The Timberwolves Just Proved Something About the Suns that I Have Known For a While
And what this means for the future of the league
One time can be a fluke. Two times can be a case of lightning striking twice. Three times and there is little to no room to doubt left. This is how a good deal of people think. I however, don’t need a third instance of the same result to dispel my doubts.
After witnessing the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix suns twice in back to back blowouts, I see no reason to delay making the following statement any longer: the Phoenix Suns are not contender, nor is any team that bets solely on offense and star talent to take them all the way.
From the moment the Suns went all in and made moves for both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, many fans and analysts alike were quick to label the Suns, among other things, a super-team, a favourite to win the championship, and potentially “one of the best offenses the league has ever seen.” And yet here we are, with the supposed title favourite being down 0–2 in the series against a team that until this year was an afer-thought in the league. Where Phoenix has put all their eggs in the ‘offense basket,’ Minnesota has done the opposite.
And look at which team is winning.
Turns out, for all the league has changed, the golden adage about defense winning championships remains untarnished. Now some readers may point out that the Timberwolves had not won this series, let alone the championship. They may also argue that in the past certain teams with an offense-first mindset have become champion. In response, I will say that whether or not the Timberwolves go all the way makes no difference. Secondly, while some teams have won the championship being more offensively minded, none of them have been complete liabilities on defense.
Look at the reigning champions as an example. Last year the Denver Nuggets were one of the most well-rounded teams in the league, the anchor of which was their center Nikola Jokić who made opponents think twice about going into the paint as well as communicating to his teammates to keep perimeter players on their toes. Or take the 2022 champions, the Goldenstate Warriors. Despite being a team with two of the greatest shooters of all time (one of which is the greatest shooter of all time, as well as a team that epitomizes the fast, ‘run and gun’ style of play, this team’s defense was the reason it won that championship, as evident by them having the best defensive rating in the league while their offensive rating was ranked 17th. Before them, the Milwaukee Bucks won it all, led by former Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo. Before them, the Los Angeles Lakers won, with the team’s identity shaped by defensive minded coach Frank Vogel and its bruising front court.
Hell, let’s even go back to arguably the best offensive team in NBA history: the Goldenstate Warriors when Kevin Durant was a member of the roster. Even with Durant, Curry, and Thompson leading the team who had the highest average points per game total in the league and a top 3 offensive rating, the Warriors were no slouches on defense, as they had the 11th best defensive rating in the NBA. All of this should prove without a shadow of a doubt that if any team hopes to win a championship,
Offense isn’t enough.
The Phoenix Suns’ best chance to win a championship was in 2021 where they fell just short to the Bucks. The following year they would lose in embarrassing fashion to the Dallas Mavericks. And since then, I have never viewed this team as a legitimate contender. Not even when Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal ended up on this team. Call me a liar, a lucky-guesser, a hater, or whatever else. The fact remains that this team has continued to bet on a horse that cannot and will not win the race that matters most. It doesn’t matter how flashy they are. It doesn’t matter how dazzling their offensive salvos are. At the end of the day, when the NBA regular season’s marathon ends and the playoffs begin, defense is what separates the champions from the hopefuls.
That’s how it has always been, and that’s how it will always be.
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