Can the Phoenix Suns make the 2018 playoffs?
By Adam Maynes
Who is left?
As you probably know, after every game I now release a list of the remaining games left on their schedule. Having played 42 thus far, we know that they have 40 games remaining. More than enough time to make up ground.
The Suns beat up on Oklahoma City, a “super team” with three obvious superstars and a fourth in Steven Adams who is inching closer and closer to stardom himself. But the Thunder are still 5th in the Western Conference, inarguably the most difficult conference in the league. There is a reason that they are so close to hosting the first round of the playoffs – they are a very talented team.
That being said, the Suns play the Thunder twice more, once on each court. They still have Boston at home, who they beat last year in Phoenix, sans Kyrie Irving. Not all of the current playoff teams are really that good, and on any given night, just like against Oklahoma City, if the Suns are hot and the opponent is not, Phoenix can outshoot them for a win.
So predicting any game-by-game scenarios, especially this far out for the majority of them, is a fools errand. What one might think is the perfect time for an upset, could be another’s interpretation of a letdown game. While we might expect the Suns go be tired on one trip, might play out the opposite. Phoenix should be expected to beat Atlanta, but their Phoenix matchup proved, it took a miraculous comeback to pull out what seemed to be a sure Hawks victory.
So here we go. Here is a breakdown of the remaining games with a very loose prediction to just get a broad picture of the possibility of the Suns making a second half playoff run.
| Team | Games against remaining | Current playoff position | Current win % (as of 1/7) | Games against in PHX | Games against on the road |
| Golden State | 4 | 1 | .800 | 2 | 2 |
| Utah | 3 | 10 | .400 | 1 | 2 |
| Houston | 2 | 2 | .711 | 1 | 2 |
| Denver | 2 | 6 | .538 | 1 | 1 |
| Oklahoma City | 2 | 5 | .550 | 1 | 1 |
| Cleveland | 2 | 3 | .667 | 1 | 1 |
| New Orleans | 2 | 8 | .500 | 1 | 1 |
| Portland | 2 | 7 | .538 | 1 | 1 |
| Charlotte | 2 | 11 | .395 | 1 | 1 |
| Indiana | 2 | 8 | .513 | 1 | 1 |
| Clippers | 2 | 9 | .447 | 2 | 0 |
| Dallas | 2 | 13 | .317 | 1 | 1 |
| Memphis | 2 | 14 | .308 | 0 | 2 |
| Boston | 1 | 1 | .767 | 1 | 0 |
| Detroit | 1 | 1 | .553 | 1 | 0 |
| Miami | 1 | 5 | .564 | 0 | 1 |
| Orlando | 1 | 14 | .300 | 0 | 1 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 6 | .553 | 0 | 1 |
| Atlanta | 1 | 15 | .256 | 0 | 1 |
| Lakers | 1 | 15 | .308 | 0 | 1 |
| New York | 1 | 10 | .475 | 1 | 0 |
| San Antonio | 1 | 3 | .659 | 1 | 0 |
| Sacramento | 1 | 12 | .342 | 1 | 0 |
Of Phoenix’s final 40 games, 21 are on the road and 19 are at home.
24 games are against current playoff teams.
11 games are against teams who are currently in the top-3 in each conference.
25 games are against teams currently .500 of better.
7 games are against the league’s bottom three teams in each conference.
Against current playoff teams the Suns are 4-17 (19.0%) this season.
Against current non-playoff teams Phoenix is 12-9 (57.1%).