The Game 7 loss to Dallas on Sunday has changed everything for the Phoenix Suns. Just last week they were favorites to win the title, but now there are suspicions that their Championship window has already closed.
Things are so bad, some fans are even looking back to illegitimate their Finals run last year.
Back in March, Anthony Davis made headlines when he suggested the Lakers would have won their first-round matchup with Phoenix in 2021 had he been healthy. At the time, it was a hot take that almost everyone found ridiculous:
The Phoenix Suns shocked the world when they advanced to the NBA Finals last season. To beat the Lakers, Nuggets, and Clippers in one postseason really showed a lot about who they were.
According to Anthony Davis, though, they never would have gotten past the first round had he been healthy for the entire series. In a recent chat with the media, he dropped the bombshell:
Anthony Davis, asked if his groin injury is the main reason the Lakers didn’t beat the Suns in the playoffs last year, says: “It was… We know that. They know that… They got away with one.”
In light of Phoenix’s epic meltdown, however, fans are re-thinking AD’s claim. Have the Suns been pretenders the entire time?
This Suns squad has always been overrated. They never would’ve beaten the Lakers last year in the postseason if Anthony Davis hadn’t gotten hurt. Why are people so surprised tonight? ZERO TITLES! Shush forever 🤫 Suns fans. pic.twitter.com/4grPWZoTpZ
— Geraud Moncuré (@GeraudMoncure) May 16, 2022
Never forget that if @AntDavis23 doesn’t gets hurt last year, the @Suns woulda always stayed irrelevant lmao
— Jacob (@Jacob_Pink) May 16, 2022
Anthony Davis did say if he was healthy he would’ve beat the suns last year though 😭 I believe it now
— Dj Jones (@therealdivese) May 16, 2022
Anthony Davis was right about the Suns.
— Jeybro (@TheLord_Jeybro) May 16, 2022
Of course, there’s no way to tell how things would have played out with a healthy AD for the final two games. Without him, the Lakers pushed the Suns to six games and, last year, the Lakers were better than they are now. Still, L.A. was deeply flawed and very much challenged by the Suns’ brilliance on both ends of the floor.
Whatever the case, Phoenix will never be taken seriously again unless they find some success in the postseason. Besides a Finals run that many have begun questioning, they have not proved or accomplished anything with this cast of characters.
Maybe next season will finally be the one where Phoenix goes all the way… and they might even beat Anthony Davis and the Lakers again to get there.
