Maybe the Phoenix Suns have been the best team in the league for the past two seasons?
Perhaps it’s time to stop doubting the Phoenix Suns, which many have been doing for the better part of the last two seasons, and recognize that maybe this team is just the best team in the league.
When the Suns got off to a fast start during the first half of last season, many, including myself, chalked that up to the honeymoon phase of the new roster – something that likely wouldn’t last over the course of an entire season.
Then, when the Suns finished the regular season with the second-best record in the Western Conference, many assumed that they would be exposed in the postseason and that this team was more inclined to regular-season success than tangible postseason success.
When they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, we all pointed to this team taking advantage of a beat-up contender. Then, when they beat the Denver Nuggets in the second round, the same was echoed. After all, Jamal Murray was out for the Nuggets.
Then, when they beat the LA Clippers in the conference finals, many just said that this team was simply the healthiest in the West and that’s the biggest reason why they made an unlikely run to the NBA Finals.
When they lost in the NBA Finals, many believed that they were proven right. However, they were up 2-0 in the Finals against the Bucks until everything kind of fell apart for the Suns.
But, and stay with me here, maybe the Suns have just been the best team in the league for the past two seasons?
Over the course of the last season and a quarter, the Suns have had a 67-24 record. That’s the best in the league over the course of that span. Taking it a step further, the Suns have also had a top 10 offense and defense in those 91 games.
Chris Paul has continued to be one of the best point guards in the league and Devin Booker continues to make strides in his game as a budding superstar. Phoenix also has one of the best supporting casts in the Western Conference.
This season, the Suns are in the midst of a 15-game winning streak in which they have an 11.8 net rating in those games. Maybe, just maybe, the Suns are the best team in the league. And perhaps that has been the case for the better part of the last 12 months.
It’s time to rethink how we view the Suns. They’re a real threat to win the West and to win the 2022 NBA Championship. They’ve been the best team in the league, consistently, for the last calendar year.