Phoenix Suns
The 2020-21 Phoenix Suns season can be defined by the fact that the Suns not only made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, but they made it all the way to the NBA Finals, just two games away from hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy.
What did we learn?
Chris Paul’s latest and greatest renovation project was a grand success of the highest caliber.
It wasn’t long ago at all that the Suns were the punching bag of the Western Conference, having not won more than 24 games for four straight seasons until 2019-20’s breakthrough of 34 wins.
The 2019-20 Phoenix Suns progress culminated in the bubble where they ran the table, 8-0 yo! You could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
But what we could not see was that adding Chris Paul, Jae Crowder, Dario Saric and Cam Payne to this team would bring forth the light, transforming them into legit contenders in the Western Conference over night.
Chris Paul steered the ship in the effervescent way that he does while Book handled the heavy lifting. And behind head coach Monty Williams, the Suns became the most cohesive UNIT in the league.
We have long been fans of cookouts with Book, but it was another experience entirely to see them come to fruition and lead to actual, serious winning basketball. It helped him tremendously to be surrounded by talented and hard-nosed players like Chris Paul and Jae Crowder, proven winners throughout their entire careers.
The long-limbed lockdown defender Mikal Bridges and the sharp-shooting Cam Johnson off the bench constantly brought energy, versatile defense across multiple positions and crisp, smart plays on offense. Bridges was actually the better shooter of the two this season, a sizzling 42.5 percent from 3 on 4.4 attempts per game, up from 36 percent the season before and 33.5 percent his rookie season.
The player that surprised us the most this season was Grandpa Ayton, Papa Ayton!! He just kept on getting better and better behind Chris Paul’s guidance. Ayton made such strides in his awareness to just let the game come to him. Do your job to the best of your ability, and The Point God will make things easy for you.
Our outlook on Ayton changed drastically after seeing just one quote from him in KOC’s fantastic as always and pinpoint piece “Here Come the Suns.” He was talking to KOC about his suspension: “I let my team down. I got bombarded and destroyed by the internet. And you know what, I deserved that,” Ayton said. “I thought, ‘Who am I to say I’m a certain way when I didn’t prove it?’ So I felt motivated to go out there and fix my name, to find myself, and show who I really am. That suspension felt like the bottom of the pit. Then professionalism hit me. I knew I wasn’t gonna cheat myself. I worked harder and harder. I didn’t care if I wasn’t playing, I wanted to get better. I was locked in. I was in the pen for 25 games and came out an OG.”
An OG indeed!
And then there was CP3 taking Cam Payne under his wing. The dude was out of the league entirely and best known for his pregame dances. Next thing you know he’s putting up 29 points in the Western Conference Finals.
No matter how long it took to realize, the Suns were the most consistent and steady team in the NBA. They blitzed the short-handed Lakers, swept the Murray-less Nuggets, clipped the Kawhi-less Clippers and were two games away from having it all.
It’s no secret that the Suns path to The Finals was fluffed with opposing injuries each step of the way, but you can only play the competition in front of you, and it’s always been a fact that the healthiest and luckiest teams prosper the most.
Being up 2-0 in The Finals will bring on some regret this summer, and the Championship Window in the NBA can be so fleeting.
So let it fuel your fire and come back stronger than ever.
The Western Conference will be waiting.
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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?
Under 38.5 wins. We have a bad taste in our mouths after they got rid of our guys.
Suns 2020-21 Record: (51-21)
NOPE, our preseason Over/Under prediction did not hit. We could not have been more wrong here, and we’ll gladly eat all of the desert crow on this one. These weren’t our Suns, and we held that against them for far too long.
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What’s Next?
The Suns traded Javon Carter and their #29 pick today to the Nets for Landry Shamet. Phoenix will be the fourth team for the Shamster, who is entering his fourth year in the league.
Going to need to see something from Jalen Smith next season. The #10 pick in the 2020 draft played just 27 games all season long, averaging a minimal 5.8 minutes per game.
An additional big man would be nice. Losing Saric proved his importance in The Finals for a team that had zero depth up front. Frank Kaminsky played about as well as you could ask him to in Game 6 of THE FINALS. But when you are counting on Frank Kaminsky in the fucking Finals, that should tell you a lot.
Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges are both due for rookie extensions.
Chris Paul has a $44.2 million player option for next season, once thought to be a ludicrous and preposterous amount for a 36-year-old point guard, CP has more than proven his worth.
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Favorite Suns Highlight from the 2020-21 Season:
Game 6 with a first ever trip to The Finals on the line.
41 points on 16-for-24 shooting and 7-for-8 from 3.
4th Quarter points: Chris Paul 19. Clippers 20.
In front of the very fans in Staples Center that used to call him their own.
