion matters most. New coaches cost money, and Mat Ishbia will find austerity more and more amenable as his plaything rolls over into a millstone.

Minnesota 122, Phoenix 116

Timberwolves sweep series, 4-0

Readers who did not watch will check in for the answer to the question, “did Phoenix care?” The answer is “yes,” the Suns cared quite a bit in Game 4, and worked hard. They were beaten by a better team, the Suns’ season is over and I’m not too sure the Suns are very upset over it.

The Suns tried, but the Timberwolves’ defense never left the club, even when the visitors shots weren’t falling, the Suns’ biggest lead was six in what was supposed to be a desperate showing. Minnesota began its Game 4 missing 21-30 shots from the floor but Phoenix mustered but a three-point lead with the Timberwolves faltering, an innocuous second quarter three-point play from Jaden McDaniels solved that advantage, denied Phoenix its big, save-yer-season, lead.

The Suns attempted separation and failed, there were never enough three-pointers on this club. Its stars forced threes from the outset of Game 4, something confirmed toward the end of the second period when TNT’s Jared Greenberg noted Frank Vogel pleading with his Suns to put up 40 threes after attempting about two-thirds that (28-78 entering Game 4, 36 percent) on average through the series.

Of course, by the middle of the fourth quarter, the Suns were only 9-22 from deep, finishing 10-26, this was never the lineup for long lines at the three-point stripe.

Phoenix’s heartiest chances came in the third quarter, Devin Booker (whom Minnesota mostly made disappear until Phoenix’s final game) finding lanes toward the rim and Kevin Durant loping into the lane, the pair combined for 29 points on 9-9 shooting in the period, but they were also joined by Bradley Beal, who missed all three looks in the period.

Beal missed his first five shots in the game (including a dunk) before connecting on his sixth, 4-13 all day. He barely wanted to move defensively which is a problem because Minnesota’s best player also plays Beal’s position. Anthony Edwards started slow but gathered steam in the second half once Beal notified the rest of the country that he wasn’t going to fight through screens.

Later in the period, Bradley was nearly whistled for being the sixth Sun on the court.

In the fourth quarter Beal contributed an illegal screen (called) and backcourt violation (not called). He turned the ball over with 2:30 left in the contest and the Suns down two, and turned it over again with 2:04 left in the Game 4 and the Suns down four, his sixth turnover. Seconds later he fouled out, blew off Frank Vogel’s handshake on the way to the bench. Cameras caught him on the sideline as the game slowly let out its remaining gasps, Beal knew he was all over Twitter, he knew he’d fucked up, and probably knows it doesn’t matter.

The Suns never mattered in 2023-24, irrelevant throughout. By April, there was nothing anyone could do in the face of Anthony Edwards:

Yes, Beal could do better, but Edwards spotted oncoming help and didn’t force things, it was a patient outing.

It could have been a frustrating evening, Edwards sprained his left ankle and had to change shoes, then he sprained his right ankle wearing the new shoes. But this is probably what “irrepressible” means.

New York 97, Philadelphia 92

Knicks lead series, 3-1

The Sixers wanted Jalen Brunson to win it on his own. Jalen Brunson won it on his own.

Jalen’d already established his 40 and Sixers coach Nick Nurse still refused to send another helper, a sensible gambit if Kelly Oubre Jr. had not been manhandled all afternoon by Josh Hart. Jalen Brunson would miss a single-covered jumper in Game 4, his chance at points 43 and 44, and Hart Hoover’d the offensive board, blowing through Oubre like Oubre blows through red lights.

Maybe ABC has to stop scheduling the Sixers for the afternoon, for whatever reason the Knicks had a bead on the ball’s wily ways, clearer sightlines with a less-muddled Sixer defense to weave through.

This is only upsetting because Philadelphia kept a lead for most the game, if not the momentum or eventual advantage. Joel Embiid looked better, in the first half at least. PHILA was full of new Nurse plays and Thibodeau had to yank a timeout a minute into the second quarter to yell at his team, ABC barely finished Tom’s angry mid-quarter interview before Thibs wanted to yell some more.

