NBA playoffs: the long shot

The series of the Phoenix Suns versus the Los Angeles Clippers will have all the stars out. There are five future Hall of Famers in this series, and good players all around the rosters.

The Suns just recently acquired Kevin Durant from the Nets in a trade. Durant is a 2x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, and 4x Scoring Champion with many more accomplishments on his resume.

That said, the Suns have never won a championship in the history of the franchise – even though they have been to the finals three times: most recently in 2021 when they fell short of the prize by losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in game six.

They still have plenty of the same players they had in 2021, like Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Ayton. Now, by adding a superstar like Durant, who has shown no signs of slowing down, many fans wonder if this might be the Suns’ year.

However, the Clippers took game one with a spectacular performance by Kawhi Leonard as he scored 38 points in 42 minutes of playing time. Another big part of the Clippers’ game one win is Russell Westbrook, who is one point and two assists away from a triple-double. Westbrook has been showing some decline in his game for a while now, but he does put out a few performances every so often that make fans wonder if he can ever regain his MVP-like self.

When the Clippers were walking back into the locker room after the win, a Suns fan trash-talked about Westbrook and an altercation allegedly took place: no one was hurt or arrested, but the fan and Westbrook had to be separated by trainers and staff, as shown in the video. The Phoenix Suns are investigating the incident.

Both teams played what some would call sloppy basketball in game one, so let’s see who turns it around first, or who can take advantage in the fullest instant.