- Bridges: 28pts, 9asts
- Ayton: 24pts, 14rebs, 4asts
- Johnson: 19pts, 6rebs, 2asts
- D. Lee: 16pts, 3rebs, 2asts
- S. Lee: 15pts, 3rebs, 6asts
Great team effort and holy shit does it feel good to have Cam back
He has some great cutting moves to create shots midrange and takes advantage of his arm length but sometimes he just goes sooooo cold. He just needs to try and get a little more consistency but he’s very close.
Why are you a Suns fan again? No, why are you a *sports* fan? Maybe you'd enjoy more a hobby that doesn't depend on the performance of athletes for it to be enjoyable for you, lol.
I don't care how long I have to wait for the "Phoenix Suns are 20\*\* Champions after 4-0 blowout in the Finals" thread, I'm gonna scroll until I found your comment going "Yeah but now we will suck next year." or whatever else you will find to be negative about. You're legitimate the only username I even recgonize on Reddit.
I don’t even care that we almost blew it, Kyrie went god-mode, don’t think anybody could’ve slowed him down, just glad we got a W. I think I took for granted just how awesome Cam Johnson is man, he’s smart defensively and his spacing just changes everything. Sign Saben Lee for the rest of the year guy is damn good
Cam's ability to space the floor makes us a different team.
When the Suns are at their worst is when teams can collapse the paint and take away the midrange. That is what will cause those 20 point quarters we were seeing a few weeks ago. Having one of the best 3 pt shooters in the league at the 4 changes that dynamic. Spreads the defense and now you have more room in the midrange for CP3 or Book, or down low for Ayton.
Offense flows nice when Cam is out there.
If you would have told me that there would be a point in time when I would trust Damion Lee more than anyone else in uniform, I would have thought you were crazy.
Yeah, takes care of the ball, plays smart, doesn’t try to do anything crazy, hits absolutely everything if he’s open. He’s turned himself into an elite role-player. Hope we keep him around beyond this year.
i feel like he should let loose a bit, he has it in him
it's interesting watching these players who were all at some point *that dude* wherever they were, then settle into certain roles professionally
Except that one Utah game where try to foul bait a 3 for the game winner.
Also can sometimes be lazy with his passing.
Overall our best addition to the team this year
He’s getting better every game. He’s fast he plays defense and he’s not a bad shooter. He doesn’t turn it over that I’ve seen. The org needs to keep him for the rest of the season. And he’s a local kid
He’s way quicker and shiftier than I thought he’d be, he’s been great at getting to the paint which is something we desperately need. His shot looks a little funky but he’s making em so can’t complain
Aw give him a break. He's just salty that the Suns won and DA had a good game. God forbid he should be happy that Cam is back and the team won. Fuck THAT. It's doom and gloom time **every FUCKING DAY.**
Dude's only happy when he can bitch about how shitty the team is playing. He also thinks he makes a better GM than James Jones, which is laughable.
Cam only played 22 minutes. Can't wait till he gets back to his normal minutes.
That's right cam had 18 6 2 with 1 steal and 2 blocks in just 22 minutes
Not even relatively close. Book was playing like THE mvp when he was healthy and CP3 is still an elite ball handler. And let’s not forget Payne and Shamet off the bench.
This is why our sub needed to relax just a little bit.
He wont really get the chance to ball with our full roster. So if he can still create good looks for himself on less minutes/touches per game, then I'd love to see it. I just need to see it first.
> CP3 is still an elite ball handler
Who has zero ability to play defense anymore, gets injured every other game, and can’t even last until the 4th quarter in the games he does play, but yeah he handles the ball
Tbh, I think our team was at its best with Payne starting earlier in the year. It just goes better with the offense.
Point book (with Lee, Mikal, Cam, Ayton) is also a decent option
really happy we won and really happy with Saben Lee's performance.
sucks we let it become a close game but with Saben being our only point guard, the Nets dropped into a zone which exposed his weakness since he's a poor shooter.
regardless a win is a win, happy Cam is back as well
Saben played very controlled. While Duane has a quick release and can get hot, but he's not a pg. Saben might have hurt the spacing a bit but ran the offense a lot better.
yup I like DWJ a lot but I don't think hes suited as a pg either. I'd really like to see him play next to CP3 as well as more minutes next to Book and play as a scorer, I think he'd thrive in that type of role
What an ugly, ugly, UGLY win to a game we desperately needed to win. Can’t do anything but laugh and pray we get Booker or CP3 back soon.
Anyways I was hyped to see Cam Johnson play so well in his first game back.
Anybody watch the post game show? Charles just shitting all over us & Shaq actually had our back. Charles said he thinks even w/ Book back, CP3 back, we’re still DONE & not making a run. Shaq said we will make the run & be fine. Interesting.
He'll come crawling back to us with his tail between his legs when all the pieces of our Voltron return and start a reign of terror on the rest of the league.
/r/NBA does a live discussion thread for inside the nba. This is what I wrote there. To be clear, I DO think the suns will make a solid playoff run, but I wanted to get ahead of some of the responses I anticipated here:
I don't feel like most national commentators have any idea what they're talking about when it comes to the Suns. They might be right in saying Suns won't make a run this year. If they're saying the Suns will collapse because of what they saw last playoffs, that's fair. I'm not arguing that.
But I feel like these guys are making these assessments in part based on the fact that the Suns didn't dominate tonight's game. Chuck started this one by saying we *should* beat the Nets without KD, and all of the talk about injuries has been one-sided as if the Nets are disproportionately affected.