Philly couldn’t pull away because the offense was not sharp, Nurse inspired some less Embiid-centric sets but poor decisions and bad timing led to three turnovers from Joel in the third quarter, just as the Sixers tried to press the pins, around the same time Embiid eased five fouls in the third quarter from Knick center Isaiah Hartenstein (Knick big Mitchell Robinson, in a walking boot, did not play Game 4).

Hartenstein’s time on the bench may have been New York’s best tonic, it forced the Knicks to run small. All that Thibodeau yelling in the second quarter about being able to throttle an entire series within a half-hour’s work began playing itself out in three dimensions.

Knick swingman OG Anunoby guarded Embiid successfully down the stretch, as the Sixers frittered away possession after possession in a winnable contest. The entire Sixer bench would rise to call a play mere feet from two different point guards’ heads and those point guards (Tyrese Maxey, Kyle Lowry) would run a play better served for vaudevillians, resulting in a shot clock violation.

Motivated by a mildly upsetting stretch (-6 in four minutes) of Embiid-less ball to start the second quarter, Nurse ran his center the entire second half and his center played like it. Anunoby pushed Embiid out to the elbow extended — a location for which Nurse and his Sixers have a binder’s worth of plays for — and Philadelphia ran splits like the floor was covered in banana peels.

Nurse asked Oubre to dribble the ball, initiate the offense from a new angle, give the set a fresh look, Kelly decided to take a 26-foot three-pointer after zero passes.

And then Joel Embiid took the bait after the game:

Daryl Morey gutted this roster. He kept it strong enough to take a series or three in the East with good luck, but the Sixers have not enjoyed good luck, they never enjoy good luck, and in the actual basketball games until Morey’s 2024 offseason hit, the floor was spaced by Oubre and Nicolas Batum and, to a lesser extent, Kyle Lowry and Tobias Harris. These are men who groan when lifting in and out of seats.

The Sixers may be a lot better in 2024-25 because of this rebuild, this week depicting the low end of the torn treble from the Harden years. Or the Sixers could be spinning our wheels. The market, which Morey long ago claimed to have a bead upon, will out.

What matters now is avoiding representative 2023-24, expectedly bowing out at Madison Square Garden after being thoroughly embarrassed by a longtime Atlantic rival. Or, the Sixers could near its perfect game, and give Philly another contest, another reason to ring that bell, or play that song.

I want to hear that song again, I wish the Sixers had two more wins in them, but I’m not sure they’ll make it halfway through the third quarter of Game 5.

Game 5 on Tuesday at 7:30 PM Eastern

Look away from the next segment, Sixer fans. Go watch this:

A LIST OF INCOMING KNICK ASSETS

Dallas’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 24) plus New York’s own (No. 25), no second-rounder but New York owns Utah’s second-rounder.

A first-rounder from Detroit if the Pistons make the playoffs in 2025 (protected picks 1-through-13), 2026 (1-to-11) or 2027 (protection to pick No. 9).

Milwaukee’s 2025 first-round pick (protected 1-4, in case it goes to the Pelicans), plus second-rounders from Brooklyn and Detroit. A 2025 first-rounder (protected 1-through-10) or 2026 first-rounder (1-8) from Washington.

Upsetting? Yes. The Knicks are supposed to be full of dumb-dumbs, making us all feel better about our favorite team. The league feels off its balance without the Knicks owing picks to other teams.

L.A. 116, Dallas 111

Series tied, 2-2

Paul George admitted he was caught off guard by Game 3’s quick whistles, that it affected the rest of his performance, that he had to “be better” in Game 4. Not the refs, but George. And he was better in the second half, outpacing his Game 3 output with seven points, playing the entire third quarter and nailing a rally-killing and-1 plus a sidestep three to put the Mavs out of commission.

Also, before all that, he scored 26 points in the first half.

The Mavericks, who struggled to score (except dunks) to start Game 3, were similarly inept (including dunks) in Game 4 until Kyrie Irving decided to make a game of it.

It started with the Clippers down 31, motivation enough, which prevailed upon L.A.’s resistance toward finding Irving in early transition off the rare first half play in which the Clippers didn’t hit a three-pointer. Annoyed by the extra space, Irving kept on crunching, transition defense once again serving the chief Clipper complaint.

