When Paul suffered an injury, the outside world was worried about whether the Suns could hold the league's number one throne. Now a month has passed, the Suns have a record of 8 wins and 4 losses, the winning rate is indeed not as good as when there was Paul, but they did not fall behind, the lead has become 9 wins, and it is expected to lock in the first place in advance.
Today's Suns have undergone qualitative changes, starting from the park and then to Paul's joining, which is an important factor in their rise. Last season, Paul's joining made this team a strong team, in the case of not being optimistic, all the way to the championship, regrettably lost to the Bucks, missed the championship trophy. They all thought they were just a flash in the pan, but this season their momentum is even stronger, after surpassing the Warriors, they have been occupying the league's first throne, and the advantage is constantly expanding.
During this period, before a game between the Suns and the Lakers, the injured Davis spoke about last year's playoff series with the Suns, believing that they won a fluke and their injury changed the situation. But in the end, the Suns won by 29 points, including a 26-point lead in the first quarter, and Booker only chuckled after the game.
This time, facing the Bulls led by DeRozan and Lavin, the Suns only had a stalemate with their opponents for one point, and then they fully occupied the initiative on the court, and the point difference was also widened step by step, leading by 33 points at one point, and finally winning a 27-point victory. Of course, while keeping winning, the Suns players are well aware of Paul's value, And Booker said, "No one can replace Paul, and we know exactly how much the team will need him when the playoffs come." ”
In this month's time, the Suns proved that they are still strong without Paul, and with the experience of the Finals, the young players have undergone a qualitative change, and each player has played more confidently on the court, and has greater confidence, believing that they can do a good job. In addition, the ability of head coach Monti can not be ignored, he has built a perfect system, without Paul, the system is not unchanged, just reduced some levels. During this time, Booker, Bridges, Claude and others all stepped forward to take on some of the vacancies left by Paul, which is why they did not fall behind.
I believe that this time no one dares to ignore the Suns, including the Lakers, even if Davis returns, they do not even have the confidence to eliminate opponents by 50%. The Suns have also waited for 10 years to finally usher in a turnaround, general manager James Jones's performance is still great, the team building idea is very clear, and Holliday and Craig brought by the trade deadline are very in line with the needs of the team. With no luxury taxes this season and no league superstars, this team already has enough capital to be a tough opponent for the next few seasons.