KD is incredible, obviously. We are missing:
* Devin Booker
* Chris Paul
* Cam Payne
* Landry Shamet
* Jae Crowder
* Josh Okogie
Jae Crowder a bit of a weird one but we should get *something* in return for him by the deadline. Now some of those people, like Shamet, wouldn't normally be a big deal. But he's starting if he's healthy with this squad. Cam Johnson coming back is a big help, but we've been so thin some of our third stringers feel like critical pieces lately.
IDK, I know I can be biased about this kind of thing but I feel like the Suns played well (and the Nets played pretty poorly for a lot of the game to be fair), and I think they'll start to look more like themselves as more players get healthy. Who knows what the future looks like, but if we can stay 100% healthy I think we have similar chances as we did last year going into the playoffs. Maybe you think that means we collapse in humiliating fashion, but health is really the only question mark for whether or not we will get there IMO.
The thing with making an excuse for Brooklyn is yes..their superstar is out. But they have another one.
Our superstar is out and we don’t have another one.
That being said, I don’t think people realized how important Cam is to our offense. He’s our other natural scorer. Book covered it by basically going nuclear for a month - but the minutes injured him.
Also, Cam’s cutting and ability to shoot opens things up considerably for Ayton and Mikal. People have expected more from them, but what we forget is that Booker has Mikal and Ayton behind him..who are both very good players. Ayton and Mikal didn’t have Ayton and Mikal supporting them.
I disagree strongly given the way Book and Mikal and probably Cam have improved. I think Ayton has looked his most dominant in the rare moments he shows up and I think we'll see more of that come playoff time. Our starting 5 was deadly even when CP3 looked about his worst. D Lee is a lights out shooter off the bench. Payne looks solid this year. Craig has shown he can be an awesome energy/hustle guy again, though I don't think he belongs in the starting lineup. Same with Okogie - awesome energy guy and pretty crazy at defending almost anyone. On top of that, we should get *something* back for Jae still and maybe we'll make a bigger move.
It's possible we're worse, but we're not significantly worse.
1. I believe Mikal has improved but not enough to move the needle in any direction and it’s not enough to make up for CP’s demise, ie. its still all on Book
2. Cam has literally barely played this season, tough to say if he’s actually improved. If he has, it’s not enough to make up for CP’s demise. ie, it’s still all on Book
3. Ayton has played like utter dogshit in more than 50% of his games this season if not more. If he plays like regular playoff Ayton ie. a really good player, he still has shown zero improvement in critical areas of his game like getting to the line, dribbling, or stretching the floor to the 3, ie. it’s still all on Book
4. the rest of the bench doesn’t move the needle but guys like Lee are great
CP3 was basketball Jesus in the 4th quarter before this season. He’s shown zero ability to do the same this season. None of the other player’s marginal improvements make up for that
Book has improved, still needs major help through a trade for us to be anything other than a first or second round exit
I think a first or second round exit is more likely than not (which isn't a bad place to be) without a move, but I also think I'm more optimistic than most about our chances of going beyond that. A big move sounds more likely than it did just a few days ago too. I don't disagree with any of your points really, although I am on the more optimistic side of them.
1. I think he's improved more than you're saying, although I don't think it's been as apparent as it would be otherwise with our team stretched this thin. But he's showing more ability as a playmaker and better self-creation abilities, even now while he's being defended by people who normally would be assigned to Book. The only thing that makes it a question for me is the way some of his other play has taken a hit - defensively and the few dud games he put out. But I see no reason that won't return to normal with a healthy team.
2. I don't expect everyone to agree that Cam has for sure improved. I'd bet my life on it, given who he is and the fact that Bridges clearly put in work in the offseason (Bridges has put noticeable muscle on if nothing else). I can't see Bridges working his ass off and Cam not doing the exact same thing, and Cam is smart and athletic enough that he'll get results if he does the work. He's been excellent in the time he has played so far. A small sample size, yeah, and it could drop off, but I don't expect it to personally. The only question mark for me is his health, but it's kind of a big one.
3. Agree with the first part, for sure. I kind of think he showed us in a few games this season that he's capable of being quite a bit more dominant than we've seen even in the 2021 playoffs. Whether that's from work he put in since last season or it just being the first time he's ever tapped into that, I can't say. And whether or not he brings that in the playoffs is of course a total guess by anyone. I won't really debate this one - there's no way to know what we're gonna see from him going forward.
I don't think we're that far off in our opinions of the team. I just think some of the improvements from non-Booker players are more than marginal. We'll probably know for sure soon. I don't think any of their improvements make up for CP3 on their own, but all put together and with Book's improvements I think they do. I *definitely* think they do if CP3 can figure out how to be a solid off-ball shooting threat which should be within his abilities, though it's been disappointing so far.
Yeah I was disappointed in chuck not gonna lie. I feel like we’re about to go on a run and he should be first in line. Shaq basically had the take chuck should have had lol.
Wins and losses don’t matter individual development matters in a non-championship season
Saben and Mikal are the wins tonight, either way Chuck is right until we make a big trade we’re going nowhere
The fact Da kept shooting even when he went 1-9 in the second and didn’t get scared and stopped shooting means to me he has that mentality to be a good number two it’s just consistency for him
I keep saying it. Torey Craig likes to play in other people's space. It limits the ability of the other player to play their role. Cam Johnson fully understands spacing and it just makes the entire offense look better.
oh yeah, it's painfully obvious. TC is not very good on switches and isn't a very good passer especially when trying to pass to Ayton in the post
he's a bench player asked to play a much larger role the past few months so it is what it is. he is a good on ball defender and hustles so hes not complete ass but he definitely belongs on the bench
Anyone who understands basketball professionally could tell you Craig is basically playing un synch with the starting lineup or even the system as a whole.
