NBA Finals: Bucks happy at home, but Suns are road warriors
Suns guard Chris Paul, right, shoots against Bucks guard Jeff Teague during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals Thursday in Phoenix. Credit: AP/Ross D. Franklin
For the Milwaukee Bucks, there are reasons to be hopeful. Down two games to none, they are returning home to Fiserv Forum which has been a nonstop party, inside and out, throughout the postseason and they can lean on the adage that a series hasn’t begun until someone loses at home.
But the Phoenix Suns not only posted double-digit wins in both games at Phoenix to start the series, but as they head on the road they do so with the confidence of a team who has been there and handled it better than anyone.
While some may be just starting to believe in the team, the Suns posted an NBA-best 24-12 record on the road this season and have continued it in the postseason, entering Sunday with a 6-2 road record in the playoffs. Holding homecourt in each series they have won at least one of the two games on the road in Game 3 and 4 and maybe more important, have finished off each series in the opposing arena.
"I feel like there's a lot of athletes out there that will tell you they like playing on the road," Chris Paul said. "I love our home crowd, but I also love playing on the road. It's always been like that my whole career. When you go on the road it's just you and your guys, just you and the team, the people that travel with you. So you really got to stick together. And it's nice when you can silence a crowd. It's fun, it's entertaining. I think our team, we just had a right mindset for it."
It is a strange trait for a team making a first run through the postseason. Even though Paul may be the leader with 16 years in the NBA, he is in his first season with Phoenix and the holdovers — Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and Mikal Bridges — are all in their first playoff run. Jae Crowder is another newcomer to Phoenix, but not to the pressure of the postseason. While they may have been buoyed by the home crowd in the first two games, they certainly haven’t relied on it.
"I'm not going to talk about too much, strategically and tactically," Suns coach Monty Williams said. "But for us, I think the thing that's been consistent is the culture pieces that we try to implement every day, and keep our day the same on the road [and] at home.
"We have been a work team all year for two years since we have been in Phoenix. That's been something that has helped our program and our young guys approach the game a certain way. And so we're going to have our film session today. We're going to have a mental workout. We're going to walk through things that we need to. We're going to get our work in. And we have enough veteran leadership on our team to help our guys with the differences between playoff home and playoff road. Other than that, we try not to overthink it too much. We think that helps our guys a ton."
Asked if those were the reasons for the success on the road this season, Williams basically shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know. I hope so," Williams said. "I mean, I'm sure it's also the play of our guys, and certainly having a guy like Chris Paul and having him and Book in certain situations down the stretch. Being able to allow those guys to orchestrate a lot of the situations that we're in, and then defensively having continuity and having certain guys, DA, Jae, Mikal. I think all of the stuff helps you. But I hadn't really had a chance to dive into the road portion, trying to figure out why. We just try to do what we think is necessary to help us in those situations."
Lillard keeping plans to himself
Damian Lillard of the 2021 USA Men's National Basketball Team practices at the Mendenhall Center on July 6 at UNLV as the team gets ready for the Tokyo Olympics. Credit: Getty Images/Ethan Miller
There is little doubt that the Knicks will be in the market for a point guard over the next three weeks between the draft, free agency and trades. But it remains murky whether Damian Lillard will be an option. His name has come up more and more as Portland fell short again and head coach Terry Stotts was let go — and the coaching search caused some controversy that put Lillard on the hot spot. Lillard, speaking this week on a zoom call as he preps for the Tokyo Olympics, wasn’t exactly clarifying things.
"At this point, you know, it’s a lot of things being said, sometimes words being put in my mouth and I haven’t said anything,’’ Lillard said. "I think all the people who’ve covered me since I’ve been in the NBA, they know if there’s something to be said or if I think something and have something to say, I’m going to say it and I’m going to stand on it. Like I said, there’s been a lot of talk. Nobody’s heard what I’ve said, nobody’s heard me say any of these things. But anything I have to say I’m going to say it directly to [Blazers GM] Neil [Olshey]. I’m going to address it directly with my team. I don’t really have nothing to say to you guys about it. Everything that I need to say and that I feel has been said to Neil. So there’s really nothing else that I have to say about it.’’
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
