This article is a translation of the article by journalist Kirk Goldsberry and does not represent the views of the translator and the platform.
Of the 16 teams making it to the NBA playoffs, there's one more team that stands out — the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are the best team in the league, and their record proves it: The Suns' 64-18 record not only ranks first in the league, but also has eight more wins than the second-best Grizzlies. This is the biggest win difference between the top two teams in the league since the 1999-2000 season. In the 1999-2000 season, the Los Angeles Lakers led the Blazers, who had a second-best record at the time, by eight wins.
While the media was paying attention to the Nets and Lakers, two super teams that were struggling for playoff qualification, the Suns dominated the NBA league in a low profile.
The Suns made it to the playoffs as a favorite team to win the championship. But what makes them so great? Here are the top 10 reasons why the Suns are the best team in the NBA right now.
1. The ageless wisdom of Chris Paul
The 36-year-old Paul is playing the best basketball of his career, and no one can turn his opponent's defense every round as easily as he does, and he can finish it himself or choose to pass the ball. Paul is the team's most important offensive weapon.
Since entering the league in 2005, Paul has played nearly 40,000 minutes. The repetition of all the technical moves on the court will only further his already outrageous basketball IQ. This season he is the league's assist king (averaging 10.8 assists per game), the fifth time in his career. He loves to create shooting space for his teammates, which is a big reason why the Suns have an elite-level offense.
The Suns averaged 29.5 points on Paul's passing pitch alone, the highest number in the league.
Today, Chris Paul is the ceiling of the point guard. Whether it's Suns general manager James Jones reinforcing the squad for the team, or head coach Monty Williams designing the offense for the team, it's all built on Paul. Not only does the Suns have one of the deepest and most offensive scoring lines in the league, they have also finished second in the league in terms of the number of blocks and demolition offenses this season, and only the Jazz have done more than the Suns in this regard.
It took Paul 16 years to become one of the smartest and most successful blockers in the world. The Suns' management recognized this when they signed Paul and designed a perfect offensive ecosystem for him — the Suns' offense will be unstoppable in the playoffs.
2. Devin Booker's scoring ability
What's so scary about the Suns? Paul may not even be their best backcourt player. The just 25-year-old Booker officially entered his peak, becoming one of the league's most comprehensive offensive scorers. A quick look at his shooting hotmaps this season will attest to this.
What is Booker's signature skill? The question is simple: he can score points anywhere.
In terms of three-point shooting percentage, he's going through the best of his season. Especially after dribbling adjustments, his shooting rate is higher. At his age, what sets him apart is his passion for shooting in the mid-range. In the mid-range, a land that is quickly forgotten by data analysis experts, there are few players aged 25 and under who are willing to polish their shots, and Booker is one of them.
3. Efficiency at key moments of the game
Paul's ability to calmly control the court and dismantle the defense, and Booker's elite-level scoring ability to tackle tough problems, making the Suns one of the most successful teams in NBA history in recent years. And the data behind this is even more jaw-dropping!
Paul tends to show his best form in key moments (i.e., within five points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime), delivering 34 assists and just six turnovers in key moments of the season. But if you think he can only pass the ball, you're dead wrong. A total of 65 players have made more than 40 shots at key moments this season, among which Paul ranks second in shooting percentage.
Who is number one on this list? You must have guessed it: Devon Booker!
The player with the highest shooting percentage (at least 40 shots) at key moments in the 2021-22 season: Devin Booker, Suns, shooting 56.9%; Chris Paul, Suns, shooting 56.8%; Anthony Davis, Lakers, shooting 54.2%; Demar DeRozan, Bulls, shooting 53.5%; Scotty Barnes, Raptors, shooting 53.5%
Overall, the Suns have a 33-9 record in games with key moments, the best record for the NBA this season and the best record since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. If the Suns' performance in key moments during the regular season can give us some lessons, it is that it is difficult to beat them 4 times in a 7-game series.
If these surprising key-moment stats don't convince you that they'll do the same in the playoffs, maybe you should believe it when you look at the fourth quarter stats. Because, the Suns won a total of 221 points in the fourth quarter of the season, more than twice as many as other teams.
4. Offensive efficiency
Phoenix have finished fifth in the league for fifth place in offensive efficiency this season for two reasons: They can score effectively and they can't make mistakes.
The Suns rank first in the league in shooting percentage and fourth in effective shooting percentage (their high shooting percentage in the mid-range and under the basket improves their overall shooting percentage). The Suns have the fourth lowest turnover rate in the league and the third-lowest assist-to-turnover ratio in the league.
