6. Return Of The King
The Opponent: Cleveland Cavaliers
Date: Dec. 28, 2015 @ 7 p.m.
Nationally Televised? No
The last time LeBron James and company came to town, Markieff Morris had a career night with a career-high 35 points on 15-of-21 shooting to hand the Cavs their sixth straight loss despite the King’s return to the lineup.
Besting LeBron and his 33 points was one of the high points of the season for Phoenix, in fact.
This time around, whether it’s because Keef won’t be here anymore or because LeBron and company will be even better this season, the Suns will need to play even better to escape with an important home win.
This would represent a marquee victory for the Suns and it would also come at an important time near the end of 2014. Not only does it end a three-game homestand (with the first two games being extremely winnable contests against the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets), but after that, the Suns have a brutal road back-to-back to close out the calendar year: San Antonio and OKC.
It was tempting to put what is becoming an annual tradition of playing in Oklahoma City for New Year’s Eve in one of these spots, especially with that explosive point guard matchup, but this might be the most winnable game of the three since it’s at home.
Next: Re-Enter The Dragon