SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
There is so much intrigue in the Phoenix Suns.
For starters, they are the perfect case of how quickly an NBA franchise can turn from perennial losers to championship contenders in just one season.
Of course, that doesn’t come by sheer luck. The roster building by former NBA champion and now Executive of the Year James Jones, plus top-tier mentoring from Monty Williams, who pundits say should have been the Coach of the Year, paved the way for their formidable turnaround.
And it wouldn’t be right to forget that none of this would have been possible without trading for 36-year-old Chris Paul, who personifies the value of what having a superstar can do for a team, franchise, and entire city.
And more importantly: that age is just a number.
It’s almost laughable to think how there were once reports that teams didn’t want to trade for Paul, because of his expensive contract and injury history.
Fair analysis or not, it’s clear many of them likely wish they could now turn back the hands of time.
The Suns already had two cornerstones in Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton prior to CP3, whose arrival elevated the level of competitiveness expected out of each player on the team, and set the standard of what his squad should accomplish.
As talented as the dynamic young duo were, they had yet to experience a winning season together.
Sometimes, it’s the simple little things that need to be fixed before achieving success. Talent will only get you so far.
Booker, speaking in his first NBA Finals Media Day, explained it perfectly:
“The attention to detail,” he noted as the biggest difference in having an 11-time All-Star and future Hall-of-Famer around.
“You watch games a different way than you did growing up [with Chris]. You’re not watching it for entertainment anymore. You’re scouting the whole time you’re watching.
“So, it might be a simple play. Somebody might have scored on this possession over here. You sit back. You rewind it: ‘Hey, look over here, do you see what they did over here?’ So, it’s just viewing the game a different way, seeing the game a different way, and just understanding tendencies and communicating it out loud when you see it.
“We’re not sitting there watching the game in silence. We’re sitting there, like, they let him do that again? We have to take that away when we play them. So, it’s just a whole other level of basketball and film study when you’re with Chris.”
“Film viewing” won’t make the top headlines of every day sports talk shows because, let’s face it, it’s not the most glamorous subject.
Due to the Hollywood-like appeal, it can be more entertaining to discuss where “Player X will shift teams to since he’s a free agent?”
But many basketball coaches preach film viewing as the secret to reaching greater heights, both for the individual and team, no matter where in the world.
Tom Brady, arguably the greatest NFL player of all time, for years has talked about how obsessed he is with watching game film daily, always looking for edge over his opponent.
And finding edges over his adversaries is a classic right out of Paul’s bag of tricks.
Stars aligning
Is it fair to say this feels like the year of the Suns, who have never won an NBA title in their 53-year history?
Are the stars finally aligning for Paul, whose streak of bad luck with injuries and blown leads have crippled his “oh-so-close” opportunities for title glory in the past?
Or maybe it’s sheer luck?
Think about this: Phoenix faced the defending champion Lakers in round one and trailed 2-1 after Game 3. The series looked decided, as the Suns had no defensive answer for Anthony Davis’ dominance in the paint. But as imposing as AD is, he’s also fragile, and his groin injury paved the way for Paul and his boys to close the series in 6.
In round two, the Suns drew a favorable matchup against the attackable defense of league MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, who were without Jamal Murray (torn ACL). It was an easy sweep.
In the conference finals, Phoenix was challenged but ultimately defeated an inspired Los Angeles Clippers squad without their best player in Kawhi Leonard.
Many feel that had LAC been healthy – and the Lakers, too – then the Suns would have been finished.
But here’s the thing: the history books rarely remember the “ifs” and “buts.” History remembers the victor. Phoenix’s history is now in its own hands.
And it’s not as if the Suns have had the best injury luck as well. As good as AD was to start the Lakers series, Paul hurting his shoulder in the opener played nearly as big a role in their slow start.
Paul was absent for the opening two games of the conference finals because of health and safety protocols. Fortunately for him, his co-stars did just enough to protect home court.
Turn the debate over to the other side, and the question becomes “have we not yet seen the best out of these Phoenix Suns?
Here’s a fact: now more than ever, durability has become the key ingredient in winning an NBA championship.
As much as people want to criticize the shortened off-season following the Bubble in Disney World, availability has played a major role in determining NBA champions the last decade:
Derrick Rose in 2012. Russell Westbrook in 2013. Rose again in 2014. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in 2015. Andrew Bogut, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green (albeit a suspension) in 2016. Kawhi Leonard in 2017. Paul in 2018. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant in 2019. Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo in 2020.
Too many names to mention in 2021.
And now, two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is doubtful for game one of the finals against Phoenix. Even if the Greek Freak, who’s also a former Defensive Player of the Year, returns during this seven-game encounter, will he be close to 100%?
“Injuries are always unfortunate. You hate to have them,” Paul said in Media Day. “But just like when we went to the bubble, everything was discussed as far as the players and the full body of players.”
Not only Giannis
It’s worth noting that just because the Bucks won’t have the best of Giannis, that doesn’t make them less dangerous. In fact, it’s fair to ask if Milwaukee’s offense discovered new-found spacing freedom since Giannis has been out, providing the likes of Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday with better scoring opportunities.
Defensively, Holiday provides a challenge for Paul and Booker they haven’t had to deal with yet in the postseason. As the saying goes, “Pat Bev tricked ya’ll,” and the epitome of that took place when Paul was shedding the Clippers apart in the clincher. Holiday hasn’t tricked anyone, because he’s that damn good.
“Jrue is just the consummate team guy. Plays the game the right way, defends, can score,” Paul said.
“He’s a competitor at the highest level and you understand that you’re getting that,” Booker added.
So, it’ll be up to Phoenix to stop him. Plus, Middleton and Lopez. When he returns, Giannis, too, and the rest of that team. Milwaukee hasn’t won an NBA title since 1971. They were also blessed with favorable injuries to opponents on the way to the finals.
All of that is now out of the window. It’s about the first to win 4 games, and nothing else matters.
Phoenix, Arizona has been waiting for this for a long time.
“Phoenix Suns are the baby franchise here and they (the fans) love it with a passion,” Booker said.
“I’m wearing the shirt from ’93 right now. I think it started around that time to when they developed that, you hear people talk about, I remember when I watched Charles [Barkley] and them, like, you hear those stories at all times, and seeing the passion in their eyes when they’re telling the stories and even being at the bottom of the barrel for the past 5 years and them still showing up and showing love shows that same type of love that they have for this team.”
It’s the same type of love they now have for Booker and Paul. For Monty and James. For Deandre and Jae Crowder. For the Cams, Payne and Johnson. For Torrey Craig. For every last guy on the roster.
“Somebody said before the playoffs started like when you win a game you feel like you can’t lose again, when you lose you feel like you can’t win again. And that’s the playoffs for real,” an honest Booker shared.
“People get too high, people get too low, you’re hearing everybody talking from every different angle but you have to understand where you’re trying to go and what we’re trying to do.”
What they’re trying to do is clear as day:
To be remembered by history as champions. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.