On the other end of the call was Chris Paul, who missed Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the LA Clippers due to being in the league’s health and safety protocols.
“We know how disappointed he is and frustrated he is he couldn’t be out here for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, especially knowing his past history around this time.
Without the steady hand of Paul, the Suns looked to Booker to carry them.
There are times where a guy scores and you just want to go grab the ball and jack up a shot.
As good as Booker was, the Suns aren’t pretending that they didn’t miss Paul, though.
The last three minutes of that game, that’s when we felt like, ‘Where the hell Chris at?'” forward Jae Crowder said.
Booker is the sixth player in NBA history to record multiple 40-point games in his first career postseason, joining Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Bob McAdoo, Rick Barry and Wilt Chamberlain.
As the Clippers made a push in the fourth quarter, the Suns never shook, looking to Booker, who deftly managed traps and double-teams, picking his spots to shoot from midrange and finding cutters and shooters.
“Chris being one of my mentors and not being able to be here today, we wanted to do it for him.
Without Paul, the starting spot went to Cameron Payne, who was solid in 29 minutes with 11 points and 9 assists.
“I’ve been alongside him all season and watching him control the game and how he never turns the ball over.
That’s who we are, but we had to raise that level of trust because we didn’t have Chris,” Williams said.
“As far as Chris is concerned, it’s just a day-to-day thing with him right now,” Williams said.