On March 10, Beijing time, when a high-profile east-west top battle began, both sides lacked a core Paul and Butler, but Booker returned to lead the Suns to victory over the Heat. Booker led the team to improve the record to 53 wins and 13 losses, already 16 wins ahead of the 7th-place Timberwolves in the West, and the head-to-head record was dominant, so the Suns locked up the playoffs 16 rounds ahead of schedule, becoming the first team this season.
When the Suns got Paul last season, they became super dark horses and eventually finished with 51 wins and 21 losses, ranking second in the league in the regular season and only one win behind the Jazz at the top of the table.
This season, the Suns renewed his contract for 3 years and 120 million to retain Paul, and also introduced role players such as McGee to upgrade their strength, so that the Suns have twice played 10+ consecutive wins, especially with 18 consecutive wins to create the longest winning streak in the history of the team. Even though Paul was basically reimbursed for the regular season due to a thumb injury, and Booker had previously missed 4 games for triggering a safety agreement, the Suns' performance was still excellent.
Now that the Suns have ushered in a heat showdown with the First Place in the East, Booker returned to lead the team to lead only 2 points in the first half, but in the second half, the Suns gradually suppressed the Heat to expand the 25+ advantage, and they used the team offensive to burst the Heat defense, which also allowed the Suns to further expand their leading edge.
After the Suns beat the Heat, they led the way with a 53-13 record, already 8.5 wins ahead of the Grizzlies behind them, a nine-win advantage over the Warriors, and a 9.5-win advantage over the Heat, no. 1 in the East, basically locking up the season's regular season championship.
In addition, the Suns won 53 to lead the 7th-place Timberwolves in the West with 37 wins and 16 wins, with 16 games remaining, even if the Suns lose all and the Timberwolves win all, both sides are 53 wins, and the Suns currently have a 2-0 advantage, and the two teams only have one meeting left, so the Suns can lock the playoffs 16 games in advance.
When the Suns became the first team to lock up a playoff spot this season, their next job was to lock in the regular season title as early as possible and wait for Paul's early recovery. The Suns made it all the way to the Finals last season, eventually losing their 2-0 lead by the Bucks, and this season their goal is naturally to hit the championship again.
(Drunken Lying Floating Life)