Are the Suns the best team in the NBA this season?
SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt breaks down why the Suns are at the top of the NBA this season.
USA TODAY
CHICAGO — Charles Barkley often says he loves his Phoenix Suns, but the Hall of Famer just doesn’t see them running away from Golden State for the NBA’s best record.
“It’s going to be a war,” Barkley said last week during TNT’s Inside The NBA about which team will gain top seed in the Western Conference.
The Suns (42-10) are 2.5 games ahead of the Warriors (40-13) heading into Sunday’s NBA action, but Golden State has taken two of the three matchups against them.
Their last regular-season battle is March 30 in San Francisco.
They’ll likely be 1-2 in the The Republic’s NBA power rankings for that final clash. The order is to be determined. Right now, Phoenix remains No. 1 followed by Golden State.
Who’s next after that? Brooklyn sure isn’t.
1. Phoenix Suns (42-10, Last week 1st)
The Suns fell victim to 20 Atlanta 3s in Thursday’s road loss that snapped their 11-game winning streak.
They responded by limiting Washington to 51 points through three quarters in a 95-80 victory Saturday night.
Phoenix led by as many as 36 in D.C.. It got ugly in the nation’s capital.
Chris Paul and Devin Booker were voted into this month’s NBA All-Star game as reserves. No surprise there, but ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith put both in his Top 5 MVP candidates.
So does that make them the best backcourt in the league over say Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson or Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and James Harden?
2. Golden State Warriors (40-13, Last week 2nd)
With Phoenix losing, Golden State has the longest active winning streak going at eight straight after beating Sacramento on Thursday.
The Warriors have a rare three days between that game and Monday’s matchup at Oklahoma City. They’re still without Draymond Green (lower back/disc), who won’t play in the Feb. 20 All-Star game in Cleveland.
With Green sidelined, 19-year-old rookie Jonathan Kuminga has had three double-figure scoring efforts in the eight-game win streak. Scoring 22 against Dallas, the explosive forward went for 19 at San Antonio and 18 versus Sacramento.
Kuminga could be a factor come playoff time, especially if Green isn’t fully himself once he come back from the injury.
3. Memphis Grizzlies (37-18, Last week, 3rd)
The Suns and Warriors better keep winning because Memphis isn’t slowing down.
The Grizzlies are 5-1 in their last six games with the loss coming in overtime against Philadelphia. Memphis is one of four teams ranked in the top in offensive (5th) and defensive (8th) rating with Phoenix, Golden State and Miami being the other three.
Memphis doesn’t have the overall experience of those three teams, but don’t overlook the impact Steven Adams has had there. He played on great teams in Oklahoma City and shared the floor with future Hall of Famers in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Beyond that, he’s an imposing figure who defends the paint and rebounds. The Grizzlies got scorers, but Adams is the defensive anchor they need.
4. Miami Heat (34-20, Last week 4th)
The Raptors have Miami’s number, huh?
They beat the Heat for a second time in four days last week.
The Heat bounced back with wins at San Antonio and Charlotte as they’re on the back end of a six-game road trip that continues Monday against Washington.
Miami began the season with Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, P.J. Tucker and Bam Adebayo as its starting unit. The Heat blasted the defending NBA champions by 42 in Miami.
They’re 11-5 with that starting unit. Don’t know what’s crazier?
Having that starting unit for just 16 games, having 16 different starting lineups or sharing the East’s best record with Chicago with such inconsistent starting units?
5. Milwaukee Bucks (33-21, Last week 5th)
Don’t expect the defending champions to be at their best every night.
Every team has a bad game. Some more than others.
However, to lose by 36 at home to Denver with your Big 3 on the court?
No shame in falling to Denver, but by that wide of a margin? The Nuggets erupted from 3 (23-of-43), but this beyond a bad look for Milwaukee.
The Bucks began a four-game trip out West with a win at Portland. Will have a tougher challenge Sunday against the Clippers, but those last two matchups are must-see.
They face the Lakers on Tuesday and Phoenix on Thursday.
Next 5
Philadelphia 76ers (31-21) — The Sixers followed up a big win over Memphis without leading MVP candidate Joel Embiid to lose their next two to Washington and at Dallas. Got a huge one Sunday at Chicago.
Chicago Bulls (33-19) — The Bulls have already shown they’re for real. They now have a huge opportunity to further prove that as they face Philadelphia and Phoenix on back-to-back nights at home. Tough chore.
Cleveland Cavaliers (32-21) — Darius Garland only played five games in his one year at Vanderbilt due to a knee injury, but arrived there as a major talent. Now he’s an NBA All-Star. Been huge for Cavs this season.
Utah Jazz (32-21) — The Rudy Gobert-Donovan Mitchell beef-or-not just won’t go away, but the Jazz have won their last two. Mitchell returned from a concussion to score 27 points (6-of-7 from 3) in 22 minutes in dominant win over Brooklyn.
Dallas Mavericks (30-23) — Can’t deny them any longer. With All-Star Luka Doncic leading the way, the Mavs are knocking on the door for that fourth seed in the West. A Utah-Dallas first round series with the winner facing Phoenix or Golden State? Nice.
One last thing
The Warriors had more than just Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson when Kevin Durant bolted Oklahoma City to join them.
They were a complete team that won an NBA record 73 games the previous regular season.
Steve Kerr had won a title as a head coach there and was part of Michael Jordan’s second 3-peat Chicago Bulls as a player.
They could’ve won another one without Durant, but basically guaranteed multiple ones with him.
Durant left that to pair up with Irving in Brooklyn, but missed the whole 2019-20 season with an Achilles injury suffered in the 2019 finals.
So when Harden made his way to the borough via trade, the Nets had assembled the most explosive Big 3 ever, but were far from complete.
Added role players. So no chemistry.
Hired a Hall of Fame player in Steve Nash as a first-time head coach.
Then its Big 3 didn’t even play a third of the first season together, but Brooklyn almost overcame those odds in nearly knocking off the Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
So the Nets should’ve went into this season a lock to win it all.
Then Irving gave the vaccine the Heisman stiff arm. So, no home games.
Harden has looked a shell of himself. Whether it was the hamstring or changes to refereeing non-basketball moves, he’s struggled more times than showed out.
That left Durant to carry Brooklyn. He did that very well to becoming an early MVP favorite, but is now sidelined with a knee injury.
So, things aren’t going to plan in Brooklyn – and Durant’s return won’t be the cure all.
Should they trade Harden for Ben Simmons? Should Irving get vaccinated?
Should we lower expectations of Brooklyn?
Nah, but Brooklyn shouldn’t be on a seven-game skid, sixth in the East and just a half game head of seventh seed Toronto.
The Nets have gone from being the title favorite to having to possibly climb out the play-in just to make the playoffs.
How about that?
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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