The 31-point lead dimmed to 17 by halftime, Irving making the court his playground:

Irving’s passing may be better than scoring, and his scoring is an inspiration, it makes me want to paint again, squared shoulders on everything.

I drop my jaw before Kyrie’s shot goes in the goal because I’ve already reacted to a shot going in the goal, it’s always a good shot if Kyrie takes it, if Irving’s calculations say “correct,” if Kyrie’s calibrating aim, trust him. If it doesn’t connect only fate or an ill wind will have intertwined.

The Mavericks cooked up a lead, Dallas doing everything it could to chase the Clippers off threes, so James Harden (who similarly shined in the first half, minutes after watching Jalen Brunson cook his old team) got to stirring.

James still freaks everyone out because he jumps off his right foot. Jason Kidd needs to make Irving play left-handed in practice, to properly prepare the Mavs for which movement to lay off, which stride to align with.

The Clippers spent all Sunday trying to make other Mavs beat them, typified when P.J. Washington (in an otherwise passable performance) missed a major corner three in the game’s last minute, or when Washington failed to stay in front of Harden. The Clippers, meanwhile, insisted upon Big Clippers beating Dallas.

The approach didn’t always work — Kyrie started pulling up from 30 and everyone got nervous, someone heard the ice machine clunk and thought a burglar was at the window — but the Big Clippers Plus Russ never let up. And the defense was noticeably nicer in Kawhi Leonard’s absence.

George (who played Game 4’s entire second half in a contest scheduled 43 hours after Friday evening’s Game 3) insisted he’d have to be better after Game 3’s early foul trouble, Luka similarly lapped up two initial fouls in Game 4, we’ll see how Dončić settles himself for Game 5.

PG didn’t force the action in his team’s victory, when it came time to shoot George didn’t try to make up for all of Game 3 with a single flick of the wrist. It was an outstanding performance, one which Dončić should be judged against during Game 5.

Game 5 on Wednesday at 10:00 PM Eastern

Indiana 126, Milwaukee 113

Pacers lead series, 3-1

It was probably hard for the Pacers to take Milwaukee lightly, even without Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, what with Khris Middleton and all of Game 3’s 42 points standing right there. Indiana thankfully played up to its task, keeping the Bucks uneasy all evening, scoring by routine against a Milwaukee club that can’t help but wonder what happened to it all.

If anything, Bobby Portis’ first quarter ejection shook the visitors back into Buckdom. Portis’ tussle with Andrew Nembhard and possible punch cost the Bucks a scorer of sorts, but it opened up Milwaukee’s chances, there isn’t much difference between Bobby and the average player, more opportunities for A.J. Green, Andre Jackson Jr., and Middleton shouldn’t rankle, and didn’t, the Bucks hit over 51 percent of their shots and 12-33 on threes, not bad.

No, it was the defense which failed Wisconsin, again. Rather doleful watching the Bucks pull out a zone simply to contend with T.J. McConnell.

McConnell dished eight dimes off the bench, Obi Toppin notched 13 bench points, Pascal Siakam also passed out seven starting assists. Tyrese Haliburton managed 24 points on 8-16 shooting despite working with back spasms (back spa-sms), wearing a heated brace during breaks in action, something to keep his sides warm, something that made Tyrese feel like he was spoonin’, dropping threes in transition like he was hoonin’, which is something trucks and all-wheel vehicles do in Indiana when it snows, in the back lot of a Burger King a few blocks from my house.

The Bucks were spread, could not handle Pacer spacing, the way Indiana turned corners. Meanwhile, Myles:

Arc on the shot, standout timing on both ends, in the moment, ready to peel out of this snow to order a fish sandwich with onion rings (and extra onion ring sauce) whenever the steering needs a break.

A forever reminder that the woman in the mask sitting next to the Pacer bench is Nancy Leonard, who kept the Pacers in Indianapolis:

Saved the team.

Game 5 on Tuesday at 9:30 Eastern

ORL 2 CLE 2

I cannot get enough of this postseason, maybe it was because I enjoyed watching the Magic so much this season, and appreciated the way the Cavs worked.

