Phoenix Suns: 50-12, 1st Place in Western Conference
QUESTION: “Can the Suns win games without Chris Paul?”
The most dominant team in the league this season has been the Phoenix Suns and this really should not surprise many. The Suns broke onto the scene last year in Chris Paul’s first season with the team, helping lead them all the way to the NBA Finals where they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 4-2 in the series.
With revenge on their minds and still in search of their first title in franchise history, the Suns are on pace to break their franchise-record for wins in a season (62) and could very well make it back-to-back appearance in the NBA Finals seeing as they have not lost more than two games in a row since their series against the Bucks.
However, the Suns will have to finish the regular season without their leader in Chris Paul, as he is currently out indefinitely due to an avulsion fracture in his right thumb.
Expected to miss the rest of the regular season, losing Paul is a massive loss for the Suns and the door is now cracked open a little bit in the Western Conference.
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Again, the Suns are not expected to give up holding the league-best record, but they could very well suffer a few losses that would be wins with Chris Paul on the floor, giving other teams confidence for when they have to play Phoenix in the playoffs.
Another concerning factor for the Suns right now is the fact that Devin Booker has entered the league’s health and safety protocols late in the year.
With both Booker and Paul out, Phoenix is without their two best offensive weapons and now there could be a level of concern about multiple other players possibly entering health and safety protocols by the end of the year.
Since the All-Star break when Chris Paul’s injury was announced, the Suns have gone 2-2 and are coming off a 30-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers without both Paul and Booker.
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How this team plays over the next four weeks will be very telling about their chances to go on another run to the NBA Finals, especially with Chris Paul out.
