The war is over. Or is it just beginning?
After months of frustration and inconsistency, the Phoenix Suns’ season has, in all but formality, come to a close. Yes, a pair of games still remain on the calendar — against the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings — but any hope of a postseason appearance has been officially extinguished. Not a playoff berth. Not even a Play-In spot.
With their loss tonight, the Phoenix Suns have been eliminated from #NBAPlayoffs contention. pic.twitter.com/27XqmkiZz8
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 10, 2025
On Wednesday night, the Suns hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder, a franchise that represents everything Phoenix is not right now. The Thunder are young, dynamic, and cohesive, a team brimming with chemistry and confidence as they prepare for what could be a deep playoff run.
Meanwhile, the Suns came in dragging the weight of a seven-game losing streak, their season teetering on the edge. They needed a spark, a statement, something to cling to. Instead, they got another loss, one that felt heavier than the rest. This wasn’t just another game. This was confirmation. The window didn’t close; it slammed shut. The grand experiment, the all-in gamble on star power over structure, has officially failed.
The Suns, owners of the highest payroll in NBA history, won’t finish among the top ten seeds in the Western Conference. A season that began with championship aspirations ends not with a bang, but a quiet thud, underscoring just how far short this team fell from expectations.
And now, the speculation begins. What’s next for the Phoenix Suns? How do you claw your way out of a grave you spent an entire season digging? A long, uncertain offseason looms, filled with tough questions and even tougher decisions.
“It’s been a slow bleed out,” Devin Booker said after their loss to the Thunder. “I’ve been feeling this way for a majority of the season. The small glimpses of good stretches that we’ve played gave me hope and probably gave everybody else hope.”
But before any changes can be made, two more games remain on this lifeless schedule. Two more chances to see just how low this team can sink. Meanwhile, in Houston, the Rockets must be grinning ear to ear, watching the Suns’ first-round pick — gift-wrapped via the Kevin Durant trade — gain value with every Phoenix loss. For them, it’s a silver lining. For the Suns, it’s salt in the wound.
The only thing rising in Phoenix now is the smoke from the wreckage. A superteam reduced to rubble, leaving behind nothing but regret, hard questions, and a first-round pick lighting someone else’s future.
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