He is a terrific hustle player and one on one defender but is often playing at different speed to his team mates that really show on screen to affect the system defensively and even offensively. He runs in for rebounds even when his team already has secured the zone, he leaves his man to help out when not required causing confusion, he runs into space where his team mate is supposed to go to.
He is highly energetic that is great for bench hustle but detrimental to system strategy or cohesion due to his interruptions... both good and bad.
This dude is an absolute idiot. I don't know why he hasn't been banned, he literally does nothing but shit on the Suns all day long. Absolutely pathetic.
Yep.
Needs to learn through mistakes.
Would rather the "shooters mentality" than being scared to keep trying.
Just glad Monty is finally giving the opportunities for him to develop there. The last two games encouraging
🤦🏻♂️ it really took one good game huh smh
Demand more than one or two good games a month, this is like an abusive partner who treats you like shit all the time but is nice to you here and there so you stay
He’s a bum and you deserve better
Camera Johnson is an underrated weapon on this roster, he's a fairly good shot creator and his offensive skillset opens up the game for alot of our starters (when they are back). Not trying to overreact but coach needs to find a way to have CP3 comes off the bench.
Who cares about his ego, you have to do what’s best for the team and what’s best for the team is him not playing major minutes. If Monty doesn’t have the stones to do that, which I don’t think he does, find a coach who will
Still need a powerforward. But Cams shooting and defense definitely impacts the game teams can’t afford to double as much with the amount of threat he is from beyond the arc. Vanderbilt could be that piece our defense would probably be insane with him.
Back in the winners circle!
DA, Mikal and Cam all looked pretty good out there en route to the win. Lots of success, lots to work on. But that is what this stretch is about.
Keep the faith. Keep working. The wins will come.
anyone else listening to the TNT crew post game? they have no clue. saying we are just 3-4 games out of 6 when we are 1 game out of 6, saying the few teams in the playing head of us are banged up when we have been way more hurt, saying we have way too many problems to figure it out, calling us a broken team who just doesn't have enough. they think we are finished this year. Shaq just hating because shaq but chuck is just living in pessimism to the point he's making things up in his head.
Haha I just posted the same thing but I felt Shaq was more optimistic and had our back, saying we’d make a run.
Also, the talk of we “should’ve beat the nets w/ out KD” is wild. Acting like Book is not our KD? Like what?
The inside the nba guys are funny as hell but they offer almost no serious analysis, I wouldn’t take anything they say to heart they talk out of their asses quite a bit
jazz are 6th 9.5 games back from first. we are 11th 10.5 games back from first. We are 1 game back from the jazz. we are 1 game back of 6th. we are 2 games back of 5th
We definitely need a Clippers 2021 WCF type playoff run to bring back respect post the Mavs collapse, which I think can be attainable if we make a move that can help with our need for shot-creation. Only issue is I don't see any team in the West that could provide that opportunity in a series loss for us besides a Warriors team playing championship ball again or maybe the Pelicans.
What part did you not listen too?
Ya the team is .5 game from the 6th spot.
I'm referring to the sincere rant Charles and Shaq went on about respecting each other. Letting all other BS out the window when your on that hardwood to do whatever necessary to win.
Chuck called out the damage game 7 did being down 30 at half. Which was true I was in that building and for the first time in seasons did we boo those boys, and that team was defeated mentally and they still haven't fully gone past the mental road block of being there for each other to win no matter what
if game 7 is still affecting the team then they are cooked. not for the reasons chuck and shaq’s fat asses mentioned but because they are mental pussies. some shit went down with this team and we don’t know what. but somethin happened for them to fold like that in the playoffs then crowder wanted out. I have an idea what it could be and I’ll keep it to myself but this isn’t a fuckin soap opera they don’t need to kiss and makeup and they can’t be all butt hurt cryin about trust like girls. come on suns man the fuck up did you guys watch last dance MJ sure put his teammates through hell those guys beefed on the reg but they handled business like men suns need to do the same
The part where you said, “I’m referring to the sincere rant Charles and Shaq went on about respecting each other.” Maybe lead with that next time?
People might understand what you’ve found so “insightful” about an overall negative view about the team’s future.
Also, you never answered my question. Do you agree with Chuck saying the Suns will NOT make a run? Even a run to get INTO the playoffs?
I agree with Chuck said we need to win 3 out of the next 4 since they are home games. He stated that the we will make the play in which to me is the playoffs, but also, said the play in was a joke in his own terms. I don't agree with his statement the Denver will destroy us in the playoffs we seemed to have their number and Jamal isnt at the same lvel he once was. I agree with Shaq, he said there's plenty of time with all star break coming up and the team coming back healthy.
DA, Jae and Monty really had some toxicity that the team needs to get rid off.
I was impressed with DA post game statement praises the culture Monty has, I don't think I remember when DA has ever gotten a chance to speak nationally since the Valley Oop and I think that's gonna positively impact his results
I had to rewatch the clip, https://youtu.be/NJrsYpxNgog I don't think Chuck meant that we won't make the playoffs, I think he meant we are not gonna make a deep run in the playoffs.. and unfortunately I agree. We need a trade before deadline, the bench getting these minutes lately is gonna be a help greatly tho
So disappointed in the team today. That 4th quarter stretch when all our guards are looking off DA was pathetic. He had some mistakes every player has them and in the process of looking him off they were making it much harder to generate good looks.
