There is an overused ‘90s cliche from the movie Dumb and Dumber that would be perfect to sum up the Suns playoff chance. Don’t worry though, I won’t use it here, I’m better than that.
Oh, who am I kidding...
The eighth and final spot in the Western Conference has become a war of attrition. It’s like the old rules we all used when we played the game of bump -- or knock out, if you prefer that name -- where literally the last person standing wins. It was grueling, exhausting and a battle of complete endurance.
It’s not the way it was supposed to be. The race for the final spot was meant to be a battle between superstars. The media and fans wrote their storybook ending with the established Durantula and the masked man Russell Westbrook coming back from injury to take on the up and coming Unibrow. As Suns fans have learned this season, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
Kevin Durant has a foot that has him sidelined indefinitely -- not to mention Serge Ibaka's knee keeping him out too -- and Anthony Davis has dealt with enough injuries to meet his insurance deductible for the year.
That’s good for the Suns who are playing the role of Scrappy Do. They stay scrappy and do what it takes to remain in the playoff picture.
With just 13 games left on the schedule Jeff Hornacek’s crew is two and a half games behind the Durant-less Thunder and half game lead over NOLA. They aren’t without their own fair share of injuries though. With Brandon Knight nursing an ankle injury the Suns have the starting lineup presented by IASIS Healthcare of social is starting to look slightly ironic.
While the finish won’t be as picture perfect as many had hoped, it means the door is still cracked open for the Suns. It’s up to them to kick it in. It won’t be easy though, but then again, nothing has ever come easy nor should anything worth having. Of the remaining games, only two are against teams with losing records -- one of which is the Jazz who have one of the best records since All-Star -- and the only Eastern Conference team left on the schedule is the best of them, the Atlanta Hawks.
What we’ve learned with this team over the last two seasons is, whenever the odds look like they’re insurmountable they find a way to surprise and stay in the race. We’ll see a lot about the Suns and who they’ll be moving forward over the next 13 games. Thanks to numerous factors they’re still within striking distance of the final playoff spot.
So yeah, what I’m telling you in a long winded way is, there’s a chance.