If you disagree with me and want to watch something else instead of Tuesday’s Game 5, I recommend the this clip.

MONDAY’S DESPERATE NBA ACTION

OKC 3 NOLA 0

New Orleans Pelicans fans deserve something nice, Game 3 was a treat to watch and we’d love to see the Pels bow out with a win. We’ll probably only watch the Pels bow out.

Every bit of the Thunder are contagious, the passing and movement and insistence upon holding hands while they walk through their field trip. It’s adorable, it never loses sight of its teacher, and it shoots 42 percent from deep.

There are ways around this, surely the Pelicans can do something to impel Luguentz Dort’s attachment to Brandon Ingram, there was no Dyson Daniels (if only briefly) or Jordan Hawkins to fly around and maybe attach to a loose ball in the first three games of the series.

It is probably time to let Trey Murphy III take over some of the plays NOLA ran for Ingram, time to watch wherever Aaron Wiggins hovers defensively, and time to hope Josh Giddey (a composed 21 points on 8-13 shooting in Game 3, eight boards and six assists) clangs a few in Game 4.

If New Orleans rolls up in the same fashion, they’ll falter, again sending out players similar to but not nearly as great as these Thunder. Oklahoma City has yet to close out a playoff series, it watched what Minnesota did on Sunday and wants the same but Chet Holmgren was gassed in Game 3, blocking everyone’s shot …

… yet missing threes badly, free throws easily, dropping passes and breaking plays. Still may have been the best player on the floor, defense matters most of all and the Pelicans average 89 points per 100 possessions in the series.

New Orleans has enough, but the Pelicans are sick with this good stuff. Anthony Edwards’ dismantling of the well-heeled Suns, in Phoenix, is no good for New Orleans’ chances. OKC thinks it has to keep up, and OKC is correct.

Game 4 at 8:30 PM Eastern

BOS 2 MIA 1

Game 3 is why winning Game 2 on the road is imperative. Visiting teams relax and play basketball in a Game 3, while the home team furrows its brow and tries forcing a statement.

Boston got up on Miami’s three-point shooters in Game 3, Miami saw it coming a mile away and responded with turnovers, lots of turnovers.

Miami stopped turning it over long enough to play into Boston’s pressure up top and drive, into the lane, to miss a runner. Or floater. Or jumper.

Meanwhile, the visiting team turned it over five times and two of those were Payton Pritchard, making some interesting choices with the ball after a nondescript initial pair of postseason outings. Suddenly Game 3 is a big blowout, Jrue Holiday nails three-pointers over Miami like Damian Lillard was the Heat’s starting point guard, and Erik Spoelstra’s canniest move of the outing is to call down his bench for Thomas Bryant, who should not play in any minutes which matter, and most minutes which don’t.

Game 4 at 7:30 PM Eastern

DEN 3 LAL 1

The Lakers, two nights later, in thin air?

Los Angeles has its chances, Austin Reaves gaining confidence, Nuggets startling themselves into turnovers, the Lakers following their leader. Not LeBron, but D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent: NBA teams take on the form of their smallest performer. LeBron can run all the point guard he wants, but when Russell is committed and Vincent hitting the occasional shot, the Lakers are a load.

The “occasional” shot trends a little too close to plural for use in description of Denver’s bench, 1-9 from the field in Game 3’s loss, Justin Holiday splashing a single three-pointer. Denver can’t win a title like this, but it hasn’t had to yet. The Nuggets have another month to work consistent habits into its benchmen, they’ll be scoring on the road soon enough.

For now, however, the Nugget bench is outclassed by an oft-mocked Laker product, the sort of iffy guys who lose games when spread out over 82 chances, yet the same sort of scrappy talents (Taurean Prince, Gabe, even Russell) to make things competitive in a short-rotation series.

It helps when Anthony Davis dominates, when LeBron James is able to use his quickness (and not size) to score. These things can keep up, the Lakers can improve.

But, thin air.

Game 5 at 10:00 PM Eastern

COME BACK BABY

I don’t like lying alone in my bed/nobody callin’ my name.

This is the seventh (!!!!!!!) postseason for The Second Arrangement, thank you so much for reading, consider subscribing!