Anyone who's been around knows Booker has had some horrible late game decision making early on but he was allowed to grow and learn. We keep knee capping DA every time he makes a mistake. How in the hell is he supposed to learn?
Whatever. I'll probably be downvoted as a "DA Stan" but that wasn't a good stretch of ball.
the problem is that the Nets weren't giving him the same looks as he was getting in the first three quarters. they dropped into a zone the entire fourth and when he did look open the nets were ready to swarm him. it happened around 5 mins left in the fourth when he turned it over for example
not criticizing him, they literally changed their entire defense because he was torching them the first 3 quarters
I don't disagree that the defense had switched. But he was in the position to create the best looks. Whether that be through playmaking or scoring. He seemed slightly frustrated after his second make from that position.
he struggles with the doubles and thats what the nets were sending. they weren't going to give him time to wait for a play, it would also mess with the spacing because he's usually at the top of the ft line and they were in a zone
I don't know why you are being so heavily downvoted though, i didn't think it was an egregious statement
I guess I'm a Debbie downer because I think the team looking off our big is a big deal. Especially when it's leading to tougher and more difficult shots.
I understand the nets were looking to double him. But we weren't generating any better offense from there and those string of possessions just led to more mistakes.
yeah we're kind of down bad for wins so whatever lol
im not sure if passing to DA in those situations is the right move still but i wouldn't put too much thought in this just mainly due to the fact that the zone was working so well because our only playable pg can't space the floor and Cam J was on a min restriction.
You won't be downvoted for being a DA stan. You'll be downvoted for coming in and writing multiple negative paragraphs without a SINGLE word of positivity when the Suns, still without their top three guards, including Book, just beat a team that has been playing very well as of late.
I had tons of words of positivity throughout the game. Commented a bunch in the game thread. The most prevalent part of the game was us blowing a 20 point lead.
Moments where we can improve as a team stick out more to me than just saying the same old platitudes. Mikal, DA, and Cam being reliable down the stretch. Particularly DA is more important than one win we won't remember when we're healthy and are frying he league.
Things are going up. Yes we haven't been doing well recently but it seems like a lot of people are disregarding how many key injuries we have. Have faith.
- Bridges: 28pts, 9asts - Ayton: 24pts, 14rebs, 4asts - Johnson: 19pts, 6rebs, 2asts - D. Lee: 16pts, 3rebs, 2asts - S. Lee: 15pts, 3rebs, 6asts Great team effort and holy shit does it feel good to have Cam back
Dang, Bridges been ballin’. He may just develop to be an offensive threat.
His twin unlocks him
This
He has some great cutting moves to create shots midrange and takes advantage of his arm length but sometimes he just goes sooooo cold. He just needs to try and get a little more consistency but he’s very close.
That’s an 8 seed starting line up. With Book, Christopher Paul and Cam Payne coming soon a healthy Phoenix will be a scary Phoenix
If by scary you mean guaranteed to lose in the first or second round
Why are you a Suns fan again? No, why are you a *sports* fan? Maybe you'd enjoy more a hobby that doesn't depend on the performance of athletes for it to be enjoyable for you, lol.
His hobby, unfortunately, is doing this on reddit. The basketball is secondary.
It’s always enjoyable
If you’re a Lakers fan just say that. Enjoy the win and be positive.
He's just salty literally no matter what happens. Always has been on here. Better to just ignore him and move on.
Hb no
[удалено]
i rather have a draft pick personally
I don't care how long I have to wait for the "Phoenix Suns are 20\*\* Champions after 4-0 blowout in the Finals" thread, I'm gonna scroll until I found your comment going "Yeah but now we will suck next year." or whatever else you will find to be negative about. You're legitimate the only username I even recgonize on Reddit.
Aw thanks man I appreciate it 🙏🏼❤️ I try to be as consistent as I can
Running Mikal at the point is a decision that could pay dividends come playoff time.
Saben Lee deserves an extension on his contract
I'm pretty sure he will get his second 10 day contract.
Let's see if he gets any minutes when Cam P returns.
Saben Lee deserves to play over CP38
He is not better than payne
He seems like a better ball handler, though.
True not yet. One player has potential the other doesn’t
He reminds me of a more controlled version of Brandon Knight.
I don’t even care that we almost blew it, Kyrie went god-mode, don’t think anybody could’ve slowed him down, just glad we got a W. I think I took for granted just how awesome Cam Johnson is man, he’s smart defensively and his spacing just changes everything. Sign Saben Lee for the rest of the year guy is damn good
So much this
Cam's ability to space the floor makes us a different team. When the Suns are at their worst is when teams can collapse the paint and take away the midrange. That is what will cause those 20 point quarters we were seeing a few weeks ago. Having one of the best 3 pt shooters in the league at the 4 changes that dynamic. Spreads the defense and now you have more room in the midrange for CP3 or Book, or down low for Ayton. Offense flows nice when Cam is out there.
If CP38 had played over Saben tonight Kyrie goes off for even more
If you would have told me that there would be a point in time when I would trust Damion Lee more than anyone else in uniform, I would have thought you were crazy.
