Suns star Kevin Durant stated, "It sucked." "I had a negative vibe. Embarrassing. We were struck in the mouth when they emerged. We were unable to recover.
The Suns require a lengthy summer to create a complete, cohesive team around Durant and Devin Booker, which might be understood in a robust sports community.
That, however, is of little comfort to a region that has endured a championship drought of 55 years in the NBA, the longest in the NFL, and a century of humiliation at the hands of our NHL team.
A fan base that longs to send the adored Al McCoy into retirement with a long-awaited championship ring also finds it to be excruciatingly painful. We will never get another chance like that.
If I provide context, it would only be seen as a justification, Durant claimed. We simply need to improve on this year.
The Suns gave up 44 points in the first quarter as a result of Durant's struggles and those of a marginalized Booker. At halftime, they were down by 30 points and were booed as they left the court.
It reminded me uncannily of the disastrous Game 7 loss to the Mavericks. The name of their Eastern European conqueror was the only thing that was unusual.