Are the Phoenix Suns losing respect nationally?
All right wolf take this uh for whatever you want to take it for okay yeah I figured you know a lot of times like you’ll look at Power Rankings I know you’re a big Power Rankings guy so you’re constantly looking at them you’re just printing them out of the printer in
There and just piling up in The Newsroom yeah I’ve got my stats that I am differential to no doubt about it but Power Rankings no well in uh in football you know it’s it’s it’s conducive to looking every week just to kind of see where you know certain teams are in
Basketball I don’t look very often but did figure you know maybe a good time to just look you the Suns haven’t played in a little bit and then they had the All-Star break just before that Beal’s out and they were playing great now it’s
Kind of up and down um so I looked at a couple I looked at uh at CBS CBS had them 11th and I looked at ESN ESPN had them ninth okay um just inside the top 10 just inside the top 10 but you know it’s just a list but if they finish
The season let’s say ninth that’s not what any of us or Matt ishbia or any of the players signed up for you didn’t go all in for ninth in the NBA okay we got the big three we’re going to be number nine yeah baby right inside the top 10 but
Not showing off yeah um yeah you know what um I was talking about this yesterday there’s something in the way and I don’t know what it is and um you know I think the big three not once again I I I I am definitely very interested to see Bradley Beal when he
Comes back in the big three and how this team solidifies when he comes back I am very very interested in seeing that right yeah I mean just to kind of build on that for a second when we had krion before that’s that’s why I was asking
Him a little bit about you know how long is it going to take right to get and I I don’t mean like how long is it going to take be and Booker and Katie it’s like is Royce O’Neal still going to be in a role where he’s capable of dropping six
Threes in a game or just kind of like Royce O’Neal I don’t want to disrupt what he’s doing right now I don’t want to disrupt with Grayson’s Allen Grayson Allen’s doing right now but I also need Bradley Beal so I I want him to come back disrupt it once because it’s going
To be a disruption and then no more disruptions like let’s go here we’re running out of time yeah you know once again the reason why I say this is because I know you’re going to lose a game from time to time Brothers you you are definitely going to do that if you
Are a good team if you’re a great team you’re going to lose a game from time to time it’s who you lose to that is very interesting to me we we’ve seen some notable losses to some teams that have not really been that great that the Phoenix Sun should beat Portland being
One of them San Antonio San Antonio um Houston I I just again there are these lapses that happened and it that tells me there’s something in the way I will say this something and I don’t know what that something is this is who they’ve lost to since Christmas
Again they’re 20 and N since Christmas so I I don’t disagree with what you’re saying but they are 20 and N since Christmas their losses are to the Clippers Memphis that was Memphis without jaw uh the Clippers again I mean that those are the two Clippers losses are frustrating but acceptable the
Pacers that was an irritating game no that I’m sorry I I realize they have an excellent offense so what we got the big three Booker put up 62 in that game and you lost you kidding me right exactly they got us into a shootout the Pacers
Said you know what we don’t care you got the big three out here we’re actually gonna we we’re going to get you into a shootout I would venture to Guess that if you sat Frank vogle down and asked him which loss bothers him the most this
Season that might be the I think I you’re probably right especially based on some of his postgame comments where he’s like normally a team plays us like that and we just go off uh Orlando just I mean Orlando’s fine Atlanta’s not State Dallas and then Houston so okay so
You know once again there’s some some bad losses in there if you ask me and the loss to the Rockets the other day that was bad as well so it’s really interesting because the point differential for the Phoenix Suns I’m big on point differential ladies and
Gentlemen um I always have been I think it it gives you a good indicator offensively and defensively point differential how much do you actually win games by or lose games by for that matter right here don’t don’t read any of the teams yet okay just tell me where
The suns are the Suns are number 11 okay pointal I’m going to I’m looking at FanDuel right now I’m going to read you the the team’s favorite ahead of the Suns to win the title and you tell me where they are in point differential okay okay because there’s a big drop off
The suns are still number five on FanDuel in terms of just odds to win the NBA title okay cool but there is a significant drop off from four to five all right so number one the favorites are the Boston Celtics the Celtics are number one in point differential okay
Okay number one 10.4 points per game number one uh number two is Denver uh Denver’s actually number seven in point differen 4.1 uh the Clippers they’re number three Clippers are number five at 4.5 all right and then the Bucks the Bucks are actually number eight so all right there still top eight yeah
Absolutely top eight right there but it goes Boston OKC Minnesota Cleveland and the Clippers there’s your top five point differential what do all those teams have in common Bas I means ask yourself that they’re winning a lot more games than they’re losing games that’s what they have in common right there for the
Most part that takes good offense good defense who are the teams Boston Minnesota OKC yeah Cleveland Cleveland and the Clippers so those just in terms of record this season those are five of the top six teams there it is Denver Denver’s the other one so Point
Differential is a good way to look at it and say man I wonder how is this team playing basically right now the Houston Rockets number 24 and point diff and the Phoenix Suns number 11 so going back to the original conversation where some of these entities had the Suns out of the
Top 10 at number 11 interesting yeah yeah and it it it makes me just if this team gets rolling and I know we’re going to hear this from the playoffs start we’re going to hear though even nationally it’s like well this team does have Kevin Durant Deon Booker and
Bradley Beal so they can be dangerous and and certainly if the Suns start to put together a run there’s probably going to be some revisionist history nationally of like oh yeah obviously we saw this coming even though most people don’t seem to see it coming right now
And it might not happen but if they go on a run you could see potentially them maybe be crashing a party that everybody has already decided Boston Milwaukee Denver and the Clippers are the four teams that are going to right that’s that’s going to be your Western Conference and Eastern Conference Finals
Clippers Nuggets Celtics bucks right who could possibly break that up I would argue the suns are outside of those four the next team most likely to break it up because if they get going they could beat I would say anybody except Denver or Boston right now in a seven game
Series something in the Way Milwaukee something in the way right now I’m not saying it can’t be rectified but it just feels like there’s something in the way for me personally thanks for watching wolf and Luke tap to see more and click the button in the middle to subscribe to Arizona Sports
Wolf & Luke take a look into where the Phoenix Suns fit in some of the national media rankings. Wolf also wonders what the Suns will look like once Bradley Beal returns to the lineup.
