Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images Postgame comments by Devin Booker didn’t necessarily hit the ear right. It’s late in the season. The Phoenix Suns are amidst a highly contested Western Conference as a pertains to standings and seeding. Every game counts. Every possession counts. The likelihood of winning a championship can be determined by the team's final seed and how their postseason matchups develop. Despite all of the external factors that one could find to be motivated to execute at a high level, Phoenix continues to be an anomaly. In their last home game of the season before a sold-out crowd of Suns fans, they deflated the Footprint Center faster than a helium balloon being held by someone wanting to sing “We Represent the Lollypop Guild”. Fan Appreciation Night was another disaster. Perhaps the Suns should stop with the events, as they lost on both Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire’s Ring of Honor induction nights as well. As I navigated the crowd both during shootaround and throughout the game, I can tell you that I saw only two Clippers jerseys. This was a home game in every sense of the word. And the Phoenix Suns failed to give a crowd that was yearning to explode any chance to do so. The team shot 10.5% from the field in the first quarter, being outscored by 27 points as they posted a mere 10 points. It was over before it started. Despite fighting back and only losing by 13, the loss was embarrassing in every sense of the word. It is yet another instance in which the Suns are being recognized and mocked on a national level for their incompetency, poor play, and uninspired efforts. A team that rosters Kevin Durant, Devin, Booker, and Bradley Beal scored 10 points in the first quarter of a vital game on their schedule. This is the same team that has one of the worst net ratings and plus/minuses in the fourth quarter that we’ve ever seen. It is confounding and confusing, aggravating and discouraging. After a poor performance, you would think that the players would share in that frustration and disappointment, knowing that they let their fan base down on a night in which they should be appreciated for suffering through what this season has been. 5,000 people left with a Bradley Beal bobblehead, but 17,071 left with their heads low and their dissatisfaction high. How did the Suns feel? Oh, they’re just chilling. Devin Booker said he's been a part of bad losses."Chilling. Another chance tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/nu2SOGpjCW— Trevor Booth (@TrevorMBooth) April 10, 2024 “They just came in ready to play and we weren’t,” Devin Booker said after the game. “I don’t get into the ‘too high, too low’ thing. Just got to take it a game at a time.” When asked about his frustration level, he simply responded with, “Chilling”. Isaiah Thomas recently stated of Devin Booker, “He’s a superstar that is very humble, that has no pride. Out of the three guys, he’s definitely the most vocal”. If he’s viewed as a leader on this team, some can see Book’s postgame remarks as concerning. Chilling, perhaps. Should the Suns be chilling? Should they be worried? Shouldn’t they be pissed off? Irate? Disappointed themselves? I’m sure that both he and his teammates feel all of those feelings. Perhaps Booker, who is relatively vanilla as it pertains to the media, doesn’t see it as productive to express those emotions in a post-game interview forum. I can respect that. We’ve seen Bradley Beal go the other way, holding himself and his team accountable via comments in the media. But that’s simply not who Devin Booker is. “Chilling” is kind of the Booker vibe. Do I think these are the correct comments after a bonehead loss? I don’t. But it is par for the course as it pertains to D Book. Kevin Durant was a tad more candid with his comments. Kevin Durant: "We're not putting the blame on one player, we're not putting the blame on anybody. I guess that's what the fans want to do, is place blame.
"I know people want us to place blame on one player or a coach, but we win or lose as a team." #ComingInHot #Suns #NBAX pic.twitter.com/JKizGeV6ZO— Trevor Booth (@TrevorMBooth) April 10, 2024 “We’re not putting the blame on one player,” KD said, “we’re not putting the blame on anybody. I guess that’s what the fans want to do, is place blame. We all could play better. I know people want us to place blame on one player or the coach, but we win or lose as a team.” If there’s anything we know about this team, it is the fact that they’re consistently inconsistent. Getting slapped in the face one day typically means they will do the slapping the next. It is part of what has made this journey this season so perplexing and frustrating. The moment you think you know who the Suns are, the moment you believe that they’ve reached their potential, they digress. They are the personification of “two steps forward, one step back”. They go to Los Angeles tonight to play the Clippers again. Can we expect a similar result? I honestly couldn’t tell you. I believe that they’ll play better. I believe that they are pissed off internally and will exit the tunnel at the Crypto.com Arena with the level of intensity that they should’ve possessed last night. But you never know with this team. Maybe they are just chilling. Maybe they know that the Play-In is their fate so why stress about it? Maybe their goal isn’t to win these games but to survive them, entering the postseason as healthy as they can be. Or maybe the A/C was up just a little too high in their locker room. I return to the comments I made on March 4. I too am chilling. Tonight I’ve achieved acceptance.
Accept that this Suns team ain’t it.
Accept that it isn’t going to work.
Accept the flaws.
Accept that they are not on the same level as numerous teams in the NBA.
You’ll be happier.— John Voita (@DarthVoita) March 4, 2024
Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2024 ... vin-booker