One task sits atop the “to do” list for the Phoenix Suns right now. It involves the team dusting off its barren trophy case, stitching together something to hang in the Footprint Center rafters, and winning two more games in June than they did the year before.
While these last few weeks have certainly been fun for the Valley Boys, nobody really cares about games played in December, January, and even early February. For all contenders, and especially the league-leading Suns, any early season success pales in comparison to the ultimate goal: winning an NBA title.
But for Phoenix to set themselves up to make their run at the Larry O’Brien, they still need to accomplish a few other things beforehand.
Like it or not, a sea of hurdles still lies between the Suns and the playoffs. They need to play 33 more games before closing the book on the regular season, and despite what their record might tell you, the team has yet to tap into its full potential for a variety of reasons.
So with the All-Star break now on the horizon, this represents as good a time as ever for Phoenix to map out how they want to attack this latter half of the 2021-22 campaign and solidify their team before the real pressure begins to mount.
To check off a few subsections on their “to do” list, of course still headlined with winning a championship, the Suns need to focus on accomplishing one short-term goal, and after that, one long term goal.