In the 2020 season, the Phoenix Suns drastically changed the landscape of their team and the entire Western Conference when they were replaced by future Hall-of-Fame guard Chris Paul.
They reached the NBA Finals in his first season with them, only to snap a 2-0 lead and lose in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Paul said his experience there made him “hooked” to play in the World Series, but although it looked like Phoenix would make it back to the Finals, they fell short.
In fact, they haven’t made it past the second round since then, and Paul’s quote about being “addicted” sounds bad now.
The Suns haven’t made it past the second round since the 2021 NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/Fh4tAX6UEh
– NBA on ESPN (ESPNNBA) May 12, 2023
Last season, after falling short in a championship, the Suns won 19 of their first 22 games, leading many to feel trapped in returning to the NBA Finals, if not winning them all.
They took a 2-0 lead, then took a 3-2 lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs, and with the Mavs’ Luka Doncic dealing with a poor support staff, it looked like Phoenix was headed for the West. Conference Finals showdown with the Golden State Warriors.
Instead, they were blown out in Games 6 and 7, with Game 7 turning into a 33-point loss at home.
This year, the Suns fought to a 2-2 series tie with the Denver Nuggets in the second round, but lost Game 6 by 25 points to end their season.
Aside from their lack of depth, which is a direct result of Kevin Durant’s controversial trade, Paul, at 38, is clearly not the player he used to be.
Even worse, he’s been plagued by a long injury stretch in the playoffs, and it continued this year when he missed the last four games of Denver’s series due to a hip ailment.
It’s starting to look very likely that Paul, arguably the best guard of the 2000s, will end his career without his championship ring.
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