It has been a rough week in Phoenix. Following Wednesday night’s beatdown against the Boston Celtics, the Suns came into tonight’s matchup looking to avoid a three-game losing streak. Against a Western Contender like the Pelicans, they were also hoping to make a statement.
Instead, the Suns took another loss (117-128) that may actually be their worst of all. Toward the end of the game, with the Pelicans clearly heading towards a victory, Zion Williamson finished an emphatic dunk that enraged Chris Paul and some of the Suns’ players.
The video has gone viral online with many fans taking a side:
The Suns weren’t happy with Zion’s windmill dunk at the end of the game 😯 pic.twitter.com/N2NyLb2q9b
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 10, 2022
Lol. Even the Pelicans broadcaster is saying “no no no” and their bench looks embarrassed that he did that.
— Jeff Just a Fan (@JeffJustAFan) December 10, 2022
Zion broke one of basketball’s unwritten rules, and many teams would have taken issue with his play at the end there. What do you think?
It’s an unwritten rule of basketball, you just don’t do that
— Soap (@NBASoap) December 10, 2022
Unwritten rules of basketball. Page 1. https://t.co/bIDE6xwgfp
— Khiz (@KhizHoop) December 10, 2022
Most fans, though, actually love seeing this type of energy during games. On social media, many were cheering Zion on as they called the Suns names like ‘soft’ and ‘babies.’
The Suns are such babies.
Love this Pels team https://t.co/MFsdTdonKA
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) December 10, 2022
The Suns are those fake tough guys that end up getting embarrassed by everyone they bullied 😂 https://t.co/iJDtTsSpsl
— ɴᴏᴛ ʜɪᴍ (@Game6Mike) December 10, 2022
Suns are baseball unwritten rules level soft 🗑 https://t.co/7RylH3BykY
— David (@davidthazag) December 10, 2022
https://twitter.com/ChrisMortonTxSt/status/1601433140475867136https://twitter.com/The_RoyalJoshua/status/1601429430030983168
The craziest thing about all of this is that these two teams play again in two days, in the same arena. If the Suns want to make their statement, Sunday’s afternoon game may be his best, and the final, chance to do it before the playoffs,
Are The Pelicans Contenders In The West?
After Friday night’s win, their faith straight, the Pels are officially the first seed in the West and look as good as they ever have. While Phoenix’s problems have been on full display over the past few games, the Pelicans deserve credit for being one of the league’s most consistent and well-rounded teams.
“I have the New Orleans Pelicans as the No. 1 sleeper in the entire NBA,” said Stephen A. Smith. “The Pelicans can end up in the Conference Finals, the Pelicans can end up in the Finals. They got a crew, they’re long, they’re athletic, they can get physical, they got shooters, they got athletes, and they got a whole bunch of heart. They ain’t scared of anybody, and they got young fresh legs. If Zion Williamson was healthy last year, they might have beaten Phoenix in the playoffs. If Zion Williamson stays healthy, I’m telling you right now, New Orleans is a huge threat, a huge threat.”
Zion was clearly having fun tonight, as he should have. But he can’t lose his focus now if he wants to win when it really matters. As a young and unproven team, the Pelicans still have a lot to prove before they earn their proper respect.
For Phoenix, the Suns clearly have to re-evaluate their situation. While they are still sitting pretty high in the standings, the cracks are starting to show, and some of their biggest contenders (the Celtics and Pelicans) have already shown their dominance.
Needless to say, Sunday’s rematch is going to be one for the ages.
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