How the Suns executed the winning goal perfectly-and why the goalkeeper is not suitable for Deandre Ayton’s dunk

Back in December 2017, the Suns and Grizzlies found themselves in an offline game. Phoenix took the ball with 0.6 seconds left in the game and tied the score at 97.

So what did the Suns coach Jay Triano do? He uncovered the scene he had hidden in his back pocket for many years.

more: Chris Paul reacts to Deandre Ayton’s winning dunk

Standing on the sideline near the Grizzlies bench, Dragan Bender passed the ball to Tyson Chandler, which floated directly above the basket, giving Chandler the opportunity to hit the ball into the bottom of the net. Wait, can you do it?

“You can’t shoot a ball that doesn’t count,” Triano told reporters After the game.

More than three years later, Triano’s words once again echoed the Phoenix Sun Arena. Coach Monty Williams enacted a similar game on Tuesday night. His players completed the game perfectly, allowing the Suns to beat the Clippers 104-103 and 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals. The series leads.

Look at this beauty:

Ok let’s break it down Matt Winer of NBA TV called it “The Valley Oop.” (Good job, Matt).

First of all, pay attention to the positioning of DeMarcus Cousins. The Clippers head coach Tylen Lue made a clever move to put Cousins ​​on Jack Crowder to make the pass more difficult, but Cousins ​​and Crowder align with Crowder and opened up Crowder. The required passing route.

As for the inside action, Devin Booker set up an excellent cover on Ivica Zubac, which freed Deandre Ayton from the shackles. Can Nicolas Batum hit Ayton and recover? Possibly, but his worries about leaving Booker are understandable.

Once Ayton lets Zubac run to the basket, Crowder can place the ball where Ayton can score. As you can see from the perspective below, Claude just barely avoided the rebound. The location here is simply incredible.

“That is definitely the winner of Jae,” Ayton says After the game.

Now, you may still be asking, “But why is this not a goalkeeper violation?”

Just as the NBA in its Last two minutes report Beginning with the game in December 2017, “Goalkeeper rules do not apply because (Chandler) touches the ball when throwing a throw-in instead of a live ball that has been legally touched on the playing field.” The crew captain on Tuesday Scott Foster gave the same explanation when asked about Ayton’s dunk.

Sometimes it can be all the time in the world in less than a second. Ask any Suns fan.