After what Dillon Brooks did against Detroit, my brain went straight to Phil Collins and In the Air Tonight. The pause. The tension. The calm before everything breaks loose. But on the second night of
a back-to-back, against a top-four team in the Eastern Conference, a different song started playing. Buffalo Springfield. Because there is something happening here…
The first half felt chunky. Opportunities were there. Multiple chances to stretch the margin. They forced 16 turnovers and turned those into 21 points, yet the separation never came. 9-of-27 from beyond the arc kept the door open, and the lead sat at 5 going into halftime. That gave me pause. A good Cavaliers team, injuries and all, can make you pay if Donovan Mitchell gets rolling. Holding him to 5 over the first two quarters still can feel dangerous.
Then came the contrast.
The third quarter was a detonation. 45 points. 16-of-20 from the field. 7-of-10 from deep.
This was not some bottom-feeder getting caught on a bad night. This was a quality opponent that got outworked and outpaced. The Suns did not ease into control, they ripped it away. Effort met execution and embarrassment followed.
The final score softens the truth a bit. The third unit came in during the fourth, coughed it up 11 times, and allowed 20 points off turnovers. That noise does not erase the message. What matters is the arc of the night. Three straight wins. Thirty on the season, a mark they did not reach last year until March 9.
And do not lose the contrast in all of this. This is happening without Devin Booker. Different song. Same message. Buffalo Springfield fits. Because there is something happening here…
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Was there any doubt?
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 49 against the Cavs. Here are your nominees:
Dillon Brooks
27 points (9-of-14, 2-of-4 3PT), 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, +24 +/-
Jordan Goodwin
17 points (6-of-11, 5-of-8 3PT), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 turnover, +5 +/-
Collin Gillespie
16 points (5-of-8, 4-of-6 3PT), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, +5 +/-
Grayson Allen
13 points (4-of-8, 2-of-5 3PT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, +25 +/-
Royce O’Neale
12 points (4-of-8, 4-of-8 3PT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, +19 +/-
Mark Williams
10 points (5-of-9), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, +18 +/-
Fire up your votes!
