5 reasons Phoenix Suns can win 2021 NBA championship

1. Performances against elite teams

Much to the frustration of their own fanbase, the Suns have played down to their competition all season long. The good news is, they’ve also elevated their game against the NBA’s best, boasting a better record against teams at or above. 500 (26-11) than they do against teams below .500 (22-10).

It’s the former part of that bizarre little factoid that’s worth examining, though, since that 26-11 record against winning teams is the best such mark in the association. The next-best team? The Jazz, at 24-13.

While the Suns have gone 0-2 against the Nets, 1-2 against the Clippers and 1-2 against the Nuggets, one of those losses to Brooklyn was a fluke where Phoenix choked away a 24-point lead, and the two losses to Denver came in overtime or double-overtime on a back-to-back (including one memorable play where Jamal Murray traveled on a game-tying 3 but was not whistled for it).

The Clippers are an admittedly bad matchup for Phoenix, but again, there’s the “Paul George in the playoffs” angle to consider. Throw in the Suns going 2-0 against the Sixers, 2-0 against the Bucks and 2-1 against the Lakers, and this team has done everything in its power to learn as much as it can from high-intensity, playoff-like atmospheres during the regular season. Between Phoenix’s ability to rise to the occasion against great teams and their ample experience learning how to close out tight games, the Suns’ lack of playoff experience may not matter as much as you’d think.