When the Phoenix Suns dominated the NBA in the regular season by finishing with a league-best 64-18 record andi n the top-four in both offensive and defensive efficiency, many thought they were on their way to winning the NBA championship.
Instead, the Suns not only lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks but were pulverized at home in Game 7, 123-90.
Now the team is facing a summer of sorrow, hard questions and hard decisions.
Losses like this can either devastate or motivate a team. The Los Angeles Lakers have had lopsided losses like this in elimination games before, only to come back and win it all later.
But there is a real chance the best days of this Suns team are in the rear-view mirror, and that could bolster the Lakers’ hopes of returning to glory in 2023.