PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JUNE 22: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns dunks the ball over Ivica Zubac #40 of the LA Clippers during the fourth quarter in game two of the NBA Western Conference finals in-which the Phoenix Suns defeated the LA Clippers 104-103 at Phoenix Suns Arena on June 22, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
To say the Suns won Game 2 in a dramatic fashion might be an understatement.
Whether it was the brilliant mind of head coach Monty Williams or Chris Paul over a FaceTime call, the Suns drew up perhaps the greatest inbound play in NBA history.
When Paul George of the Clippers MISSED two straight free throws with eight seconds left (Nick Anderson style), Phoenix called timeout and advanced the ball.
After a corner three by Mikal Bridges clanked off the rim and missed, the ball was batted out of bounds off the Clippers.
With 0.9 seconds left in regulation, the Suns were inbounding from the left corner of the baseline.
The play was actually quite simple.
When the whistle blew, Ayton set a screen for Cam Johnson on the left-wing and then made a hard cut to the basket where Devin Booker set a screen on LA's Ivica Zubac to create some space in the paint.
The BOSSMAN himself, Jae Crowder, then tossed a perfect lob to the basket for the 7' 6" wingspan of DeAndre Ayton who jammed it home for a game-winner that was just too good to be true.
The Clippers ended up with an opportunity with 0.7 seconds to put up a last-second heave but it was no good and the Suns won Game 2 104-103.
"That's definitely Jae (Crowder's) game-winner," Ayton said after the big man finished with 24 points on 12-for-15 shooting and 14 rebounds.
The "Valley Oop" wasn't the only crazy thing from Game 2.
With 3:22 left in the third quarter, Patrick Beverley and Devin Booker had a head-to-head collision that left Book with a broken nose.
That didn't stop the young all-star to finish the game with 20 points while logging almost 41 minutes.
Booker's broken nose left a sense of déjà vu for Suns fans.
In 2007, Phoenix legend Steve Nash also played through a serious nose injury in a crucial playoff game for the Suns.
Only this time around the Suns won the broken nose game.
It is also worth mentioning that this isn't the first time the Suns won a game on a last-second lob to the rim.
On December 27, 2017, the Suns beat the Memphis Grizzlies on a last-second inbounds pass to Tyson Chandler with 0.6 seconds left.
Chris Paul WILL RETURN in Game 3 on Thursday to reclaim his starting point guard role that was safeguarded by Cameron Payne who lead all scorers in Game 2 with 29 points.
The Clippers will need to make history as the first team ever to come back from three straight 2-0 series deficits if they want a trip to the NBA Finals.
Written by Felipe Alvarez
