Phoenix Suns: The 7 best things from their amazing win over the Clips

The Phoenix Suns just won the best game of the year over the LA Clippers, but there was more than just Booker’s buzzer-beater to love.

Don’t look now, but the Phoenix Suns are only 1.5 games out of the coveted 9th spot in the Western Conference. With a little help and a handful of more wins, their chance of making the playoffs is no longer a pipe dream.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. On this day, they lept one team in the standings, the Sacramento Kings, after their heartbreaking loss in overtime to the Dallas Mavericks.

Of course, they didn’t just accomplish that feat because the Kings lost, the Suns won a game of their own, and they did it in style.

This game was a weird combination of the Suns being in control most of the game, yet perpetually on the cusp of coughing it up. There were stretches where Kawhi Leonard and Paul George got to the rim at will while Phoenix players were having to hit tough jump shots to prevent a Clippers’ spurt.

However, even with Leonard and George doing their thing (they had 27 points and 23 points, respectively), it was Devin Booker who hit a buzzer-beater over both of them to seal the victory and cement a replay that will live atop his career highlight reel for a long time.

While Booker and his 35-point, eight-rebound performance were the stars of the show, this was another team effort. These Suns are young, scrappy, and hungry and are not in the Disney bubble for the fishing and Spikeball. There are there to win, and thus far, they are doing it, as they are the only undefeated team within the confines of the happiest place on Earth.

Here are the seven best things about this win, in particular:

7. Overcoming foul disparity

Referees have been, as usual, a hot topic of conversation amongst Phoenix Suns fans in the last two games. If you already think the NBA is biased against the Suns at baseline, then seeing unjustifiable calls continually go against them is going to reinforce that sentiment.

In the Mavericks game, the Suns were called for seven more fouls than Dallas and shot 14 less free-throws. Luka Doncic alone shot a mere four free-throws less than the entire Suns’ team. Nevertheless, the Suns persisted and came out with a dramatic comeback victory.

On Tuesday afternoon, a similar story was unfolding in regard to the referees’ whistles, as stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were being rewarded some generous calls while Suns players were not getting the benefit of the doubt on many contacts plays.

The Suns were called for five more fouls than the Clippers and shot 13 less free-throws, and yet, it was Phoenix who found themselves on top.

It is easy and sometimes absolutely right to complain the officials have a quick whistle against the Suns, but big wins like this should help correct that over a period of time.

6. Ayton…hit that middy

Deandre Ayton will forever frustrate me to no end. He is like my wife when she asks me what I want for dinner when I first wake up in the morning. I know she’s going to do it and yet, I get equally frustrated each time.

Maybe if I write it enough, it’ll finally sink in, but Phoenix Suns fans are going to have to face the fact they have a 7-foot tall shooting guard who plays center. But today is not a day for negativity!

Let’s focus on the positive, which was the rate at which Ayton knocked down his middy against the Clippers and the fact he drilled another 3-pointer. Ayton is now 3-6 from deep in regular-season bubble games. It will only be a matter of time before opponents stop laying off him at the top of the key.

As for the midrange shot, Ayton took nine jumpers between 12 and 21 feet, and while this pains me as much as trying to come up with a food idea three meals in advance, I will do my best to block that out and praise him for making five of them. Ayton finished with 19 points and seven boards and while it wasn’t the 30-20 game I hoped, it is good to see the big man knocking down shots.

5. 3-point shooting for the win

Speaking of knocking down shots, the Phoenix Suns have turned into a deadly bunch from behind the arc. After struggling to find their range in the scrimmage games, they have come out firing when it counts.

Against the Clippers, the team shot 53.1 percent from deep, making 17 of their 32 attempts. That brings their seeding game total to a very respectable 40.4 percent on their 99 attempts.

On top of their high percentage of 3-point makes, they are holding their opponents to subpar shooting nights from outside. The Clippers made just eight of their 29 3-point shots and combined, the Suns’ three opponents have been held to 22 of 82 (26.8 percent).

When you put it like that, it makes you more grateful the Suns came out with these victories because the Wizards, Mavericks, and definitely the Clippers don’t usually shoot that poorly, regardless of the defense.

I think I speak for all Suns fans, though, when I say, “We’ll take it.”

4. Fresh Rubio is the best Rubio

Kind of like a bunch of cilantro, Rubio is at his best when he is fresh. Between the NBA and Rubio’s commitment to heading up his Spanish National Team, Rubio has essentially been playing nonstop, year-round competitive basketball since he was 12.

Really though, after winning the FIBA World Cup last summer and flying straight to Phoenix, there was no time for recharging his batteries, and near the end of the pre-hiatus regular season, you could tell there were games where he was simply tired.

Of course, I’m assuming it was basketball fatigue and not the fact that he became a father for the first time and was subject to several sleepless nights.

