'We're Being Taught': Mavs Take Lessons From Suns' Chris Paul On Foul Baiting
The Dallas Mavericks tied up their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Phoenix Suns 2-2 using a 111-101 win in Game 4 on Sunday night.
There was plenty that went wrong for the Suns with Chris Paul's perplexing inability to avoid fouling ranking high on the list. He was limited to just 23 minutes as a result of fouling out and totaled just five points, five rebounds, and seven assists on the night.
Jerome-Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jerome-Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jerome-Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The first of Paul's six fouls occurred during the Mavericks' first offensive possession of the game. He was responsible for making the tag to prevent Dorian Finney-Smith from getting a lob pass at the rim since Deandre Ayton was committed to Dwight Powell.
Paul picked up his second foul of the opening period because after making a pass, he hit Luka Doncic in the face with his off-hand. While there was undoubtedly contact on the play, Doncic made sure to sell it with his reaction.
It wasn't until late in the second quarter that Paul picked up his third foul. He was guarding Doncic on a drive and given the size disparity, there wasn't much Paul could do when Doncic lowered his shoulder. With Doncic falling to the ground, he drew the foul quickly.
“[Chris Paul] is one of the best point guards this league has ever had. His mentality, the way he sees the court, and his IQ are amazing. I think it was big time. He was in foul trouble and we tried to get after him and if you don’t have CP out there, it’s for sure tougher on the team.”
The Suns opted to trust Paul to finish out the first half despite having three fouls. With just a few seconds left, he fouled Doncic when attempting to pull down a rebound. He entered halftime with four fouls — leaving him with as small of a margin for error as it gets.
“When I saw he was going for the rebound, I was surprised." Doncic said. "He said to me, ‘Did I push you that hard?’ I said, ‘No, not that hard but it was a smart play.’ He said, ‘Yeah, I know.’”
The final two fouls Paul recorded were head-scratching ones, to say the least. His fifth foul was the result of attempting to cut off Jalen Brunson when dribbling up the court in order to bait the referees into giving him a call, but instead getting called for one himself.
The NBA instituted a rule change to avoid a ball handler from veering in front of a player running up the court to draw a cheap foul. Paul had been the most common player using this strategy for years. Taking the risk on the play given already being in foul trouble proved to be a bad gamble.
"Chris Paul veers into the path of the defender without giving him the opportunity to avoid contact so that is why it is an offensive foul," NBA crew chief Kane Fitzgerald explained in the Pool Report interview.
It was tougher for some to tell regarding why Paul was called for his sixth foul. When Brunson was attempting a putback, Paul had swiped down and made contact with his right hand — impacting the shot process and
'As Brunson jumps to get the rebound Chris Paul grabs his right wrist causing him to lose his balance in the air and fall backwards," Fitzgerald explained.
Paul, who is known to do a great acting job to bait for foul calls himself, received a nod of respect from Mavericks coach Jason Kidd in the post-game press conference.
Jerome-Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jerome-Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
“We’re being taught by one of the best point guards ever on the other side," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. "That’s pretty cool.”
The two performances in Dallas from Paul in this series featured some anomalies. He recorded a career-high seven turnovers in the first half of Game 3 and then fouled out for just the fourth time in his playoff career in Game 4. The Suns will undoubtedly need Paul to be better going forward.
"It was crazy, man," Paul said. "Crazy. Tough one. Tough one. We have to bounce back Game 5.”
