If the Suns are going to make the Play-In, they’ll have to do it the hard way

The Suns have 20 games left to salvage their season. And it won’t be easy.

The stars are aligning for the Phoenix Suns, but will they take the second star to the right and sail straight on till morning? Or is the road ahead littered with the perils of the Florin/Guilder Fire Swamp, where every step risks a face full of sulfuric acid, and the ever-present threat of rodents of unusual size lurks in the shadows?

You know the season is in dire straits (money for nothing and the chicks for free?) when you are banking on external forces to assist your ultimate destination. And yet, here we are.

In the Suns’ universe, that’s just reality. The San Antonio Spurs were creeping up in the standings, a nuisance at their heels. Until Victor Wembanyama went down. Sure, the Spurs still have some fight left in them (as they proved by taking down the Suns), but their Play-In hopes are fading fast. One less obstacle, one step closer to the finish line…but in this wild Western Conference, the Suns can’t afford to stumble.

Ahead of the Suns in the standings? The Dallas Mavericks, the NBA’s ultimate misdirection. While the Suns have been engulfed in a season-long dumpster fire, the Mavs have kept the world entertained with their own brand of chaos. They traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, only for Davis to morph into his glass-boned alter ego, Elijah Price. And now? Kyrie Irving is done for the season with an ACL tear.

Dallas sits 2.5 games ahead of Phoenix for the 10th seed in the West with 20 games to go. The Suns’ Play-In hopes are still kicking, more alive than the Dread Pirate Roberts after his encounter with Prince Humperdinck in the Pit of Despair. Now the question is: Do they have what it takes to climb out? Dallas certainly will begin to fall in the standings, but can the Suns actually capitalize?

What lies before the Suns? A schedule more difficult than getting the Nintendo controller to play Mario Bros. from my sister after she dies. We were supposed to take turns!!!

The Suns aren’t just facing an uphill battle. It’s Camelback Mountain in July with no water bottles. Their remaining opponents have a combined winning percentage of .591, making it the toughest closing schedule in the league. For context, it’s 4% harder than what the Lakers have to deal with, and they own the second-toughest slate. You know how many teams have a 4% gap between them and the Lakers? Ten. That’s the kind of gauntlet Phoenix has to run.

If they want the Play-In, they’ll have to earn it the hard way. No favors, no shortcuts, just brutal, high-stakes basketball.

Despite the misfortunes of other teams cracking the door ever so slightly, the Suns can’t rely on fate to shove it open. If they’re going to crash the Play-In party harder than John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey, it has to come from within. Grit, execution, and a refusal to let this season slip through their fingers. It’s survive and advance, or pack it up and watch from home.

But can they do it? What have the Suns consistently shown this season that inspires confidence? Inconsistency? Check. Injuries? Double-check. A complete inability to play to their potential for more than a few games at a time? Absolutely. And yet…maybe that’s exactly why they’re about to prove me wrong.

I’ve got a lunch bet riding on them missing the Play-In, and history suggests that if I put money (or in this case, a burrito) on an outcome, the universe delights in making me look like a fool. So, is my pessimism justified, or is it just the perfect setup for the Suns to suddenly ignite, storm through their final stretch like a Viking raid, and cost me a perfectly good meal? Will Phoenix navigate these last 20 games with a fire hotter than Amon Amarth?

20 to go. What will the Suns do?

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