The West Semifinals
6 June 2021
Suns [2] vs. Nuggets [3]
If there is uncertainty around any semifinals matchup it has to be this one. Both the Suns and Nuggets have star power all across the board but have passed upon being flashy teams and just execute the game of basketball at a high level. The top two names that come to mind in this matchup are Devin Booker and Nikola Jokic, the most important player on the Suns and Nuggets respectively. Although these two stars are going to be a matchup nightmare for one another’s teams, they will rarely see one another matched up on the court.
Booker is going to be playing off the ball a lot and let Chris Paul do his thing by spreading the floor and causing mismatches in the Suns favor. Paul has had a lingering shoulder injury that he hurt in Game 1 against the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Fortunately, the future hall of famer was able to play through the injury and seemed to be effective enough to pull out a win in six games against LeBron James and the defending champs. Paul’s numbers weren’t spectacular in the first round but when you have Booker and big man DeAndre Ayton, you don’t have to do much of the heavy lifting. Here’s how good the Suns’ dynamic duo has done in their first playoff run.
2021 Playoffs
Ayton is not only a menace on offense but he could be the key to Phoenix’s success against Jokic and the Nuggets. The reasoning is simple as Ayton provides a tough matchup against Jokic, something the Trail Blazers failed to do in their first-round matchup. On top of that, when Ayton guarded Jokic in the regular season, the Nuggets big man shot 13-of-34 from the field (38.2 FG%). Here’s a closer look at how the two big men fared against one another through this year’s three regular-season matchups.
Ayton vs. Jokic in 2020-21 Season
If Denver wants to be successful, they will need to force Ayton to fight through screens set up for Jokic. On top of that Aaron Gordon needs to find a way to be far more effective in this series as he should likely see a lot of Jae Crowder on him this series.
The expectation for the Nuggets’ defensively should be Facundo Campazzo matched up on Chris Paul and Michael Porter Jr. on Devin Booker. Booker and Porter Jr. can see a similar match-up to that of Ayton and Jokic as these two sharpshooters will work to their strengths as well. Porter Jr. has averaged 18.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 53.8% from the field through six playoff games. Meanwhile, Booker has racked up 29.7 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 48.8% from the field.
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
It’s no secret how good Jokic is, however the Suns seem to have a better supporting cast offensively with the defensive ability to contain the Serbian big man. Although I’m inclined to make this a six-game series pick if any semi-final matchup should go to seven games, it has to be this one. Get ready for a nail-biter between these two western conference teams.
Prediction: Suns in 7
Jazz [1] vs. Clippers [4]
After a hard-fought seven-game series against the Mavericks, Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are set to take on the top-seeded Utah Jazz. Although Los Angeles looked ugly at times in their first-round matchup, their final three games were rather exceptional overall and have given the NBA a convincing enough performance to have a fighting chance against Utah.
The key to stopping the Jazz all depends on Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. This Utah duo can take over a game on both sides of the ball. On top of that Mike Conley is a proven seasoned veteran that can do damage against a Clipper squad that has to tend to let up on defense at times. That something Clippers head coach Tyrone Lue will have to double down on as Utah is certainly no walk in the park. Here’s a closer look at how the two backcourts compare.
2021 Playoffs Stats
The advantage here certainly goes to the Clippers but the team will need to also worry about the sixth man of the year in Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson is playing about 25 minutes per game in the playoffs and averaging 18.6 PPG while shooting 40.8% from the field. Clarkson could be an x-factor for the Jazz down the stretch but similarly, the Clippers have Marcus Morris who could be effective complimenting Paul George and Leonard. Morris has shot 44.7% from beyond the arc in this year’s postseason including a Game 7 against the Mavs where he went off for a career-high seven three-pointers.
This Clipper team is built to cause havoc but it’s all going to come down to executing the game plan and not letting up against an underestimated Utah squad. After getting a first-round scare from Luka Doncic and the Mavs, this Los Angeles team seems to have come together and have figured things out at the right time. Mitchell is clearly the biggest offensive threat that Los Angeles will have to account for defensively, but stopping Mitchell may not be a tall task for this squad given the fact that they outlasted Luka Donicic’s heroics in the first round. Expect a nail-biting series that should not see the Clippers’ back against the wall and give the western conference a wake-up call by taking down the top-seeded Jazz.
Kevork Djansezian | Credit: Getty Images
