Bahamian DeAndre Ayton secured another double-double for the Phoenix Suns, this time in a clinching victory as they powered their way to a 130-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, booking their ticket to their first National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals since 1993.
Hours after wrapping up the Western Conference Finals, four games to two over the Clippers, they flew back home to Phoenix, Arizona and were welcomed by fans at the Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. Ayton was holding the Western Conference trophy as fans shouted: “Let’s go Suns”.
The Bahamian finished with 16 points and 17 rebounds in 40 minutes of play on the road at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. He finished 8-for-10 on the evening, shooting a blistering 80 percent. He had five offensive boards and two blocks.
In his first year with the Suns, in the 2018-2019 season, the team finished with a 19-63 win/loss and now they are the Western Conference Champions and headed to the NBA Finals. Speaking to reporters in a virtual press conference while sitting by the trophy and wearing a chain with the Bahamian flag pendant on it, a relieved Ayton said that he wants to just enjoy the moment.
“It’s crazy. It’s only my third year and seeing the reaction of C (Chris Paul) made me appreciate it even more. I know people say ‘live in the moment’ but that moment was too long. I was like is this too good to be true. I just have to enjoy this night and get back at it and get ready for the finals,” Ayton said.
Ayton can now become the third Bahamian to win an NBA title and be a part of the first Suns team to win an NBA championship. Mychal Thompson and Rick Fox are the first Bahamians to win an NBA title – Thompson has two and Fox has three, both with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Suns’ point guard Chris Paul led all scorers with 41 points, and probably more impressively, had zero turnovers. Marcus Morris was the Clippers high-point man with 26 points.
When the Suns went to the NBA Finals 28 years ago, Ayton and more than half of the Suns roster were not born as yet. Charles Barkley, now an analyst for TNT, was the Suns’ leader. They fell in six games to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in that finals.
The Clippers went small ball again like they did in game five. It did not work according to plan as the Suns raced out to a 33-29 advantage after the first quarter. Ayton was fed early in the first quarter, connecting on five of his six shot attempts. He finished the quarter with 10 points, three boards and one block.
The third-year player spoke about what it means to have his family, especially his mother, supporting him at this stage of his career.
“I can’t explain family love to be honest,” Ayton said. “It is something that you embrace and hold on to. You know it is real love when you are smiling and you are just doing it for them. Walking up to my mom and sharing that experience with her – it’s way bigger than the BIG 12 Tournament … this is a whole new ball game. This is the level I dreamt of and seen on television and was craving for. To share that moment with her (mother) and her seeing all the lights and embracing positivity was a breath of fresh air.”
At the half, the Suns had a nine-point cushion, leading 66-57.
In the third quarter, the Clippers got the Suns’ lead down to six points at the 11:08 mark. The Suns led 66-60 at that point. The game looked like it was a foregone conclusion after Mikal Bridges gave the Suns an 89-72 lead with 4:01 left in the third quarter. The 17 point-lead was their largest of the game at that point. A quick 10-0 run by the Clippers brought the Suns lead down to just seven points, 89-82. The Clippers’ crowd erupted but it was Paul who went on a solo 8-0 run to take the lead up to 15 points, 97-82.
At the end of the third quarter, the Suns led 97-83.
In the fourth quarter, the Bahamian put his team up 99-83 when he made a hook shot with 11:30 left in the game. At the 6:54 mark, Ayton caught a pass from Paul from the three-point line and drove to the rim for a layup to give his team their largest lead of the game at that time – 21 points, 113-92.
It was all Suns down the stretch and Head Coach Monty Williams pulled his starters with two minutes left in the game.
In the six conference finals games he played in, the number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Ayton, showed up each time. He averaged a double-double with 17.8 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. He added 1.7 blocks and 0.7 steals per game. Ayton shot a blistering 68.9 percent from the field on 12.5 shots per game in the series. He had a postseason high 24 points in game two and a career-high 22 boards in game four. His alley-oop with 0.9 seconds left in game two of the series gave his team a 104-103 win, and it is one of the top highlight plays in his young career.
Ayton and the Suns will now have to wait on the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks Eastern Conference Finals series. The NBA Finals will start in Phoenix.
The post Ayton ecstatic to be heading to NBA Finals appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/ayton-ecstatic-to-be-heading-to-nba-finals/
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