Video: Felisa Cárdenas and Ed Cole/Arizona Sports
Photo Credit: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
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13 Comments
How long have you been in phoenix? As long as i can remember, the suns have never been shown respect. Even when they traded for barkley and made that finals run they were expected to lose to the lakers, spurs and bulls. When we played the bucks in the finals and we got past the nuggets people said we were only there because of the other team's injuries. At the start of the season we were supposed to be the favorites and a superteam, now nobody even mentions the suns. Yeah, the only way we will be respected nationally or by anybody is if we defy all odds and upset the favorites and win the title. Then, they'll have no choice. We are still several personnel moves away from that however. Better to re-tool and go after it next season.
The top 5 teams are also the healthiest teams.
I understand the frustration with the suns.
At times I have felt like they are not championship material but the record and point differential isn't where you should look at.
The suns have been one of the 3 most injured teams that qualify for the playoffs and they were literally the newest team in terms of chemistry.
The test for the suns are the upcoming games.
The next 23-25 games that are mostly tough.
If the sun can't even be .500 for the rest of the way and against good teams then I would start worrying.
But if they win .600 of their games and win more than half their games against the top competition that will be a sign that the suns can seriously contend.
The first 30-40 games of the season you might as well throw them out. That was a different team.
Honestly, the sun don't get blown out often. The only games that I can remember that were bad were the Mavs, clippers,kings, and Knicks.
Those are the blowouts I remember.
Every other loss was pretty close.
I wouldn’t use the word respect so to say but we’re being slept on which it’s cool let em stay sleep I just want them to keep that same energy at the end of the year
Here’s what’s in the way: the 4th Quarter.
Yes they are they can’t stay healthy and consistent
The Phoenix Suns can't loose something they never had. The Suns still have only one player that is a threat. You stop him and the rest o the team crumbles.
something in the way is poor in game player rotation and too much standing around watching the one on one on the offensive end and leaving their assigned men on the defensive end too often to help out
They haven’t proven anything yet or even the ability to stay healthy. A team like the Nuggets get a lot of respect now because they just won a title last season and we’ve seen them do it.
That something is Gordon. Tunnel vision is a terrible thing to have as a basketball player.
We ranked #1 for most of the season when we set a franchise record for wins .. it did mean shit when it was all said and done
I’m bearish on point diff. The Celtics play more EC teams and the east is just overall worse than the west. Also, one of the qualities of good/championship teams is that they come back in a game where they are shooting bad in the first half and rally in the 3rd/4th quarter to win, even if it’s by 1 point. Point diff doesn’t capture that will to win. Not saying it’s a bad stat. I just don’t put a lot of stock in it.
Its name is Gordon who turned down wide open shots in critical closing moments in few games. And couldn’t rebound or box out in another couple of games in closing minutes or seconds. Lost about 4 games just due to his decisions alone. Also another few games where he just kept shooting when he was super cold and didn’t even want to pass it off when a hot hand was open.
Another is Nurkic who has looked to draw fouls throwing up the ball instead of finishing first. All of sudden he is standing there looking at his hands and the opponents get easier possession running down on us scoring. Then next possession back on offense Nurkic is still stuck on proving he is capable of drawing a foul or scoring to make up for the previous mistake and commits same mistake again. All of the sudden within few possessions teams are either up on us or are catching up finding momentum. We have lost a few games like that.
Both will then for the next couple of games will adjust but will go back to same mistakes again. I get really frustrated watching veteran players doing that and if they even care how it impacts their teammates. I question whether their habits will change cause it continues throughout the season. Maybe they are satisfied with the contributions they make and feel like they have had an okay career and doesn’t matter whether they adjust or not as they will not be the ones blamed for the success of this team.
Everyone else is just trying to involve others and make plays when they have teammates open putting this players in place to succeed but they just have not been consistently rewarding their teammates.
Does anybody respect the NBA who sucks off to China? Just Saying!