I have some advice on what to do for Game 3 and Game 4.
After dominating the Timberwolves during the regular season, the Suns find themselves in a precarious position. They are down 0-2 in the series against the top defense in the NBA. What’s the saying? “Defense wins championships”? Phoenix possesses one of the greatest scoring trios this league has ever seen, but the Wolves’ defense is winning.
The first two games of the series were eerily similar. The Suns struggled but survived through the first two-and-a-half quarters. The physicality caught up to them, they petered out at the end and lost both by double digits.
And now, the Suns limp home.
There are plenty of questions that need to be answered. Where is the grit? Where is the connectivity? Where is the fight, the care, and the competitiveness? This version of the Phoenix Suns has every fan on edge, which can be a dangerous thing in the postseason at home.
This is Phoenix. Every season ends in a loss. Every time we feel the slightest sense of excitement, it comes with a dash of subconscious paranoia. We know the moment we feel any joy and elation, it is a cruel setup for heartbreak and disappointment. And then the summer starts in the desert…
It is this fractured fan base that the Suns are hoping can get behind them and help right the series.
“We need them more than anything,” Kevin Durant said, referencing the Phoenix faithful. “I know it’s been a disappointing couple of games, even the season for the fans, but we need you more than ever now. Coming back home for Game 3.”
“It’s obviously something I need to be better with.” Devin Booker 6 turnovers. Fouled out with 20 points.
“It was a tough stretch there and it’s been happening in the 3rd. We got to figure that out.” Kevin Durant as T-Wolves 20-8 run started in 3rd.
Both finished -24. #Suns pic.twitter.com/j05cuJ1vCH
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) April 24, 2024
The Suns need the fans, but the fans needed more from the Suns in the first two games. Due to their lack of fire, I feel it will be tense inside the Footprint Center tomorrow night. The murmurs will begin when the Timberwolves put a run on the Suns. The tension will rise. Nervousness will permeate to the top level.
The arena will attempt to drown it out with piped-in chants of “defense”, but counterfeit decibels will not persuade the energy level. We’ve seen and felt it before. I was in the building during Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets last year. I saw Game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks the year prior. We are a high-strung, anxious, skittish fan base.
I am one of you. That is why I take pride in writing for Bright Side. I can be authentic, sharing my innermost thoughts and ride the rollercoaster in the seat next to you. I don’t have to sit here and tell you that I think everything is going to be okay when I don’t believe in my heart it is. It is why I came to Bright Side: to keep it real.
So let me keep it real.
This team has us all on edge. This team has us all doubting their ability to get past the Minnesota Timberwolves. This team has us question every move since the drafting of Josh Jackson in 2017 and where we could be. But here we are. We have Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal on the Phoenix Suns. They’ve come up short on expectations and they’re down 0-2. That’s the scenario. What should we do?
Respectively, fuck it. If the Suns are going to go down, let’s all play the violin as the Titanic is sinking. Hell, I’ll bring some drums, and let’s liven things up a bit.
If you are in the arena for Game 3 or Game 4: Let it all out. Scream. Lose your damn voice. Frustrated with this team? Don’t boo them. Don’t yell words of discouragement. Be “that guy”, the one who claps sarcastically when the team finally scores after you’ve all been standing for six minutes at the start of the game. Turn your disheartening remarks and nervous energy into raucous laments of sardonic bliss!
As Dewey Cox’s drummer Sam McPherson says, let’s “turn all of our bad feelings into good feelings”.
Who knows? Maybe Phoenix will turn to ball over less as a result! I know that we are a scorned fan base. That we carry scars that terminate deep into our sports souls. Let’s use Friday and Sunday nights as therapy sessions, exercising our inner demons and releasing them via constructive (and potentially satirical) howls of enjoyment.
If the Suns lose, it’ll be on them. Not us. And if they win? Then you had one hell of a memorable time. Oh, and if you’re at home? Do the same. Your dog will think you’re having the time of your life.