Regardless, the hiatus gave Rubio a much-needed break and he has played like the MVP he is in the bubble. Against the Clippers, his assists were down (only four), but his scoring was up. Rubio has been much more aggressive driving the ball and looking to score and against LA, it led to 18 points.

He is also knocking down the 3 like never before. I know it is a small sample size, but Rubio is shooting 60% from behind the arc in the bubble (6-10).

Monty Williams seems to know Rubio needs to stay fresh as he still has that unique substitution pattern where Ricky comes out for about a minute late in the 4th quarter. In this game, Cam Payne (who we will get to in a minute) went to the scorer’s table to check in for him with about five minutes left. Luckily, there was no whistle for an extended period of time and Payne sat back down during the next time out.

While we can argue here and there about substitution patterns, we can all agree fresh Rubio is the best Rubio.

3. Bust out the champagne, Cam Payne

Grab the champagne for the end of the campaign. The Cam Payne puns are endless, but it is time for him to celebrate winning the backup point guard spot for the duration of the bubble. In fact, his opponents Ty Jerome and Elie Okobo have likely already called him to concede.

Payne has played fearless over the first three seeding games with the goal of staying in the league. So far, that strategy is working. Payne had 12 points and three assists in 20 minutes of play, showing Monty Williams trusts him when he is in there.

Maybe it is because I’m not fully comfortable with such a fresh face yet or because he shoots the ball with the form of an archer, but for me, Payne has been the master of the, “No, no, no, YES!” shot. My face literally winces when I see him wind up for a deep, pull-up 3, only to go completely limp when he drains it.

More than just his shooting, I liked how Payne gave up the rock to an open big man after an impressive drive. So many times he has tried to score on those and sometimes it has led to out-of-control heaves. In this game, he notched a few assists with some level drop-offs to Deandre Ayton.

On top of all that, he has been playing high-pressure, on-ball defense similar to Jevon Carter. Don’t believe me? Ask the Bulldog himself. In a pregame interview, Carter said that as soon as Cam joined the team, they instantly connected because they had the same mindset.

That’s a heck of an endorsement.

2. Everyone needs a Bridges on their team

There might not be a better glue player on the planet than Mikal Bridges. Seriously. Every coach envies having someone who can guard the opposing team’s best player every night, knock down shots when needed, and make game-winning plays to boot.

All the praise in the world goes to Devin Booker for hitting the fadeaway buzzer-beater, but that doesn’t happen without Mikal Bridges on the floor. His long arms and basketball acumen delivered the key deflection and steal to prevent what surely would have been a fast break opportunity for the Clippers with a chance to win the game.

After Rubio’s missed shot, Zubac got the rebound but underestimated Bridges’ length who slapped it over to Ayton, who passed it to Rubio, who gave it to Booker, who did the rest.

There were times throughout the game where it felt like Paul George had Bridges’ number, as PG-13 made several hard drives to the paint right around Bridges. Then again, George is one of best players in the league, so, you know, perspective.

There were also times, especially early in the game where the

tables

bridges were turned and it was Mikal who had Kawhi Leonard’s number. Bridges stayed in front of him multiple possessions, often forcing him to pass out. Those kinds are the classic, “Don’t show up in the stat sheet plays,” but are vitally important nonetheless.

He also casually drained three out of his four 3-point attempts just because that’s what he does now.

1. The shot heard round the bubble

I can’t remember the last true buzzer-beater the Phoenix Suns had. I want to say it came from Tyler Ulis after he stole the ball from Isaiah Thomas in the backcourt and nailed a fadeaway 3 for the win in 2017.

Regardless, Ulis’s best friend has the bragging rights now.

This shot, of which 700 words already leaped out of my fingers on, is a career-defining moment for Devin Booker. All the disrespect, all the “He can’t win” talk, and all the snubs culminated to a few seconds on a summer Tuesday afternoon in Disney World.

If Twitter is any indication, the league took immediate notice, with CJ McCullum, Jamal Crawford, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, and JJ Reddick among others tweeting out their praise for the young star.

The photo of him after falling, on his back with nothing but his head lifted up to watch the ball go in will live in Phoenix Suns history books. If this were 2009 when planking, Tim Tebowing, and Tom Bradying was a thing, everyone would be doing the Booker at bars and other public places.

But because it’s 2020 and everyone both over that fad and stuck in their homes, the photo is making its way around the Internet in meme form:

However, don’t think this of meme of Booker lying on a disgusting sandwich cheapens the moment. Devin Booker just shot up on the attention scale of everyone in the basketball world. Even if the Suns don’t make the playoffs, this moment will have been worth their inclusion.

Booker deserves this. This team deserves this. And perhaps most of all, Suns fans deserve this.

This is a big win, but let’s hope the players enjoy it and get ready for the Pacers on Thursday. There is more work to be done.