Wow. Wow. It was the only word that came to mind after Luka Don and the Mavericks massacred the Suns. It's downright shameful that you trail by 30 points at home in a game where you barely muster up 27 points in 24 minutes. Phoenix was down by 46 at one point and eventually lost 123-90. Where does Phoenix go after this debacle? There was nothing god-like about his performance on Sunday night in Phoenix, and I have to start with Christopher Emanuel Paul. In the first half, Paul and Booker were 0 for 11 from the field. In the third game of the series, Paul looked like a player who hit a cement wall and had no desire to go any further. This was the fifth time in Paul's career that his team held a 2-0 lead and lost the series. In the second game of the series, Paul had his best game of the series with 28 points, and the Suns won. Paul scored 47 points in the last five games of the series, including 10 in the deciding game. There was a report after the game that Paul had suffered a quad injury. I'm not sure if that's the reason for Paul's struggles, but something was going on. Paul played less aggressively after game two.
Booker was held to 3 of 14 from the field and missed all four of his three-point attempts, and he isn't without blame as he's supposed to be the team's offensive assassin. We are talking about a player in Booker who finished fourth in the voting for the NBA's Most Valuable Player, one slot ahead of Luka, who had his way with the Suns all series. Booker will likely get a contract extension worth around $210 million after coming up short in the playoffs.
Booker's potential deal will cut into the extension DeAndre Ayton has been looking for. Talks on a new deal for Ayton began in the summer of 2016 and ended in October. Ayton will be a restricted free agent this summer because he doesn't have a new contract. Ayton may not be a Sun next season.
JaVale and Biyombo are both unrestricted free agents this summer. In one off year, Phoenix could lose most of their size. The chemistry and continuity of this team has been built over the last couple of years, so it could suffer if they lost size. Ayton scored five points on five shots in Game Seven.
The West isn't going to get easier next year if the Suns think this series was tough. Some people think Don is too confident. He's in the conference finals after almost nobody picked them. With newfound confidence and swagger, the Mavs will be in great shape next season. The Clippers should be back to full strength with the return of Leonard.
Don't forget about the Nuggets getting Porter and Murray back. Memphis will be back again with another year of experience. The Warriors are back in the mix, as we have seen this season. The Suns may have been slammed by the Mavericks with that 33 point trouncing.
The Phoenix run at a title was never intended to be a long one. Paul was already 35 years old when you brought him in. The surprise run to the Finals last year was great, and they got close, then followed that up by posting the best record in the league.
This wasn't supposed to be how the season ended for the Suns. The game was supposed to be Golden State vs. Phoenix. One more time with Curry. The Suns have more questions than they have answers for at the moment.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
