The Phoenix Suns, currently up 2-0 on the Los Angeles Clippers, are closer to the NBA Finals than they’ve been in some time time. Their most recent win was sealed in the last second of the game with a Deandre Ayton dunk on an inbounds play.
The success of this season for Phoenix resulted in the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and the team’s first playoff appearance since 2010. A lot of the credit has gone to Chris Paul, while adding Jae Crowder in free agency helped too. But Paul currently is out due to health and safety protocols (although he could be back for Game 3 in Los Angeles) and, per Ayton, the Suns’ improvements predate both veterans joining the team. In his eyes, it all goes back to the end of last season.
“Things started turning around in the bubble,” Ayton told The Undefeated. “In the bubble, with the way we handled ourselves, team success comes with individual accolades. I think that is what really happened in the bubble. I saw each and every one of us really grow. We won some games and we started to put the right staff in. That is why we are here, to be honest. Whatever we are doing [now], was built in the bubble.”
The Suns, in case you forgot, went 8-0 in Orlando, but did not make the play-in tournament. Devin Booker was particularly great in the Bubble, averaging 30.5 points and six assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. Up until some of the moments he’s had in the playoffs, it was best Booker has ever played in his career. Ayton was also great, playing at a high level at both ends and offering a glimpse of what he’s slowed in the Suns’ current run. Mikal Bridges and Cam Payne, two standouts on this current team, also showed up in big ways.