We got another historic comeback from the LA Clippers, who were down 2-0 against the Utah Jazz before rattling off four straight wins.
But where Paul showcased his elite level was in game management, applying his steady hand to the young Suns as they carved the Nuggets apart on almost every possession.
Paul’s numbers were absurd, especially at the intensity levels that come in a postseason series: 25.5 points on 62.7% shooting, 75.0% from 3, 22-for 22 from the free throw line and an unthinkable 41-to-5 assist to turnover ratio.
He was a picture of poise, the safety net the Suns looked to in every second half.
At 36 years old, there was a perception that Paul was coming to the Suns merely to be the mentor, the talisman, the leader.
He followed that up with another 48 points in Game 7, playing all 53 minutes and setting an NBA Game 7 record with 48 points, the final two coming on a truly impossible turnaround jumper over P.J.
Durant’s status as an elite player was questioned entering this season only because of the 18 months he’d spent on the sidelines since tearing his Achilles tendon during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
After Game 7, he said the same thing.
Antetokounmpo has endured plenty of slings and arrows over the past two years as he and the Bucks have been prematurely bounced from the playoffs.
Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Bucks got annihilated in Game 2, even with James Harden sitting out because of an injury.
But when Antetokounmpo is aggressive and in attack mode — he was in Games 6 and 7 — the Nets had no answer for him.
This series, though, saw far more good than bad for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
George was an easy taunting target that night, when he was 4-of-17 from the floor in a Clippers loss, the 10th time in his career he had shot 25% or worse from the floor in a playoff game.
After the pressure on George picked up significantly due to Leonard’s knee injury, he responded with perhaps the best playoff performance in his career.
He struggled with his efficiency for extended stretches, including an 8-of-26 outing in Game 4 and 5-of-23 shooting in Game 7.
During Game 4, when he couldn’t get his shot to fall, the 34 assist opportunities Young created for his teammates, according to Second Spectrum, were the most in a playoff game since camera tracking began in 2014, per ESPN Stats & Information research.
His 21 points in what NBA Advanced Stats defines as clutch situations tied Durant for most in the conference semifinals and accounted for 41% of the Hawks’ total scoring in those moments.
Most of those points came at the line, where Young went 11-of-12 in clutch situations, but his deep 3-pointer to give Atlanta a 93-87 lead with 2:31 left in Game 7 stands out as perhaps the biggest shot of the series.
As in the 76ers’ 2019 loss in the conference semifinals to the Toronto Raptors, they dramatically outscored the Hawks with Embiid on the court .
Unfortunately, the inability to find or pursue a workable lineup with Embiid on the bench exacerbated the biggest challenge he faced playing through injury: fatigue.
Still, Philadelphia wouldn’t have been in position to lead in games or the series without Embiid’s rapid return from the meniscus tear that forced him to miss the closeout game of the 76ers’ first-round win over the Washington Wizards.
Embiid shook off a dreadful 0-for-12 shooting performance in the second half of Game 4 — during which he did grab 21 rebounds — to come back with 37 points on 12-of-20 shooting in yet another losing effort.