The Phoenix Suns are facing a must-win situation in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night. If they want to keep their season alive, they may need to make sure Chris Paul is never on the floor without Devin Booker.
On Tuesday morning’s edition of “Get Up,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe shared what he referred to as the “defining stat” of the NBA Finals. When Paul has been on the floor without Booker during the series, the Suns are minus-37. That means they are losing about a point a minute to the Bucks when CP3 plays and Booker is on the bench.
Zach Lowe said "when Chris Paul is on the floor without Devin Booker, the Suns are -37 in 40 minutes" https://t.co/AM5wRK7qIq pic.twitter.com/9HJcvWBheV
— (@dribblecity) July 20, 2021
Booker scored 42 points in Game 4 and 40 in Game 5, but Phoenix lost both games. Paul had just 10 points in the Game 4 loss before bouncing back with 21 points and 11 assists in Game 5. Obviously, none of it was enough.
It’s clear that Paul needs to find a way to make or facilitate more plays when Booker rests. Either that, or Monty Williams needs to consider just making sure Paul and Booker are on the floor together as much as possible. That stat hardly seems like a fluke.
Paul is already one loss away from setting the wrong kind of NBA record. With Game 6 in Milwaukee, he is now facing the toughest task of his career.
