PHOENIX — Chris Paul and Monty Williams on Friday both affirmed that Paul’s hand, in which just a couple of weeks back he told reporters he suffered torn ligaments, is healthy. But that answer likely won’t soothe Suns fans hoping for the so-called Point God to look more like a deity again.
After a subpar 10 points on 5-13 shooting from the field and five turnovers in a 109-103 loss in Milwaukee on Wednesday night, it would likely be helpful for the Suns to have a Paul injury as an excuse. If Paul is truly healthy, it means he just flat-out played poorly, and rather than hope for healing, the Suns have to simply cross their fingers Paul flips his switch back on.
“It’s something I don’t dwell on,” Paul said on Friday of his poor outing. “Even though it may be an anomaly for me, it happens.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to win the game and me turning the ball over is not giving us enough shots at the basket.”
As is typically the case, Paul got right to the point. Phoenix as a team piled up 17 turnovers in Game 4, leading to 24 Bucks points. Add in 17 offensive rebounds for Milwaukee and the result was a 19-shot discrepancy, with the Bucks attempting nearly 100 field goals to the Suns’ 79. A better version of Paul gets the Suns closer to even in those categories.
And now that the series is back in the Valley, the question becomes whether Milwaukee’s performance at home was a new trend in the series -- with role players stepping up and all the hustle stats pointing their way -- or a blip. Regardless, the Suns believe they can stay the course and remain competitive.
“We didn’t sweep but one series, so this is what happens in a series,” Paul said, “that’s why they make it seven games. This is the Finals, so it’s dramatic.”
Suns fans all season have become familiar with Williams-isms such as “everything you want is on the other side of hard” or “don’t get happy on the farm.” Those are instilled in groups for times like this. These Suns have had a stoicism about them all week in the lead-up to this pivotal Game 5, but it’s not unlike their temperament all season.
Don’t expect to see any glaring adjustments at the newly named Footprint Center on Saturday. The Suns are confident they can win this series doing what got them here.
“That was a tough loss, but any loss in the Finals is a tough loss,” Williams said Friday. “Our guys have accomplished so much, and we have something right in
front of us that I didn’t want them to lose sight of.”
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