'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgb/2gAIAQEAAAAAE7//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAECEAAAACP/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAGf/xAAfEAACAgEFAQEAAAAAAAAAAAACAwEEBQAHERITIUH/2gAIAQEAAT8Abt2ivRZNfDtK+tFxlfJHb48yhhwgQXBcfA6T9j9nWP2UnI0K108kVY7KhdKfIZ8+0c9df//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADAjJB/9oACAECAQE/AGumqun/xAAXEQEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAEx/9oACAEDAQE/ACKWz//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Last season was one of the best campaigns the Phoenix Suns have had in decades. They made the 2021 NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 after a dominant 51-win season (in 72 games). Unfortunately, they faced Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the final stage and blew a 2-0 lead. They lost four straight Finals games and with it, the series.
We are now less than a month away from live NBA action as the 2021-22 NBA season kicks off on October 19th, 2021. The hype and excitement for the upcoming season has already begun and fans and analysts have started predicting what lies ahead for the strong teams.
The Phoenix Suns are tied with the Utah Jazz for the 5th-highest pre-season odds to win the 2022 NBA championship behind the Brooklyn Nets, LA Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors.
Despite making the Finals just a few months ago, not many pundits and oddsmakers are confident in the Phoenix Suns for next season. It is a popular belief that the Suns will not make the NBA Finals again, and last season was a one-and-done trip. Let's take a look at three reasons why that might be true.
#1 The Phoenix Suns didn't make any major changes in the offseason
The Phoenix Suns are not exactly a top-heavy team that is run by superstars. Sure, Devin Booker and Chris Paul ran the show in the 2020-21 campaign, but they couldn't have achieved anything last season if not for the exploits of Deandre Ayton, Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges.
Even Cam Johnson and Cam Payne were spectacular for the team. The Suns needed to make a flashy acquisition this summer but seemingly had a quiet offseason instead.
Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated the paint in the NBA Finals and bullied the Phoenix Suns. For some reason, coach Monty Williams thought building a wall wasn't necessary and that 22-year-old Deandre Ayton could handle the two-time MVP by himself. We all know what happened and Antetokounmpo had his way.
So the Suns reacted by signing 33-year-old JaVale McGee in the offseason for a backup 7-footer. But is he the solution to their problems? Probably not. McGee will likely come off the bench for limited minutes and is not expected to be a major force in the playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns still don't have a third reliable All-Star and that might be enough to disqualify them against some of the Western Conference powerhouses.
Also Check Out: Latest NBA News, Rumors and Updates
#2 The Phoenix Suns had the shortest offseason and Chris Paul is getting older
The Phoenix Suns fans have to face the reality that Chris Paul isn't getting any younger. By the time the 2022 playoffs come around, he will be 37 years old.
Sure, Paul has maintained his body better than most point guards his age and has a few more years left in him. He transformed the Phoenix Suns franchise with his playmaking and took them to a top two seed in the West last season. However, one cannot ignore the fact that age is still a factor in the postseason.
The Suns have just two reliable All-Stars and one of them is battling with Father Time off the court along with opponents on it. Paul is also infamous for getting injured during the playoffs every year.
The 2020 NBA playoffs were not even a year ago and we have already wrapped up an entire season and postseason in less than 365 days. This short turnaround led to a plethora of star players getting injured last season and we need to keep that in mind when we talk about the Suns, who have the shortest offseason in the league (along with the Bucks).
#3 Other teams may not be handicapped by injuries again
If we break down the Phoenix Suns' NBA playoff run last season, it is quite evident that they were the luckiest team in the league.
They were down 2-1 to the LeBron James-led LA Lakers in the first round but Anthony Davis hurt himself and the Suns won the next three games to go through. They then faced a Jamal Murray-less Denver Nuggets in the second round. Murray was the X-factor for the Nuggets in the 2020 NBA playoffs as he dropped 40 and 50-point games like a man possessed. But he was hurt and the Suns swept reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
If that wasn't enough, the Suns then faced an LA Clippers team without their best player, Kawhi Leonard. That series still went to six games but the Suns eventually came out victorious.
The Phoenix Suns wouldn't have beaten any of those teams if the scales were even. They lucked out by facing injured squads in the Western Conference playoffs and the first time they faced a relatively healthy team, the Milwaukee Bucks, they lost.
Next season isn't going to be anything like that. Sure, many teams will still face injuries, but the Suns' easy path to the NBA Finals is unlikely to repeat itself.
Guess the Lakers players!
