Phoenix don’t need to prove anything! – Perk trusts Durant, Suns can absolutely go to the NBA title

Phoenix don’t need to prove anything! – Perk trusts Durant, Suns can absolutely go to the NBA title

Welcome to NBA Countdown here from our Los Angeles Studio alongside the legend Michael wilbon our senior Insider Adrien wowski Bob Myers Kendrick Perkins in for Stephen A Smith I’m Malika Andrew we have a stupendous double header today in the midwest the Milwaukee Bucks they host a Suns team that is smack dab in

The middle of the Western Conference standings we should mention that Giannis attent kmo according to our Adrien wowski was a late scratch from this one with hamstring tightness but it’s time now for today’s key match UPS delivered by Papa John’s the sun’s big three which they put together this past off season

Is slated to play in just their 27th game as a group today Kevin Durant he’s averaging over 28 points per game and is on Pace to set the sun’s single season scoring Mark the next Cog in all of this is Bradley Beal of course acquired from

The Wizards beel has been really in and out of the lineup he’s missed 29 games he’s also scoring his lowest total since 2019 but you would to expect some decrease when you’re playing alongside offensive Juggernaut but the constant for the Suns has been Devon Booker he’s

The last member of the Suns team that made it to the finals in 2021 overall though the suns are 16 and 10 when they’re big three plays they will need to have them all down the stretch because after today’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks here’s a look at their

Opponent win percentage in their final 14 games so let me just tell you the first four they’re pretty manageable here but the following 10 is incredibly tough the Suns we could see them fall in the Western Conference standings if they are not able to sort of withstand that

Stretch so Mr wilbon you’re our resident Phoenician here do the Phoenix Sons have enough time what do they need to prove in those final 15 games particularly in the fourth quarter which we have heard you talk about no short of 10 million times of the course of the season that’s

It it’s the same drum beat right Malika you started I we give you props for unearthing that final 10 games you looked at that two weeks ago and said look at the look at the sun’s final team games they’re getting a break having to face jannis s TMO today they’ve had this

In a couple of stretches where they haven’t had to face a team fully loaded and healthy so it’s not about proving anything it’s about winning some games it’s quite possible the Suns could be playing pretty well and go four and six over those final 10 games it will not

Get them a top six they’d be in the plan we talked about this last night with golden state and the Lakers the suns are facing this so can they steal one on the road against Milwaukee with no Yannis which would help we saw those winning those win percentages of opponents is

Not proving anything they’ve got to win these games and they’ve got to do it facing or dealing with their own fourth quarter woes which have placed them dead last in that category most of the season and and you talk about you know like I said I defer to The The Phoenician to my

My far right you talk about the fourth quarter and you say the numbers are are revealing and that it it is true it is a fact that they’ve been awful in the fourth quarter so then you ask yourself why why have they been so bad you talk

About when they went to the finals they had Chris Paul and a lot of people call him the last great game manager so who’s managing the game in the fourth quarter you’ve got three of the best half court scores in the league in Booker Durant and Beal but for some reason it’s not

Working I mean that look at those stats I mean not only is it not working it’s the worst in the NBA it’s not it’s not in the middle it’s the worst their offense is the 10th best in the NBA their defense is the 13th I can’t believe their offense isn’t better I I

Believe they gave up a little bit on defense but that’s the problem with this team I there’s probably some bad footage of October of me saying I think the Suns might come out of the West right and now they might be a playing team so it’s really hard to understand but but but

Bob we only could judge them on their health right in this off season they went to their Beyonce mode and they upgraded themselves by adding Bradley Bill and the fact of the matter is is when no when the big three is on the floor they’re the best offensive team in

The league when they’re healthy they’re shooting 54% from the field 42% from the three so we heard Frank voger talk about actually putting Bradley Bill at that point guard Road he’s an underrated playmaker Kevin Durant underrated playmaker dein Booker he showed us last year in the postseason that not only he

Could get his but he could make others around him better so when I look at this big three when they’re healthy I don’t know another team out you know except for the Denver Nuggets and the boss and Celtics that actually can match them offensively with the fire power that

They have health matters for every team especially in the postseason but the Suns they gutted their depth to bring in Kevin Durant Bradley Beal they can’t afford any of those three to be out at all in the postseason and part of the reason you brought in Bradley Beal there

