At 37-15, the Suns cannot finish the 72-game season with a losing record
A long time has passed since the Suns had a winner in town. Try seven years since the positive blip, way back in 2014 when Goran Dragic and Channing Frye carried the Suns to a 48-34 record but fell just short of the playoffs.
And before that? Try eleven years ago when they finished 54-28 and busted their way to the Conference Finals in 2010 for the third time in six years of the Nash and Stoudemire heyday.
All those seasons in between? Yuck.
But all that is behind us, at least for the moment. So let’s enjoy that moment.
With their convincing 28-point win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, a game in which they tied a team record for fewest turnovers (3) while dishing 36 assists, the Suns won their 37th game in a pandemic-shortened 72-game season and guaranteed themselves a winning record.
The Suns remain tied for 2nd in the West with the league’s second-best record overall at 37-15. The last time the Suns had one of the league’s top 2 records this late in the season was 2008. They haven’t even lost two straight games since January.
Unlike 2014, this team almost certainly will make the playoffs. Basketball-reference.com predicts them to finish 50-22 with the West’s 2nd seed. Fivethirtyeight.com predicts the same.
What happens after the playoffs start is whatever happens, but you can count on a fun fun time. Both sites currently project the Portland Trailblazers to finish 7th to become the Suns first round opponent. Then the second round would pit the Suns against someone like the Nuggets or Clippers, with the Jazz waiting in the Conference Finals. That’s if current records hold and there’s no upsets in the playoffs.
But that’s 20 games and almost two months from now.
For now, enjoy this moment and check out last night’s highlights for some real gems.
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