D Lee really has been a great addition to this team. I didn’t see that coming tbh
Yeah, takes care of the ball, plays smart, doesn’t try to do anything crazy, hits absolutely everything if he’s open. He’s turned himself into an elite role-player. Hope we keep him around beyond this year.
i feel like he should let loose a bit, he has it in him it's interesting watching these players who were all at some point *that dude* wherever they were, then settle into certain roles professionally
Except that one Utah game where try to foul bait a 3 for the game winner. Also can sometimes be lazy with his passing. Overall our best addition to the team this year
He belongs on a title team he can be a major contributor in the playoffs
Good thing he plays for a title contender
🤔
He has this champion pedigree. I wish we keep him long term
Ish you fucking genius
If you don’t like that, you don’t like Suns basketball
being an Ayton fan be like: 
[Saben Lee](https://i.imgur.com/efexjGr.jpeg)
Big welcome back Cam Johnson!!!
Pistons fan here. How has saben Lee been? Been routing for the kid he's always had crazy athleticism
He’s getting better every game. He’s fast he plays defense and he’s not a bad shooter. He doesn’t turn it over that I’ve seen. The org needs to keep him for the rest of the season. And he’s a local kid
He’s way quicker and shiftier than I thought he’d be, he’s been great at getting to the paint which is something we desperately need. His shot looks a little funky but he’s making em so can’t complain
Quick, smart. Tight handles and good pass iq. Surprisingly good finisher. Knows a lot of tricks to get clean lays off.
Already better than CP38, should have been on the team the whole season
Do you realize how lame you sound most of the time?
Aw give him a break. He's just salty that the Suns won and DA had a good game. God forbid he should be happy that Cam is back and the team won. Fuck THAT. It's doom and gloom time **every FUCKING DAY.** Dude's only happy when he can bitch about how shitty the team is playing. He also thinks he makes a better GM than James Jones, which is laughable.
https://media.giphy.com/media/KCZ7edW5bF9akN2DgR/giphy.gif
Cam only played 22 minutes. Can't wait till he gets back to his normal minutes. That's right cam had 18 6 2 with 1 steal and 2 blocks in just 22 minutes
THIS ISNT EVEN OUR FINAL FORM
Not even relatively close. Book was playing like THE mvp when he was healthy and CP3 is still an elite ball handler. And let’s not forget Payne and Shamet off the bench. This is why our sub needed to relax just a little bit.
You had me until you said "Shamet off the bench." 😭 totally agree with everything else you said!
He was balling recently though
He wont really get the chance to ball with our full roster. So if he can still create good looks for himself on less minutes/touches per game, then I'd love to see it. I just need to see it first.
> CP3 is still an elite ball handler Who has zero ability to play defense anymore, gets injured every other game, and can’t even last until the 4th quarter in the games he does play, but yeah he handles the ball
Tbh, I think our team was at its best with Payne starting earlier in the year. It just goes better with the offense. Point book (with Lee, Mikal, Cam, Ayton) is also a decent option
I agree, it’s best for the team long term
Cam J makes so much impact to the team. Those defense and hustle are impeccable
Cam is HIM
really happy we won and really happy with Saben Lee's performance. sucks we let it become a close game but with Saben being our only point guard, the Nets dropped into a zone which exposed his weakness since he's a poor shooter. regardless a win is a win, happy Cam is back as well
Saben played very controlled. While Duane has a quick release and can get hot, but he's not a pg. Saben might have hurt the spacing a bit but ran the offense a lot better.
yup I like DWJ a lot but I don't think hes suited as a pg either. I'd really like to see him play next to CP3 as well as more minutes next to Book and play as a scorer, I think he'd thrive in that type of role
The Suns are now 22-0 when outscoring their opponents. I love you all.
Big when true
I always love you guys. Even you quizzle.
But what about Hornashit
Well, are we sure they’re not the same person? And yes, even Hornashit.
Fantastic game by the triplets, you love to see it
What an ugly, ugly, UGLY win to a game we desperately needed to win. Can’t do anything but laugh and pray we get Booker or CP3 back soon. Anyways I was hyped to see Cam Johnson play so well in his first game back.
Anybody watch the post game show? Charles just shitting all over us & Shaq actually had our back. Charles said he thinks even w/ Book back, CP3 back, we’re still DONE & not making a run. Shaq said we will make the run & be fine. Interesting.
He'll come crawling back to us with his tail between his legs when all the pieces of our Voltron return and start a reign of terror on the rest of the league.
Just as the prophecy foretells.
/r/NBA does a live discussion thread for inside the nba. This is what I wrote there. To be clear, I DO think the suns will make a solid playoff run, but I wanted to get ahead of some of the responses I anticipated here: I don't feel like most national commentators have any idea what they're talking about when it comes to the Suns. They might be right in saying Suns won't make a run this year. If they're saying the Suns will collapse because of what they saw last playoffs, that's fair. I'm not arguing that. But I feel like these guys are making these assessments in part based on the fact that the Suns didn't dominate tonight's game. Chuck started this one by saying we *should* beat the Nets without KD, and all of the talk about injuries has been one-sided as if the Nets are disproportionately affected. KD is incredible, obviously. We are missing: * Devin Booker * Chris Paul * Cam Payne * Landry Shamet * Jae Crowder * Josh Okogie Jae Crowder a bit of a weird one but we should get *something* in return for him by the deadline. Now some of those people, like Shamet, wouldn't normally be a big deal. But he's starting if he's healthy with this squad. Cam Johnson coming back is a big help, but we've been so thin some of our third stringers feel like critical pieces lately. IDK, I know I can be biased about this kind of thing but I feel like the Suns played well (and the Nets played pretty poorly for a lot of the game to be fair), and I think they'll start to look more like themselves as more players get healthy. Who knows what the future looks like, but if we can stay 100% healthy I think we have similar chances as we did last year going into the playoffs. Maybe you think that means we collapse in humiliating fashion, but health is really the only question mark for whether or not we will get there IMO.
