The Phoenix Suns had not played an actual NBA playoff game for a week, after they swept the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals, but this team did not miss a beat in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals! With Chris Paul in health and safety protocols, the Suns still came out with that same flame inside of them and they fought with the Clippers.
In a back-and-forth game that was extremely exciting, Phoenix came out on top on their home court and won Game 1 of this series 120-114. However, just because you win Game 1 does not mean you are on a collision course with winning the series.
READ MORE: NBA Playoffs: Why Phoenix Suns should be favorites to win the 2021 NBA Finals
The NBA playoffs have been madness this year and out of the 12 playoff series that have been completed, the winner of Game 1 has gone on to win the series just 7 times. Every single series in these playoffs has been exciting and competitive and we should expect nothing less in this Clippers-Suns series.
Kawhi Leonard dealing with a knee injury and sitting out Game 1 is definitely a storyline to keep an eye on for the remainder of the series, especially since he will most likely miss Game 2 as well on Tuesday night.
While Leonard is a storyline for the Clippers, Devin Booker was the big storyline of Phoenix’s Game 1 victory. Booker recorded his first career triple-double, dropping 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, making him the 9th player in NBA history to record a 40+ point triple-double in the playoffs. He joined Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Charles Barkley, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Luka Doncic and Russell Westbrook on this list, which is pretty good company!
“I don’t understand why everyone’s acting surprised at this point,” Suns’ forward Jae Crowder said after the game in regards to Booker’s performance. “This is his first time on this stage but he’s capable. He’s more than capable. He’s more than ready. He prepares like no other.”
With Chris Paul being out, Devin Booker knew he needed to step up and like he has every single game of these playoffs, Booker put on a show for the home fans! The Suns have now won the first game in each series they have played in these playoffs, but will they be able to keep their “dream season” alive against the Clippers?
Let’s take a look at the three biggest takeaways from Game 1 and take a look at how each of these takeaways could impact the remainder of the series!
