The Phoenix Suns booked their place in the second round of the NBA Playoffs earlier tonight when they beat the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 6 to close the series out 4-2. Their opponents will be the Dallas Mavericks, who just got past the Utah Jazz in the game after the Suns win.
Chris Paul made playoff history in his Game 6 after going 14/14 from the field and shooting 100% from the field. It’s the most field goals made without a miss in playoff history, showing the ‘Point God’ can also be a scorer.
The designated scorer on the Suns is Devin Booker, who was passive tonight as he works his way back from a hamstring strain suffered earlier in the series. He sat next to Paul in the post-game press conference where he shared his thoughts on CP3’s stat line, saying he could never do so because he would take ‘heat check’ shots.
"14-15 looks a lot better than 14-14 to me."
Devin Booker thinks Chris Paul should have heat checked more tonight 😂 pic.twitter.com/Y1FZ4RMIID
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2022
“I believe in the heat check. 14/14? 14/15 looks a lot better than 14/14 to me. I’ll never have one of these games, these perfect ones.”
Heat checks refer to shots players take when they are on a hot streak. These shots aren’t usually good shots, as players pull up from deep or take very tough jumpers to prove a point. CP3 is a consummate professional, so he plays to help his team win every time he is on the floor. Booker is the same, but he also has that Kobe spirit in him of wanting to take and make the toughest shots.
Booker was one of the most proficient scorers in the NBA this year, averaging 26.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists over the regular season. As he works himself back from injury, the expectation of him to continue scoring at this clip will come back and Paul is bound to have some more muted scoring nights, but with a lot of assists.
