The Phoenix Suns players get pumped up in the tunnel before a game. (0:41) Deandre Ayton is outside the locker room barking like a dog fifteen minutes before tipoff. Ayton specifies that he is the big dog. There is a chaotic yet beautifully orchestrated few minutes inside the Suns tunnel before Ayton can complete his center-to-canine transformation. In Iron Man, Mikal Bridges pretends he is slipping on Iron Man's armor, and that he is levitating him from one side of the tunnel to the other. Ish Wainright cradles an invisible football and rushes a few yards forward before Ayton, still upright at this point, stops him in his tracks with textbook tackle form. The Euro steps and step-back 3s that follow on the court seem almost simple because of the impressive display of synchronized muscle memory that fifteen players simultaneously execute 14 unique handshakes. backup big man JaVale McGee says that it loosens it up a bit. Both focused and serious are not the same thing. Pressure is mounting on top-seeded Phoenix to close out the series against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 on Thursday. The playful routine has become a welcome release. A message to the rest of the league. We pack up and move every day because it is the greatest show on Earth, says backup point guard Cameron Payne. As wild as the scene might seem, there is a structure that must be followed. The Iron Man demonstrations, the football tackles, and the handshakes are the first things that come to mind. The presence of the 17-year veteran point guard commanding the attention of every player is what Chris Paul will address his team about. An interruption. Even Samuel L. Jackson would applaud as he shouted "Hey, motherf---ers!" as he forced his way into the scrum. If the Suns' pre-game huddle is a circus, then McGee is the ring leader and proud originator of the show. The soliloquy that follows varies from game to game, but always includes two statements: The Suns are the best team in the world and the motherf---ing. I said we were the best team in the world when our record was zero. Before we even scored a point. A three-time champion from his days with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers knows setting a tone before the game can be just as important as setting a screen. The Suns tried to get McGee into the scrum when he couldn't travel due to bronchitis. Payne says that he is the main event. The huddle directives have become reality so far. Phoenix set a franchise record for wins, going 64-18 during the regular season, and it was the only team to rank in the top five in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Monty Williams was named the coach of the year. Bridges was the defensive player of the year. The Philadelphia 76ers center gave a shout out to Booker when discussing the award. The seemingly silly ritual has been a support for all of it. Thursday, May 12
Heat at 76ers, Game 6 (7 p.m.)
Suns at Mavs, Game 6 (9:30 p.m.)
Friday, May 13
Celtics at Bucks, Game 6
Grizzlies at Warriors, Game 6*
All times Eastern if necessary.
forward Jae Crowder says they have a real team. We play for each other. We are all on the same page. I think that keeps us connected.
They also have something that is rare in professional basketball.
Ayton says it feels like a college team, but we get so much money for it.
Paul says that he has seen teams that don't do anything before a game. If you see that on another team, you are like, "We ain't got that."
There has been a sacred space for us.
What time is it? Phoenix has something that is part of the Chicago Bulls. It's game time! There was a spectacle of Warriors star Stephen Curry's shooting display a half decade ago. It is a must-see experience for fans.
It is just grown. Suns chief marketing and communications officer Dean Stoyer says that fans started to notice it and that they may just come in to see it.
There is a revitalizing element to the huddle. The micro impact can turn a slow point guard on his fifth franchise into a warrior.
There were many games this year where we might be on a back-to-back or the fourth game in five days and you come out and you are just trying to find it.
There is a boom. That is my energy boost right there.
It can restore a player's dignity. Payne was mocked for the sideline dances he shared with Russell Westbrook with the Oklahoma City Thunder because they were only 13.2 minutes per game.
Payne says that when you aren't producing or playing, they aren't trying to see that.
Now? Payne was dubbed the best dancer on the team with the best handshakes.
Payne wants to make sure he produces on the court, but also be off the court. You don't get a full guy when you take it away.
There is a galvanizing element as well.
I make sure that we know that we are all together, and that we don't rock with anyone else. Once we cross these lines, we don't rock with them.
The Suns are all they have. The Suns are all they need.
Ayton says his friends are his teammates.
We will have friends for life after this.
The Suns will fill the hallway outside the locker room 15 minutes before the game.
A team will take the court together, looking to get one step closer to its championship goal with a win that will put the Suns back in the Western Conference finals.
On the road, I like the pre-game huddle the best, Payne says. It is us and our energy on the road.
We are going to show the world why we are the best.
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