The Phoenix Suns are in the thick of the playoff race. They are teetering on that “play-in” line, with each win pulling them a bit closer to the top-6, but each loss tugging them back in the other direction. Unfortunately, of late, the losses are tugging them closer to the play-in.
If they took care of business in some very winnable games, we could be in an entirely different situation where we are breathing down the neck of the Rockets, Nuggets, and Timberwolves, all of whom are tied for the 4-6
seeds and a full four games ahead of Phoenix as things stand.
This is the reality of where we stand:
It feels like they’ve been stuck at the 7 seed forever, which, in typical NBA fashion, would be good for a tie for the 5th seed in the East with the Raptors. That’s the difference between conferences, as instead of fighting for home court advantage in the first round, they are now fighting for their playoff lives.
But as the saying goes, “if if was a fifth, we’d all be drunk.”
The Nuggets, Rockets, and Wolves are all 4.0 games ahead of Phoenix. The Suns play the Nuggets tomorrow, so there will be an opportunity to gain a full game and cut it down to three, but again, time is ticking.
The Lakers, whom the Suns thought securing the tiebreaker over (at the time) would be important, have distanced themselves from Phoenix quite a bit and are now completely out of reach at 46-25. They are currently on a 9-game win streak.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are hanging around. Phoenix looks to be a lock for the 7th seed, barring an unexpected streak in either direction.
Now, we have two questions.
- Who do we want to face in the first round if they move into the top 6?
- If we remain in the play-in, who do we want as the first-round matchup?
The answer to number one, to me, is the Los Angeles Lakers by a landslide compared to the alternatives. Yes, they still have Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves, and they are clicking right now. That defense can be exposed, and I like that matchup compared to getting a team like OKC or San Antonio in round one. The inevitable free-throw disparity would worry me, but overall, I’d take that as a 3-6 matchup if by some miracle the Suns can get hot one last time and pass one of those three teams.
The answer to the second question is all about avoiding the “other” LA team. The Clippers have a version of Kawhi Leonard that should scare people. Miss me with them in the play-in. He’s the type of star that can carry a team to a win in an environment like that, where the Blazers don’t have anyone at that level despite their strong play of late.
Order of Play-In preference:
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Golden State Warriors
- Los Angeles Clippers
Steph is still Steph, despite the injury and uncertainty in his status. I would also prefer to avoid him in a single-game elimination environment.
All signs are pointing towards a Suns-Clippers 7 vs. 8 matchup, especially with the Clippers’ light upcoming schedule, but you can’t count the Blazers out as they sit just a half-game back of Los Angeles right now. It’s going to be a wild few weeks to close things out.
Who do you want the Suns to face in the play-in? Let us know in the comments.
