Suns in four!
On Sunday, the Suns knocked the Nuggets out of the playoffs entirely and are advancing to the conference finals. With a 4/4 sweep, they have time to prepare to take on either the Utah Jazz or LA Clippers for the bid to make the national championship.
The Suns have proven to be a western favorite. Despite being the second seed, their success against LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ Lakers is no small feat. With team leader and all-time great point guard Chris Paul recovered from his injury, Phoenix is one of the most well oiled machines in the league.
Everybody loves a good playoff villain, this year’s best example being Trae Young on the Atlanta Hawks. However, in the case of Chris Paul, he’s a full on playoff hero. After saving the Suns from losing to the Lakers, he continues to coordinate great play after great play. When the ball goes to Paul, you can expect a great pass, or, especially in the case of last night, a skilled mid range bucket. Paul had a game-high 37 points while the young star, Devin Booker, brought in 34 himself. Even off the court he’s still a guy worth rooting for; just watch his State Farm commercials!
Defeating the Joker
Though Phoenix is the superior all-around team, Denver is led by this year’s NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. In an unceremonious end to his phenomenal year, the Joker was ejected in the third quarter. After a misinterpreted swat on Cameron Payne, immediately followed by a standoff with Booker, Jokic picked up a flagrant 2 foul. Though the Suns had the series in the bag, with a final score of 125-118, Jokic could have easily extended the series if he stayed in.
As the Suns await the victor of the Jazz/Clippers series, the 76ers are up 2-1 on the Hawks while the Bucks just brought their series against the almighty Nets to a 2-2 tie. This playoffs continues to get more and more exciting! Do you think the Suns will take the title?
Written by Jason Heilbronner