On this day in Suns history, the Phoenix Suns defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 118-108 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals to take a 2-0 series lead. Devin Booker led the team with 31 points and seven 3-pointers. Mikal Bridges scored a then-playoff career-high 27 points, and Chris Paul added 23 points and eight assists.
It feels like yesterday, but also like 10 years ago. The 2020-2021 Phoenix Suns were the closest the Valley came to a Finals championship and will always be a team to be respected.
The 2019-2020 team laid the foundation for a Finals run the following year, and when Chris Paul joined the team in the 2020 offseason, he infused his veteran experience with the core of that team at the time – Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton – to drive the development and winning process.
Cohesion, defense and efficiency. Those are the three words I would use to describe this team. Finishing the season with a 51-21 record, Paul and Booker were named to the All-Star team, Deandre Ayton had career-best performances on the field, established himself as a top center and Mikal Bridges helped solidify himself as an elite wing defender. Despite a pandemic-shortened season, the Valley team achieved its first 50-win season in 11 years.
After losing 2-1 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, the Suns reeled off nine straight wins en route to the Finals, defeating the Lakers in six games, the Denver Nuggets in four games, and the Los Angeles Clippers in five games. After taking a 2-0 lead against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Finals, Phoenix lost four straight games, ending the Valleys’ sudden winning streak as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s iconic 50-point performance secured Milwaukee their first title in 50 years.
Devin Booker is the only one left from the finals team. Phoenix has lost two head coaches since Monty Williams. If the Valley team is going to be at the top anytime soon, it will be on offense. Booker is the linchpin of the team, and he is surrounded by Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the offensive brains, not Paul, Bridges or Ayton.
The teamwork and culture that the 2020-2021 team has built should be treasured no matter what this new era for the Suns turns out to be. Whatever happens with the Suns now, they will never be the same team that suddenly made it to the Finals.