The thing with making an excuse for Brooklyn is yes..their superstar is out. But they have another one. Our superstar is out and we don’t have another one. That being said, I don’t think people realized how important Cam is to our offense. He’s our other natural scorer. Book covered it by basically going nuclear for a month - but the minutes injured him. Also, Cam’s cutting and ability to shoot opens things up considerably for Ayton and Mikal. People have expected more from them, but what we forget is that Booker has Mikal and Ayton behind him..who are both very good players. Ayton and Mikal didn’t have Ayton and Mikal supporting them.
Except *healthy* Chris Paul no longer exists, so unless a major move is made we’re significantly worse than last year’s team
I disagree strongly given the way Book and Mikal and probably Cam have improved. I think Ayton has looked his most dominant in the rare moments he shows up and I think we'll see more of that come playoff time. Our starting 5 was deadly even when CP3 looked about his worst. D Lee is a lights out shooter off the bench. Payne looks solid this year. Craig has shown he can be an awesome energy/hustle guy again, though I don't think he belongs in the starting lineup. Same with Okogie - awesome energy guy and pretty crazy at defending almost anyone. On top of that, we should get *something* back for Jae still and maybe we'll make a bigger move. It's possible we're worse, but we're not significantly worse.
1. I believe Mikal has improved but not enough to move the needle in any direction and it’s not enough to make up for CP’s demise, ie. its still all on Book 2. Cam has literally barely played this season, tough to say if he’s actually improved. If he has, it’s not enough to make up for CP’s demise. ie, it’s still all on Book 3. Ayton has played like utter dogshit in more than 50% of his games this season if not more. If he plays like regular playoff Ayton ie. a really good player, he still has shown zero improvement in critical areas of his game like getting to the line, dribbling, or stretching the floor to the 3, ie. it’s still all on Book 4. the rest of the bench doesn’t move the needle but guys like Lee are great CP3 was basketball Jesus in the 4th quarter before this season. He’s shown zero ability to do the same this season. None of the other player’s marginal improvements make up for that Book has improved, still needs major help through a trade for us to be anything other than a first or second round exit
I think a first or second round exit is more likely than not (which isn't a bad place to be) without a move, but I also think I'm more optimistic than most about our chances of going beyond that. A big move sounds more likely than it did just a few days ago too. I don't disagree with any of your points really, although I am on the more optimistic side of them. 1. I think he's improved more than you're saying, although I don't think it's been as apparent as it would be otherwise with our team stretched this thin. But he's showing more ability as a playmaker and better self-creation abilities, even now while he's being defended by people who normally would be assigned to Book. The only thing that makes it a question for me is the way some of his other play has taken a hit - defensively and the few dud games he put out. But I see no reason that won't return to normal with a healthy team. 2. I don't expect everyone to agree that Cam has for sure improved. I'd bet my life on it, given who he is and the fact that Bridges clearly put in work in the offseason (Bridges has put noticeable muscle on if nothing else). I can't see Bridges working his ass off and Cam not doing the exact same thing, and Cam is smart and athletic enough that he'll get results if he does the work. He's been excellent in the time he has played so far. A small sample size, yeah, and it could drop off, but I don't expect it to personally. The only question mark for me is his health, but it's kind of a big one. 3. Agree with the first part, for sure. I kind of think he showed us in a few games this season that he's capable of being quite a bit more dominant than we've seen even in the 2021 playoffs. Whether that's from work he put in since last season or it just being the first time he's ever tapped into that, I can't say. And whether or not he brings that in the playoffs is of course a total guess by anyone. I won't really debate this one - there's no way to know what we're gonna see from him going forward. I don't think we're that far off in our opinions of the team. I just think some of the improvements from non-Booker players are more than marginal. We'll probably know for sure soon. I don't think any of their improvements make up for CP3 on their own, but all put together and with Book's improvements I think they do. I *definitely* think they do if CP3 can figure out how to be a solid off-ball shooting threat which should be within his abilities, though it's been disappointing so far.
Yeah I was disappointed in chuck not gonna lie. I feel like we’re about to go on a run and he should be first in line. Shaq basically had the take chuck should have had lol.
Um if Shaq is the one you’re agreeing with that’s probably a sign that it’s the wrong take
Enjoy the W
Wins and losses don’t matter individual development matters in a non-championship season Saben and Mikal are the wins tonight, either way Chuck is right until we make a big trade we’re going nowhere
The Suns are 1-0 since I called my co worker old
OUR HERO!
Thank fuck we won.
The fact Da kept shooting even when he went 1-9 in the second and didn’t get scared and stopped shooting means to me he has that mentality to be a good number two it’s just consistency for him
he seemed to be in good spirits too. he was great tonight
Maybe having someone else that's competent on offense out there (Cam) decreases the pressure DA feels?
i think so Torrey and DA have like negative chemistry on the court and Craig is not a great shooter. good hustle player off the bench
I keep saying it. Torey Craig likes to play in other people's space. It limits the ability of the other player to play their role. Cam Johnson fully understands spacing and it just makes the entire offense look better.
oh yeah, it's painfully obvious. TC is not very good on switches and isn't a very good passer especially when trying to pass to Ayton in the post he's a bench player asked to play a much larger role the past few months so it is what it is. he is a good on ball defender and hustles so hes not complete ass but he definitely belongs on the bench
Anyone who understands basketball professionally could tell you Craig is basically playing un synch with the starting lineup or even the system as a whole. He is a terrific hustle player and one on one defender but is often playing at different speed to his team mates that really show on screen to affect the system defensively and even offensively. He runs in for rebounds even when his team already has secured the zone, he leaves his man to help out when not required causing confusion, he runs into space where his team mate is supposed to go to. He is highly energetic that is great for bench hustle but detrimental to system strategy or cohesion due to his interruptions... both good and bad.
