Suns Falter in West Semis
Last season, nobody predicted the Phoenix Suns would reach the NBA Finals. And yet, they gave the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks all they could handle in 2021.
Fast forward to 2022, after cruising through the regular season, it seemed as though everyone expected the Suns to go back to the finals to complete the job. Unfortunately, Phoenix would fail to live up to those lofty expectations.
After going up 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinals, the team that finished the 2021-2022 regular season with the best record in the NBA is off to an early vacation. Devin Booker and Chris Paul combined for 21 points on an awful 7 of 22 field goal shooting in Game Seven of the West Semis.
The result: a 123-90 loss at the hands of Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Unstoppable Luka
Throughout the series, Luka Doncic torched the Suns’ defense. In the first two games of the series, Doncic averaged 40 points. While Doncic only scored 26 points in each of the next two games, it didn’t matter as the Mavs had a few more tricks up their sleeves.
In the series-clinching Game Seven in Phoenix, Luka Doncic erupted for 27 points in the first half alone. By contrast, the entire Phoenix squad scored 27 points in the first 24 minutes of the game.
The 23-year-old guard from Slovenia finished with 35 points, ten rebounds, four assists, and two steals to carry the Mavericks to the Western Finals where they will face the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile the Suns will have another long offseason wondering what could have been.
Another Blown Opportunity for Phoenix
The Suns didn’t just blow a 2-0 series lead. They also blew a 3-2 series that set up the Luka Doncic show on their home court during Game Seven. And along with the disappointing end to the Suns’ playoff run is yet another entry in 37-year-old Chris Paul’s history of postseason struggles.
While CP3 compiled 47 points in the first two games of the Dallas series, that was about all he had left in the tank. From Game 3 onwards, his numbers dropped to 9.4 points and 5.8 assists per game, along with 3.6 turnovers. Paul finished with ten points and four assists in Game Seven.
But it’s far from a one man show in Phoenix, and would be unfair to put all the blame on the former Wake Forest star. Devin Booker is another player whose numbers fell off a cliff at the worst possible time for the Suns.
After averaging 26.8 points per game during the regular season, Booker’s scoring average slipped to 23 points in the first two rounds of the 2022 playoffs. More importantly, his turnover numbers rose to 3.9 turnovers against the Mavericks, including 12 turnovers in Games Six and Seven.
It also didn’t help Booker that his shot seemed to disappear when he needed it the most. He shot 3 of 14 from the field in Game Seven, where he also missed all of his four attempts from beyond the three-point line.
Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges also didn’t show up offensively in their Game Seven loss. Ayton only produced five points and four rebounds in 17 minutes, leading to an early benching. And Bridges only registered six points, two rebounds, and an assist in 33 minutes of floor time himself.
The Future of Phoenix
As painful as this playoff exit is for Phoenix fans, Chris Paul had a piece of good news for the fans:
“I’m not retiring,”
With retirement officially on the backburner, Chris Paul can now focus on getting healthy for his 18th season in the league and third with the Suns. Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, and Deandre Ayton are only in their early 20s, which gives the Suns a young core for CP3 to guide into another deep playoff run next season.
Patience may be the prudent route, but so long as Robert Sarver is at the helm in the desert, nothing is ever a given when it comes to his NBA franchise. Already rumours are swirling that 2018 number 1 overall draft pick Deandre Ayton could be on the trading block this summer.
While Phoenix failed to reach the NBA Finals despite their 64 win regular-season, the 2021-2022 campaign proved to be one of the best runs for the Suns in recent memory. And with a young core and a fully healthy Chris Paul in the mix, the best could still come for Phoenix, so long as they remain committed to their vision.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.