In other words, they can throw the ball in, but they will not give away the score.
5. Evolution of the defensive end
Until Monty Williams and Paul arrived, the Suns couldn't defend anyone.
In the 2018-19 season, the Suns ranked 29th in the league for defensive efficiency. In the 2019-20 season, Williams and Paul joined the Suns, whose defensive efficiency rose to 17th. Last season was 6th and this season is 3rd. Of course, this didn't happen overnight, but under Williams' leadership, the Suns evolved from a defensive poke to a defensive admiralty.
Everyone in the rotation has solid defense, but Mikael Bridges is definitely at another higher level.
The 25-year-old striker, despite being only 6 feet 6 inches (198cm) tall, is definitely one of the most athletic and versatile defenders. He has played 82 games this season and is one of only five players in the league. His presence is an important reason why the Suns are able to suppress opponents on the outside. Bridges put his opponents with just 35.3 points per 100 possessions from outside the three-point line, the league's second-best statistic.
Bridges has become one of the NBA's top 3D players. This season, Bridges has averaged 1.31 miles of defensive range per game this season, the highest in the NBA. But that's just the beginning, no defender in the current league of blocking can defend as many ball carriers as Bridges, who has defended 1541 opponents' blocks. Bridges is fifth in the league in the league in the number of rounds of selected players in the 2022 All-Star Game in halftime defense.
6. Squad depth this season
Team general manager Jones did an amazing job of assembling one of the deepest and most complete lineups in the league. In addition to the stars, the team has enough role players in the lineup who will help the team go further in the playoffs.
Cameron Johnson has become one of the league's fastest-improving shooters, averaging 5.9 three-pointers per game and shooting 42.5 percent from the field, making him the team's fifth-highest scorer. In addition to Johnson, Bridges, Crowder and Torrey Craig, who have provided the Suns with the deepest 3D forward line-up.
The Suns' configuration in every position is enviable. Defender Cameron Payne is the firepower output guarantee on the bench; when center Ayton comes off, McGee and Billy Biyombo can bring a steady output to the Suns up front. Lineup depth is especially important in the playoffs, as the alignment and tactics of each game can change dramatically.
7. Uncertainty about other teams in the West
The strength of the Suns' overall strength did not appear out of thin air, and there were also factors in the injuries suffered by other teams in the West. Look at the other seeded teams in the West: Morant of the Grizzlies, Curry of the Warriors and Doncic of the Lone Rangers, all of whom have varying degrees of injury troubles.
So far, the Suns haven't had major injury problems. This could change in an instant, and no one knew this better than Paul. But for now, the rest of the West's top contenders have all suffered varying degrees of trouble at this wrong time.
8. Monty Williams on the sidelines
The Suns have one of the best coaches in the league, or even one of them. Earlier this month (April 12, local time), the American Basketball Coaching Association announced that it was Monty Williams who won the 2022 Michael H Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award. The award was voted on by Williams' peers, the head coaches of 30 NBA teams, and it was the second consecutive year he received the award. (Related news: Suns coach Monti won the National Coach Association Coach of the Year Award for consecutive years)
Williams' impact on the team's culture is a three-year process: Since taking over the team in 2018-19, Williams has brought one of the most dramatic shifts in NBA history in recent years. Not only did Williams lead the Suns to their best of the season, but the Suns also became the first team in league history to increase their wins by at least 11 games per season for three consecutive seasons.
9. Ayton in the penalty area
Another big reason the Suns were able to succeed in the playoffs was Ayton, one of the league's best young big men, played efficiently. Ayton has improved a lot on both ends of the floor, and in last year's playoffs, his scoring efficiency was even better than that of other scoring masters. (If you think that's an exaggeration, you can look at Ayton's 66 percent shooting percentage in the 2021 playoffs, the highest shooting percentage of any player in NBA playoff history who made at least 150 shots.) ）
Of course, you can say that it's because most of his shots are dunks or layups, which improves his shooting percentage. But in blocking with Paul and Booker, Ayton's ability to catch the ball down the basket or create shot space for his teammates to cover made him one of Phoenix's most valuable players.
10. The Suns are the defending champions of the West
Finally, don't forget that these guys won the Western Conference Championship last year, and the first two games of the 2021 NBA Finals.
Meanwhile, all their key stats suggest they've made progress again this season.
In the playoffs, anything can happen. But if regular-season performance can give some hints for future events, this year could be the year the Suns won their first championship in team history!
Written by Kirk Goldsberry
Compiler: Former lord of the city