'Unbelievable demolition': NBA shock as title favourites crumble
The Phoenix Suns have been eliminated from the NBA playoffs in shocking fashion, losing by 33 points to the Dallas Mavericks in a game seven boilover at home.
After breaking a years-long playoff drought and making the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 last season, many had the Suns locked in as championship favourites after they finished the regular season witn an NBA-leading 64 wins.
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Guaranteed home court advantage for the duration of the playoffs, the Suns were expected to be challenged by Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks but ultimately prevail.
Instead, the Mavericks held serve at home to force a deciding game in Phoenix, before absolutely detonating on the reigning Western Conference champions.
The Suns faced a brick wall defence in the first half, with their total of 27 points at half-time singlehandedly matched by Doncic in a remarkable display.
Doncic wasn't done yet, finishing the game with 35 points, 10 rebounds and four assists to complement his fellow guards, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson.
Dinwiddie (30 points) and Brunson (24) piled on the pain for the Suns, who were simply outplayed on both ends of the floor by a determined Mavericks outfit.
Doncic didn't play at all in the fourth quarter given the game was so well in hand.
Cameron Johnson lead the Suns in scoring with 12 points, with star shooting guard Devin Booker struggling to score and ultimately playing limited minutes as the score was blown out beyond doubt by the fourth quarter.
Booker finished with just 11 points, with veteran point guard Chris Paul only able to add 10 of his own in a thoroughly disappointing end to the Suns' season.
As the blowout loss unfolded, NBA fans on social media were left gobsmacked by what they were witnessing.
Per @ESPNStatsInfo, Mavs’ blowout of Suns was most lopsided Game 7 road win since the Warriors over the St. Louis Bombers in 1948.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 16, 2022
This is reminding me of Dallas’ sweep of the Lakers in 2011. Just an absolutely unbelievable demolition in the close out game.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 16, 2022
There have definitely been more heartbreaking playoff losses in Phoenix Suns history, including the Finals last year. But I can't think of one as inexplicably poor as that. No fight. No heart. No execution. And at the end of such a fun season, that'll sting for a long time
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) May 16, 2022
I have never been more wrong. I can’t believe how great the @dallasmavs look — and how pathetically awful the @Suns look. @CP3 & @DevinBooker31 have been no-shows. I can’t believe this
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 16, 2022
What in the world happened to the Phoenix @Suns
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) May 16, 2022
I can't recognize the Phoenix Suns.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 16, 2022
In the first half, Suns stars Booker and Paul combined to go 0-for-11 from the field for three points.
Both players sat sat for the final six minutes of the game as a “Let’s go Mavs” chant broke out in Phoenix before each team emptied their benches shortly after.
Paul has been a member of five teams that squandered 2-0 playoff series lead, including this one.
Phoenix shot 37.9% for the game, 35.3% from 3-point range.
Dallas will now move on to face the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, while Miami takes on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven three-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 threes to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Boston will face top-seeded Miami beginning Tuesday in a rematch of the 2020 East finals, after the Heat beat the Celtics in six games in that series at Walt Disney World in 2020.
"As much as it hurt to lose Game 5, I was looking forward to that challenge," Tatum said.
"I believe in myself, I believe in this team. I expected to play the way I did and for us to respond the way we did."
The Celtics trailed early on Sunday at TD Garden but outscored the Bucks 61-38 in the second half to cruise to victory.
Boston used a whopping 54-point advantage from behind the arc to improve to 25-9 in decisive seventh games.
"This is what we played for, why we played the season out, to have home-court advantage in a Game 7," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said.
"If you believe in the basketball gods, those things matter."
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists.
But he was just 3 of 11 in the paint in the second half, including 1 for 6 the fourth quarter. Jrue Holiday added 21 points and eight assists while Brook Lopez finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
"Shots that I usually make wasn't going in. That's basketball. That's sports," Antetokounmpo said.
"Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. There's a winner. There's a loser. You've just got to live with it."
Williams finished 7 for 18 behind the arc as the second-seeded Celtics completed the comeback after falling into a 3-2 hole.
With AAP
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