After the Game 4 win by the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA Finals is now tied at two games apiece. It's the closest game of the series thus far. Both teams never led by double digits and the game was decided in the final minutes. A closer look at the game would reveal exactly why the Bucks were able to pull away while the Phoenix Suns bowed their heads in defeat.
It was a mixture of uncharacteristic mistakes by one of the Suns' key players, as well as a seemingly lax effort by the rest of the squad. While Game 5 will be a completely clean slate, the Suns need to review Game 4 if they want to take a 3-2 advantage. Let's take a look at some of their key mistakes in Game 4.
Chris Paul Needs to Relax
Chris Paul had a total of five turnovers in Game 4. This number is normal for most star players as they have the ball in their hands most of the time. Not to mention that opposing teams place players like Paul on top of their priority list. However, people call Paul the “Point God” because he's just so good at taking care of the ball amid the pressure. In fact, Paul has a stellar 4.35 assists-to-turnover ratio which ranks first among all active players in the playoffs.
Paul just didn't look like himself in Game 4. He was trying to do too much on offense. Most of his turnovers were the result of overpassing the rock. Instead of taking it himself, Paul awkwardly dished it off to his teammate. The sad thing was his passes were way off the mark — the ball either ended up right into the hands of the Bucks or out of bounds. During the game, Paul actually mouthed to himself that he'll shoot the ball instead of overpassing. Here's to hoping that he fixes this in Game 5.
More Production From Starters, Booker Can't Do It Alone
Devin Booker finished with 42 points. He bounced back from his mediocre 10-point output in Game 3 where he was just 3-of-14 from the field. This was clearly the reason why the Suns lost that game. However, for all of Booker's heroics in Game 4, his teammates seemed to have left him all alone. The starters just had 38 points.
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This was pretty uncharacteristic for the Suns. While they have one of the most potent scorers today, the rest of the pack almost always brings their A-Game as well. Deandre Ayton and Miles Bridges chipped in six points and seven points, respectively. These are way below their averages. Chris Paul, too, just had 10 points. This cannot happen in Game 5 or the Suns will be looking at a 3-2 deficit.
Limit Fouls
The Suns committed 24 fouls compared to the Bucks' 18. This doesn't seem like much of a difference. However, a look at the stat sheet reveals that Booker and Paul had five and four fouls each. Booker even got away with a foul on Jrue Holiday which would've been his sixth. For the Bucks, only PJ Tucker and Pat Connaughton were in foul trouble.
They are key players for the Bucks but not their stars. With Paul and Booker in foul trouble, the Bucks did the right thing by remaining aggressive. It would be a dream to have either Booker or Paul booted out due to foul trouble. In Game 5, the Suns should remind themselves of the fundamentals of defending: be aggressive but not too much to be slapped with a foul.
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