by Ryan Mercier
The days of sad, empty arenas for the Phoenix Suns are over. Well, scratch that sentence in 2020. All arenas are sad and empty. Fans of the team, from a safe distance at home, will be able to enjoy their first trip back to the postseason since Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire ran the show and Barrack Obama was president.
Chris Paul took what many people saw as a doomed season for the Oklahoma City Thunder and instead turned in a quasi-MVP performance and a playoff berth. It’s almost an insult to say Paul is a proven winner because he is so much more. OKC was the underdog in the series against CP3’s old team (and maybe now bitter rival James Harden) in the Houston Rockets. The Thunder barely missed out on the second round, losing 104-102 in Game 7.
We all know Oklahoma City is Lu Dort’s team now. In all seriousness, who was OKC’s second best player? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Well, Phoenix has Devin Booker. A player unquestionably better than SGA. Throw in an improved No. 1 overall pick in Deandre Ayton and that should outrank the trio of Paul, SGA, and Dennis Schroder.
While the West will be tough in the NBA next season, you can bet the Thunder will take a massive step back and miss the playoffs. Houston has so many rumors hard to ignore and the Rockets could look entirely different. That’s two teams which could fall out of the postseason from last year. Here’s a way-too-early prediction of playoff tiers in the West:
- Tier 1: Lakers, Clippers, Warriors
- Tier 2: Nuggets, Mavericks
- Tier 3: Suns, Jazz, Blazers
While Utah has a clear case, Phoenix has now vaulted itself on the top of Tier 3. Keep in mind, the Houston Rockets may very well be a Tier 2 or 3 but too much is unknown at this time. The point is, Arizona may be home to a team better than the Jazz, Blazers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, and so on. Ladies and gentlemen, the Phoenix Suns will make the playoffs.
Struggling Actor Sports 