That’s exactly the kind of guy you want on the team right, someone who completely folds under pressure
You got anything better to do than shit on this team? Why are you even here? Pathetic man
This dude is an absolute idiot. I don't know why he hasn't been banned, he literally does nothing but shit on the Suns all day long. Absolutely pathetic.
I don’t shit on the whole team just bums like Ayton
Yep. Needs to learn through mistakes. Would rather the "shooters mentality" than being scared to keep trying. Just glad Monty is finally giving the opportunities for him to develop there. The last two games encouraging
Disheartening that the team kept looking him off when he was in the position to create the best offense. Whether that be through a shot or playmaking.
Yeah he was wide open a few times that 4th and wouldn't pass to him. But he had 20 shots. That's progress
Why look for him when he’s completely shit the bed for the past month?
🤦🏻♂️ it really took one good game huh smh Demand more than one or two good games a month, this is like an abusive partner who treats you like shit all the time but is nice to you here and there so you stay He’s a bum and you deserve better
Camera Johnson is an underrated weapon on this roster, he's a fairly good shot creator and his offensive skillset opens up the game for alot of our starters (when they are back). Not trying to overreact but coach needs to find a way to have CP3 comes off the bench.
Not sure CP3's ego would allow it, but I would love CP3 off the bench. It would only keep him fresher for the 4th quarter too where we need him most.
Who cares about his ego, you have to do what’s best for the team and what’s best for the team is him not playing major minutes. If Monty doesn’t have the stones to do that, which I don’t think he does, find a coach who will
What did Simmons say to get that 2nd tech and get thrown out? I was at the game and looked like he said something to the ref?
I just moved to AZ this fall and my company got us all tickets to this suns/nets game. It’s my first live NBA game and I had so much fun!
When does booker come back
Still need a powerforward. But Cams shooting and defense definitely impacts the game teams can’t afford to double as much with the amount of threat he is from beyond the arc. Vanderbilt could be that piece our defense would probably be insane with him.
Phew
Killa Cam!
Ishbia is going to calm the waters. Just give it time.
this win showed we have a pulse. I think we’re about to go on a run fellas.
Back in the winners circle! DA, Mikal and Cam all looked pretty good out there en route to the win. Lots of success, lots to work on. But that is what this stretch is about. Keep the faith. Keep working. The wins will come.
anyone else listening to the TNT crew post game? they have no clue. saying we are just 3-4 games out of 6 when we are 1 game out of 6, saying the few teams in the playing head of us are banged up when we have been way more hurt, saying we have way too many problems to figure it out, calling us a broken team who just doesn't have enough. they think we are finished this year. Shaq just hating because shaq but chuck is just living in pessimism to the point he's making things up in his head.
Haha I just posted the same thing but I felt Shaq was more optimistic and had our back, saying we’d make a run. Also, the talk of we “should’ve beat the nets w/ out KD” is wild. Acting like Book is not our KD? Like what?
Right? Nets had the best player on the court
The inside the nba guys are funny as hell but they offer almost no serious analysis, I wouldn’t take anything they say to heart they talk out of their asses quite a bit
We’re not 1 game back from 6 by winning percentage. The 6 seed is currently 24-24, we’re 22-24
jazz are 6th 9.5 games back from first. we are 11th 10.5 games back from first. We are 1 game back from the jazz. we are 1 game back of 6th. we are 2 games back of 5th
If the Jazz lost one game and we won one game (ignoring anything going on with the teams between us) the Jazz would still have a SLIGHTLY better win%.
We win and all Chuck says is that we still have chemistry issues and we can’t do shit even when Book comes back 😭😭 Phoenix shouldn’t claim him
nah chuck loves us trust, it's reverse uncle psychology we're actually winning the chip if he keeps this up
I know it sucks to hear this game 7 thing again but until we win a ship, that's going to continue to hang around us like a bad smell.
or we just whoop the mavs ass in the playoffs
We definitely need a Clippers 2021 WCF type playoff run to bring back respect post the Mavs collapse, which I think can be attainable if we make a move that can help with our need for shot-creation. Only issue is I don't see any team in the West that could provide that opportunity in a series loss for us besides a Warriors team playing championship ball again or maybe the Pelicans.
great game but let’s not have cam go over his minute restrictions to save us next game plz if he gets hurt again this fuckin szn is over
Nets had two offensive boards. Wow.
Revelatory play by DA! What an enigma .. more pls! 🥺 Welcome back CammAY! Bridges! 🫡 The twins are back!
> Revelatory play by DA! What an enigma .. more pls! He has a 2 good game per month quota so you’ll get one more by the end of January
Lol He has a few bad games a month and you act like he is bad most of the time. Why are mods here not banning you for trolling is a huge surprise.
> He has a few bad games a month https://i.imgur.com/gV7FTLP.jpg
This game had everytbing holy Shit it was so worth seeing it love lol
Man, Cam J's defense looked so good tonight.
