As another year of the NBA Playoffs commences, it is thus prediction szn. Everyone has a take, an opinion, or a belief that a certain team can (and will) go all the way.
For me, this season has shades of 2017 and 2018. It was the Warriors’ title after game 1 of the regular season, at the all star break, and throughout the entirety of the playoffs. This year its the same but with the Brooklyn Nets. Three top 10 players on the same team? Cmon, that’s a wrap. You’re only lying to yourself if you believe otherwise.
Alas, as Kesuke Miyagi once said, “Lies only become true if person choose to believe”. This is no fun if I stand up here and tell you the Nets are winning the title. I opted to use everything I know about basketball and the rosters still remaining to determine which team is constructed to slay the dragon of the third borough. That team is the Phoenix Suns, here’s why.
GUARDS
You can’t be a contender without exceptional guard play, and that is true at any level. Lucky for the Suns, they would (theoretically) suit up against the Nets with the most experienced and highest IQ player on the floor in Chris Paul. He’s “Point God” for a reason. He has the ability to strategize against the opponent unlike any player in the league outside of Lebron. CP3 plays as if he is watching the game from the executive booth, knowing exactly what the defense is doing and exactly where to put the basketball to combat it. Its chess-like in the way he plays. This is an obvious advantage for Phoenix.
The next guard on the roster is a highly efficient offensive talent in Devin Booker. A guy who can give you 40 on any given night. Booker has proven he can handle pivotal moments in the fourth quarter of games. With a play-making extraordinaire bringing the ball up, there is no better compliment than a bucket-getter like Dbook.
Cam Payne is an under the radar guard for the Suns who has given exceptional minutes in the playoffs thus far. All he needs to do is provide spot minutes to give CP3 a rest. He does this and then some. Payne can initiate the offense in spurts as well as slide to an off ball spot and let Dbook flash his own playmaking abilities. Do not sleep on what Payne provides off the bench.
These three guards will keep the offense competitive with Brooklyn. All three compliment each other well in any version of the rotation. That said, none are elite defenders. When Kyrie and Harden are on the opposition, it is important to provide some shade of resistance for them. One of the two guards playing will get to draw Joe Harris, but the other will be on an island against two of the greatest isolation players the game has ever seen. All in all, CP3, Book, and Payne can at least compete with Brooklyn’s efficiency in the backcourt.
WINGS
The next section to look at are the wings. Phoenix does not have a go-to wing like some teams. However, they have the next best thing to having the proverbial Ace, four Jacks. Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and Torey Craig all provide long athletic bodies to throw at some of the league’s best. Dario Saric can provide some of this as well. We saw it in Round 1 where Lebron drew someone new seemingly every possession. Unfortunately for Phoenix, they have to deal with the most prolific offensive talent of all time…Kevin Durant. One quick stat that incapsulates what KD is doing this playoffs, he is shooting 50% from three. Oh yea, 90% of those are contested, too. Good offense is better than good defense. While Phoenix can convince themselves they have the cavalry to contain this beast, at the end of the day it will be three point luck that decides their fate.
BIGS
Guards is close to a draw, with a slight edge to Brooklyn. Wings is a clear advantage to Durant and the Nets. Lastly, we find the glaring weakness in the juggernaut’s construction. Interior defense is a serious issue for Brookyln. Blake Griffin and Nic Claxton are good, but definitely not what the Nets would want to rely on in a Finals series. This is exactly why Deandre Ayton is the X factor to this hypothetical title bought. If Ayton can assert himself as a dominant big man in the league, the Suns chances of winning improve drastically. I could equally see Ayton being a liability on the floor this series as I could see him completely dominating. He could abuse this Nets frontcourt, averaging 25 and 12 easily. The question is, is the 22 year old ready for this type of performance? Time will tell.
With all of it now broken down, it is clear to me this is the best chance NBA fans have to seeing the Nets lose. This is by no means a guarantee. Betting against the most efficient offense of all time spearheaded by Kyrie, Harden, and KD in a seven game series is as risky as it gets. Nonetheless, I did my best to provide some hope for the Nets haters out there.