Ever since the Denver Nuggets won the NBA championship last summer, there has been a feeling among some that they’re close to unbeatable when it matters. That notion was further reinforced last week when they defeated the Boston Celtics 115-109 to take the season series 2-0.
However, the Nuggets aren’t unbeatable. As great as they are, no one is talking about them in the same breath as the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics of the mid-1980s or the 1996 Chicago Bulls, and thus, there is always a chance they go home empty-handed at some point of this season’s playoffs.
Is there a team in the Western Conference that could realistically take down Denver before the start of the NBA Finals? Podcast host Kevin O’Connor says the Phoenix Suns could do it.
The Suns did defeat Nikola Jokić and crew last week in overtime, 117-107, despite blowing a late lead in the fourth quarter. While they didn’t shoot well, they were able to get key baskets from Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, which kept Denver at bay during the extra period.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets Updates
Phoenix has plenty of star power — there’s no doubt about that. It has arguably the most talented star trio in the NBA, including Durant, Beal, and Devin Booker, and all three studs can get very hot and carry the team for long stretches.
At age 35, Durant is playing as well as he ever has, and Booker is one of basketball’s best one-on-one scorers. In addition, Booker has been masquerading as the Suns’ point guard — they don’t have a real one — and is averaging 6.8 assists to go along with 27.5 points a game.
However, the Suns aren’t without issues. For one, they have struggled to stay healthy this season. Beal has played just 36 of their 65 games, while Booker has missed 14 contests this season. They also don’t have much of a bench, at least offensively — they’re 29th in bench points per game, and they lack a true backup center with size behind Jusuf Nurkić.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets Updates
But if Phoenix is healthy, its star power should give it at least a puncher’s chance of unseating the defending world champs this spring.
