Even the most seasoned NBA analyst couldn’t have predicted that the first sweep of this year’s postseason would come from the stacked Western Conference, which only had an eight-game difference between the first and the eighth seed. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves surprised NBA fans by sweeping the Phoenix Suns, who were touted to be legitimate title contenders in the offseason because of their ‘Big Three’, in what was only the second playoff series victory in their franchise’s history. The stunning turnaround of the T-Wolves this season, whereby they were in a three-way battle for the top seed in the West till the last game of the season, has been mostly credited to the meteoric rise of Anthony Edwards. FS1 analyst Skip Bayless recently pointed out the X-factor that allowed Edwards to dominate the Kevin Durant-led ‘Big Three’ of the Suns in this series.
The Phoenix Suns were supposed to have the upper hand in this first-round contest. The veteran leadership of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal should have been enough to carry the Desert side past a young and inexperienced Timberwolves in a playoff setting, which usually rewards experience. But it wasn’t. The Wolves made the Suns look more disorganized than they were in the preseason.
Skip Bayless tried to explain how that happened while discussing Minnesota’s 122-116 Game 4 win against the Suns at Footprint Center. The obvious point that emerged was the glaring absence of a point guard on the team to run the floor for Phoenix. However, Bayless thought another thing worked in the Wolves’ favor, something he could easily identify as a Michael Jordan fan.
“The kid, who grew up idolizing Kevin Durant, just went crazy in the fourth quarter with 16 points,” the FS1 host said on Undisputed earlier today. Bringing up Edwards’ quote from the other night, Bayless added, “He [Edwards] tries to ‘kill everything in front of him’. And he saw nothing but Phoenix Suns in front him and said, ‘I’m gonna kill all of you! I’m gonna send you home!’”
Edwards’ quote about killing everything in front of him prompted comparisons in NBA circles with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, who also shared a similar mindset, especially in the postseason. The 22-year-old’s 40-point game against the Suns was Jordan-esque by all means. And that really carried the Wolves over the hump against an experienced Phoenix side, according to Bayless and his FS1 crew.
The problem with the Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns have a lot of issues to address this summer. Two of the most obvious ones are certainly the exorbitant payroll of their ageing stars and the absence of a designated floor general on the roster. But that is by far the end of it.
Charles Barkley has pointed out on numerous occasions during the TNT broadcast, that the Suns lack a leader. Kevin Durant’s scoring has never been the issue. But his leadership skills have. On the other hand, Devin Booker has failed to emerge as the default leader of the team as well. He already seems to be struggling with running the point for his team as a shooting guard. The burden of being a leader will further affect his natural production.
The Suns will surely need to move around some pieces in the offseason as well. But that won’t be easy, considering their obvious trade choice, Bradley Beal, has a no-trade clause in his hefty contract.
