Phoenix, Please, Get This Done

The Suns making the playoffs would be an all-time surge.

I don't ask for much in this life, but I have come to yell into the void with another request.

My intention with this blog was to be humorous, informative, and unbiased in my writing on the league. The first two traits are questionable, and I am completely disregarding the last attribute for this post.

I want the Suns (32-39) to make the playoffs.

Like, the Phoenix Suns. In the same sentence as playoffs. And the punchline isn't that there is a "NOT" in the middle (read: Phoenix Suns NOT playoffs).

For at least six years, Phoenix was the punchline of the NBA. A rudderless franchise far removed from the glory of the "7 Seconds or Less" days. This is a team that literally hired Igor Kokoskov — a Spurs assistant and head coach of the Slovenian national team — to be it's own head coach, drafted DeAndre Ayton over Luka Doncic, finished 19-63, fired Kokoskov, and fell to sixth in the draft.

And one strange, pandemic-laden season later, this team is on the verge of playoff glory in improbable fashion.

The hilarity and unlikelihood of it all is the main reason I want the Suns in the playoffs. This team was six games behind the No. 8 seed with five teams in front of them. Even with the bubble format that created a play-in series if the ninth spot was within four games of playoff contention, Phoenix’s chances of being here were only a generous non-zero pre-bubble.

That all changed when Devin Booker and the Suns, the second most-fitting NBA name behind the Miami Heat to the Fire Nation, attacked. Six victories later, they are two games away from their first playoff appearance since 2010.

Booker, I am contractually obligated to state, is a Grand Rapids, Michigan native. He is also a 23-year-old star who never had played in a meaningful game in his five-year career up to this point. He has been outstanding in the bubble, averaging 30.3 points and 6.0 assists a game.

He has been so impressive so as to warrant Draymond Green’s praise on TNT’s broadcast, resulting in a $50,000 tampering fine.

And every star and his story needs a defining moment, and Booker already has his: a buzzer-beating, fadeaway jumper over Paul George to top the Los Angeles Clippers and produce the glorious photo headlining this blog.

Booker has willed Phoenix into this position, but the contributions of his teammates, though not as eye-catching, have been a welcome sight, too. Rookie Cameron Johnson and sophomore Mikal Bridges have played surprisingly efficient and critical minutes on both sides of the ball. DeAndre Ayton is miles ahead on defense than where he was as a rookie as well. Even backend players like Jevon Carter and Cam Payne (yes, that one), have been net positives.

Magic is a possibility for their turnaround. Maybe it’s the Suns’ youthfulness allowing them to adapt quicker after a four-month hiatus. I believe a conspiracy could be taking place now that the Philadelphia 76ers — Phoenix’s next opponent — will be without Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons due to injury. That’s divine intervention.

Whatever it is, it’s working. They aren’t just escaping with victories against other middling teams. They’ve beaten the Wizards, Mavericks, Clippers, Pacers, Heat and Thunder. The Suns still need a lot go right to get in, but there are a litany of scenarios to make it happen:

Phoenix Plays Portland as the Eighth Seed:

• Phoenix goes 2-0, Portland goes 1-1, Memphis goes 0-2, San Antonio goes 1-1 or worse

Phoenix Plays Portland as the Ninth Seed:

• Phoenix goes 2-0, Portland goes 2-0, Memphis goes 0-2

Phoenix plays Memphis as the Eighth Seed:

• Phoenix goes 2-0, Portland goes 0-2, San Antonio goes 1-1 or worse

Phoenix Plays Memphis as the Ninth Seed:

• Phoenix goes 2-0, Memphis goes 1-1 or better, Portland goes 1-1 or worse

Phoenix plays San Antonio as the Eighth Seed:

• Phoenix goes 2-0, San Antonio goes 2-0, Portland goes 1-1 or worse, Memphis goes 0-2

There is no world where the Suns should have an opportunity to make the playoffs, yet here they are. I love a good underdog story, and it’s why I love this Phoenix team right now. They are fun as hell, and they are oh so close to doing what was unthinkable just two weeks ago.

Please, Suns, make it happen. Besides a vaccine, it’s the only thing I want.