The Phoenix Suns are having a hard time winning games lately and have actually dropped their last five games.
This puts them at 5th in the West with a 16-12 record.
Fans of the team aren’t panicking just yet but they sure are getting worried because they were hoping and planning to see Phoenix get far into the postseason again, perhaps all the way to the Finals.
But if they keep playing, and losing, like this then that won’t be happening.
After the Suns’ fifth-straight loss, Deandre Ayton discussed his team’s recent regression.
“Really man, we just gotta approach these games knowing that teams are coming to knock our head off our body.”
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— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) December 14, 2022
What is causing such defeats?
There are obviously a number of reasons but Deandre Ayton touched upon what he considers a major challenge: other teams are really fired up about beating the Suns.
“The teams we see on film aren’t the teams we play – they’re playing harder with a chip on their shoulder against us,” Ayton said to The Athletic.
He added, “Really, man, we just gotta approach these games knowing that teams are coming to knock our head off our body.”
Ayton isn’t wrong: teams really do want to take the Suns down a few notches.
And they are.
Aiming For The Suns
Why do other NBA teams want to beat the Suns so much?
Perhaps it has to do with the personalities of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, or maybe it’s just the fact that Phoenix sat toward the top of the West for the last two seasons.
They are a team to beat if you want to go far in the playoffs.
Lately, the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans, and Houston Rockets have all gotten in on the act and have taken the Suns down.
Up next for Phoenix will be the Los Angeles Clippers, Pelicans again, and then the Los Angeles Lakers, and Washington Wizards.
Is there a much-needed win in there somewhere?
NEXT: The Struggles For The Suns Continue