Round one of the NBA Playoffs was a little too close for comfort for the No. 1 overall seed.
Phoenix Suns fans should send their prayers to the Point God after escaping the New Orleans Pelicans in six games. Chris Paul willed Phoenix to victory in three of its four wins in the brutal series, and was its X-factor, indisputably.
But the 12-time All-Star guard, who turns 37 the day of game 3, won't be the key to the second round matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs are about as far as a team could get from the Pelicans compositionally. Instead of a wing-based attack using physicality to exploit teams on the inside, Dallas is somewhat of a one-man show, but that man is about as unstoppable as it gets.
That's why the X-factor is the player that will follow him wherever he goes.
Mikal Bridges is the Suns' X-Factor against Dallas
Luka Doncic knows what's coming. The 23-year old superstar proved once again this season why he's a future face of the league. He averaged 28.4 points and 8.7 assists per game. He's efficient (45% from the field) and displays some of the best passing ability in the game today.
That's why containing him is the most crucial and difficult job for Phoenix in this series. Unlike the six games against the Pelicans, the Suns won't have the best player against the Mavericks. So Mikal Bridges needs to handle Doncic duties.
Bridges made headlines for his monster offensive Game 5 performance in Phoenix. He led the Suns to a 114-97 win behind an efficient 31-point night, but his defense is what set the performance to the stratosphere.
Mikal Bridges tonight:
31 points on 17 shots
Defended CJ McCollum for 36 plays, held him to 10 points on 3/11 shooting
Defended Brandon Ingram for 34 plays, held him to 7 points on 2/5 plus 3 turnovers
All that in 46:54 of playing time
Extraordinary performance for the Suns.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 27, 2022
It wasn't just Game 5. Bridges played tremendous defense all series, splitting duties between the two All-Stars — Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.
It's safe to say that Bridges' attention will remain on Doncic throughout. The size mismatch lies with Phoenix. Deandre Ayton will be able to handle Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber with ease. The Mavericks don't have much scoring power on the wings between Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock.
If Bridges can limit Doncic's scoring and force the ball into the hands of his supporting cast, the Suns can blow by the Mavericks in four or five games. Of course, that's easier said than done, especially with the postseason Jalen Brunson is having.
Brunson could give Phoenix trouble. He averaged 27 points per game over six games against the Utah Jazz on solid efficiency (48% from the field). Chris Paul will match up with him for size reasons, but the Suns have the defensive stature to play him well on switches. If Bridges or Crowder switches onto Brunson with the ball, he's going to look to get the ball out of his hands.
For Suns fans still worried about the matchup, take a look at the history. In his last seven games against Phoenix, Doncic has scored 28, 25, 29, 32, 18, 40 and 21 points. The Suns won all seven of those games. Doncic will get his, even with one of the NBA's best defenders on his back, but Phoenix has the luxury on worry-free defense on the others.
The Suns should be confident with the defensive set-up heading into this series, and that's because of Bridges. He'll to stick to the young star like honey. If the Suns can force the ball out of Doncic's hands, they'll be fine, and that starts and ends with Bridges.
Follow Us
Subscribe