Was because Devin Booker Kevin Durant have had a recent history of missing a lot of regular season games they needed be to get them through that but at the expense of their depth certainly Royce O’Neal that deal at the trade deadline gives them a ball handling forward that

Has really helped them but I think as much as any team in the league they are at the mercy of having all three of those players every night in the postseason the hard thing when you build a team the challenging thing is on paper you say oh my gosh I can get Bradley

Beal and I’ve got Durant and Booker the hardest part is does 1+ 1+ 1 equal 3 does it equal two for the kids watching 1 plus 1 plus 1 does equal three but ideally you would like to amplify those three guys that they make each other

Better I don’t know if that’s are they are they redundant I don’t know I mean but but the numbers when they’re together are pretty good offensive well that that is the problem is it’s been a little bit their redundancy it does feel like Bradley Beal is that one piece that

They haven’t exactly figured out how to use to the best of their ability and maybe that’s point because they haven’t had enough time but they need to but so so perk is there enough time now with whatever it is those 6 15 16 games left

But they got to play them all and figure this out it is if if we were dealing with a a a younger group I would say it’s not enough time we’re dealing with oldheads and we’re dealing with a championship coach and Frank voger he could figure it out right but it is a

Little bit like a Rubik’s Cube and in order to figure it out they have to be available again just the 27th game this afternoon they’re available today exactly w’t available Dame Lillard he is available and they’re going to need every bit of the offensive Firepower that he brings particularly the people

Are sleeping on the Denver Nuggets yeah we all were I don’t know that that’s true how can you sleep on the defending that’s same question I was asking myself when I answered the question I don’t know about sleeping about a on a team that since the All-Star break has been

The best group in basketball it’s time now for our big man moment brought to you by ESPN bet the official sports book of ESPN Kender do you know what today is it’s my day ground is it Groundhog Day what is it Groundhog Day has already come and gone Henry up there Henry is

Here our our resident groundhog but it also is Nicol jokic’s 66th game of the season which means he has a clipse that 65 game Mark he has qualified officially for postseason Awards like the MVP he is the odds on favorite to take his third MVP in four years but what has put him

In such a position to be dominated well first of all did you miss me hello world hell yeah you did and look we could talk about the most dangerous player but let’s talk about the best player the most powerful player joic Seven Seasons leading in leading his team at points

Rebounds and assists most by any player in the NBA history you talk about powerful that’s moving the needle look at the big fell right here in great shape all team wack body running the floor tomato chest crab dribble under control to turn around Fade Away look at

Him going up for the tip up and one this is textbook I know my boy Willborn love this keeping it high rebounding High finishing high right here look at the dime some people thought that was a hook but that was a pass look at the full

Court Outlet to red uh cwell PO on time on target look when you’re going to receive the ball you know a guy got Vision like y it makes the game that much fun when you think about look at this right here Malika players to win three MVPs in a 4year span You chamber Kem Abdul Jabar Larry Bird Magic Johnson LeBron James and you know what when I talk about the powerful people moving the needle joic has knocked me off my Square I has have him as my front runner right now for us winning the MVP I’m ahead I’m

Going put a yes on Hall of Fame next LeBron James I’m going to put a yes next to this man Nicola yic ESPN bet is the official sports book of ESPN and new users get $100 but neither one of these guys don’t know nothing about big man moments there

We go here we go what would you say keep a cool no no no hey h oh my God you can receive $100 of bonus bets for making any sports book bet you can check out perk’s big men parlay as you can see here exclusively in the ESPN BET app if

You want to ride with perk or any of the other big men you you good now Kendrick yeah I’m good all right Kendrick is good in the meantime Devin Booker getting set as the sun’s big three playing in just their 27th game together this season remember Booker returned to the lineup

On March 11th after missing four games with an ankle injury let’s see what he has in store again fore the Fore for for Fore fore spee fore Fore for Speee Speee fore speee foreign Speeech Spee h foreign speech foreign spee foreign right hello yeah where I for and okay Okay I’m foreign spee fore speech foreign speech love okay wow wow wow wow foree fore foreign spee Spee for speee foreign speee speee

NBA Countdown | Phoenix don’t need to prove anything! – Perk trusts Durant, Suns can absolutely go to the NBA title