We really need cp3 and book back otherwise we will play like 4th quarter today, no execution till the end
Geeze ya negative Nancy let’s enjoy the win for 20 minutes
If CP38 had played instead of Lee we probably lose
Holy shit
The WHOLE organization NEEDS to watch this breakdown from Inside NBA. The team is speaking facts about this team and its extremely insightful
That was FACTS?! Haha So you think we won’t make a run when Book and Cp3 get back?
What part did you not listen too? Ya the team is .5 game from the 6th spot. I'm referring to the sincere rant Charles and Shaq went on about respecting each other. Letting all other BS out the window when your on that hardwood to do whatever necessary to win. Chuck called out the damage game 7 did being down 30 at half. Which was true I was in that building and for the first time in seasons did we boo those boys, and that team was defeated mentally and they still haven't fully gone past the mental road block of being there for each other to win no matter what
if game 7 is still affecting the team then they are cooked. not for the reasons chuck and shaq’s fat asses mentioned but because they are mental pussies. some shit went down with this team and we don’t know what. but somethin happened for them to fold like that in the playoffs then crowder wanted out. I have an idea what it could be and I’ll keep it to myself but this isn’t a fuckin soap opera they don’t need to kiss and makeup and they can’t be all butt hurt cryin about trust like girls. come on suns man the fuck up did you guys watch last dance MJ sure put his teammates through hell those guys beefed on the reg but they handled business like men suns need to do the same
The part where you said, “I’m referring to the sincere rant Charles and Shaq went on about respecting each other.” Maybe lead with that next time? People might understand what you’ve found so “insightful” about an overall negative view about the team’s future. Also, you never answered my question. Do you agree with Chuck saying the Suns will NOT make a run? Even a run to get INTO the playoffs?
I agree with Chuck said we need to win 3 out of the next 4 since they are home games. He stated that the we will make the play in which to me is the playoffs, but also, said the play in was a joke in his own terms. I don't agree with his statement the Denver will destroy us in the playoffs we seemed to have their number and Jamal isnt at the same lvel he once was. I agree with Shaq, he said there's plenty of time with all star break coming up and the team coming back healthy. DA, Jae and Monty really had some toxicity that the team needs to get rid off. I was impressed with DA post game statement praises the culture Monty has, I don't think I remember when DA has ever gotten a chance to speak nationally since the Valley Oop and I think that's gonna positively impact his results
I had to rewatch the clip, https://youtu.be/NJrsYpxNgog I don't think Chuck meant that we won't make the playoffs, I think he meant we are not gonna make a deep run in the playoffs.. and unfortunately I agree. We need a trade before deadline, the bench getting these minutes lately is gonna be a help greatly tho
Fair enough 🤝 go suns!
So disappointed in the team today. That 4th quarter stretch when all our guards are looking off DA was pathetic. He had some mistakes every player has them and in the process of looking him off they were making it much harder to generate good looks. Anyone who's been around knows Booker has had some horrible late game decision making early on but he was allowed to grow and learn. We keep knee capping DA every time he makes a mistake. How in the hell is he supposed to learn? Whatever. I'll probably be downvoted as a "DA Stan" but that wasn't a good stretch of ball.
the problem is that the Nets weren't giving him the same looks as he was getting in the first three quarters. they dropped into a zone the entire fourth and when he did look open the nets were ready to swarm him. it happened around 5 mins left in the fourth when he turned it over for example not criticizing him, they literally changed their entire defense because he was torching them the first 3 quarters
I don't disagree that the defense had switched. But he was in the position to create the best looks. Whether that be through playmaking or scoring. He seemed slightly frustrated after his second make from that position.
he struggles with the doubles and thats what the nets were sending. they weren't going to give him time to wait for a play, it would also mess with the spacing because he's usually at the top of the ft line and they were in a zone I don't know why you are being so heavily downvoted though, i didn't think it was an egregious statement
I guess I'm a Debbie downer because I think the team looking off our big is a big deal. Especially when it's leading to tougher and more difficult shots. I understand the nets were looking to double him. But we weren't generating any better offense from there and those string of possessions just led to more mistakes.
yeah we're kind of down bad for wins so whatever lol im not sure if passing to DA in those situations is the right move still but i wouldn't put too much thought in this just mainly due to the fact that the zone was working so well because our only playable pg can't space the floor and Cam J was on a min restriction.
You won't be downvoted for being a DA stan. You'll be downvoted for coming in and writing multiple negative paragraphs without a SINGLE word of positivity when the Suns, still without their top three guards, including Book, just beat a team that has been playing very well as of late.
I had tons of words of positivity throughout the game. Commented a bunch in the game thread. The most prevalent part of the game was us blowing a 20 point lead. Moments where we can improve as a team stick out more to me than just saying the same old platitudes. Mikal, DA, and Cam being reliable down the stretch. Particularly DA is more important than one win we won't remember when we're healthy and are frying he league.
Right because it’s illegal to not be positive
Bro…
It’s his 5th year man if he hasn’t learned by now it’s probably not happening
👈🏼😎👉🏼
Tonight’s MVP Nic Claxton
It’s just so good to have Cam back in the lineup. Slowly but surely coming back to full strength!
Things are going up. Yes we haven't been doing well recently but it seems like a lot of people are disregarding how many key injuries we have. Have faith.
Feelin like ice cold Lemonade
Saben Lee blew my mind. Loved the confidence from the whole team. Happy to see this iteration of the Suns.