The Phoenix Suns in the Playoffs?
So, after watching that epic Phoenix Suns game against the Denver Nuggets I really felt like writing a game recap. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I’m a Suns fan and the curiosity was just too much. I had to do a schedule analysis and analyze the Phoenix Suns realistic chances of making the playoffs. Here we go.
First off, lets assume the Suns beat Dallas in their next match up. That game is a must. If we don’t win that game we are too far back to have a chance and if that’s a difficult concept to grasp, you should probably be reading TMZ or something.
Now, lets assume each team is going to automatically win against lesser opponents and we’ll mark those with a W. By Lesser opponents, I’m pretty much going by teams without a winning record. I’m also going to drop the whole idea of how many games back we are and just go by wins since we are analyzing the remainder of the season. The team with the most wins, well, wins. I’m pretty sure the Suns hold the tiebreaker because we have fewer conference losses but if I am incorrect, let me know.
Suns Schedule — 39 Current wins + Dallas + 6 Weak teams = 46 Wins
Wed 25 vs Utah
Thu 26 @ Portland
Sat 28 @ Utah
Sun 29 @ Sacramento W
Wed 01 vs Houston
Fri 03 vs Sacramento W
Sun 05 @ Dallas W
Wed 08 @ New Orleans
Fri 10 @ Memphis W
Sat 11 @ Minnesota W
Mon 13 vs Memphis W
Wed 15 vs Golden State W
Dallas Schedule — 42 wins + 4 weaker teams = 46
Wed 25 vs Golden State W
Fri 27 vs Denver
Sun 29 @ Cleveland
Tue 31 @ Minnesota W
Wed 01 vs Miami
Fri 03 @ Memphis W
Sun 05 vs Phoenix L
Wed 08 vs Utah
Fri 10 vs New Orleans
Sun 12 @ New Orleans
Mon 13 vs Minnesota W
Wed 15 vs Houston
That Gives the Phoenix Suns 7 wins over Sacramento (2x), Dallas, Memphis, Minnesota, Memphis, and Golden State making their record 46 Wins
The Mavericks only get 4 wins over Golden State, Minnesota (2x) and Memphis making their record 46 Wins
Using this analysis, over the games we have currently covered, each team will have the same amount of wins. Here is the interesting part.
Lets cut the games we’ve already determined and display the remaining games
Suns Remaining Opponents
Wed 25 vs Utah W
Thu 26 @ Portland W
Sat 28 @ Utah
Wed 01 vs Houston W
Wed 08 @ New Orleans
Mavericks Opponents
Fri 27 vs Denver
Sun 29 @ Cleveland L
Wed 01 vs Miami
Wed 08 vs Utah
Fri 10 vs New Orleans
Sun 12 @ New Orleans L
Wed 15 vs Houston
I can see the Phoenix Suns beating Portland on the road, and then Houston at home and I think with two tries they could either take Utah at home or if necessary, New Orleans on the road. The Hornets rocked us last year but the Suns are peaking right now and the Hornets aren’t at the same level they were last year. This would give them 3 out of 5 to close out the season with a total of 49 wins (46 + 3)
Nothing too crazy yet… If you’ve followed me up to this point, this is where the fans of the Phoenix Suns are going to enjoy themselves.
In order to stay in the playoffs, the Mavericks would need to win 4 of their next 7 games (because I believe the Phoenix Suns own the tiebreaker). Now, lets call a road game against Cleveland a loss. Nobody should be throwing out objections at this point. I also figured it was likely the Mavericks would chop the two games against New Orleans and figured I’d call their other road game a loss. That’s reasonable. That puts the Mavericks in a situation where they would need to win 4 of their remaining 5 home games against the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Utah Jazz, Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets. If the Mavericks lost just 2 of those games against teams that most of us would agree are better than them, the Phoenix Suns would make the playoffs.
Related posts:
