Tonight, the battle begins.
When the NBA schedule dropped last summer, we scanned the final stretch with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Where would the Phoenix Suns stand when they reached the last 12 games of the season? Surely not at 33-37. Oh no, that could never be. If that were to occur we would be on the brink of insan—facepalm.
Here they are, staring down a closing slate that feels less like a finish line and more like a trial by fire. It’s like fighting Goro to get to Shang Tsung, and we’re testing our might to get there.
The schedule-makers showed the Suns as much mercy as a Liu Kang bicycle kick. The season opened with an odd rhythm, an early barrage of Western Conference matchups, many against their own Pacific Division. Four of Phoenix’s first five games came against either the Clippers or Lakers. Simpler times. They were 4-1 then, riding the early-season optimism that has long since eroded like the Pit on Shang Tsung’s Island.
Have I lost you?
Perhaps it’s the nostalgia hitting me. Memories of wandering into John Doe’s Pizza on 40th Street and Indian School asa young teen, pockets full of quarters, ready to lose myself in the flashing chaos of a Mortal Kombat machine. Maybe that’s why I’m laying it on thick. Maybe that’s why this final stretch of the season feels less like basketball and more like stepping into the arcade, knowing I’m down to my last few tokens, hoping to make them count.
Now, the true test arrives for the Suns: a chiseled stone tower of contenders and surging threats, with no breathing room in between.
Cleveland. Milwaukee. Boston. Minnesota. Houston. Milwaukee again. Boston again. New York. Golden State. Oklahoma City. That’s the next 10-game stretch before a slight reprieve — if you can even call it that — against San Antonio and Sacramento to close the season.
I know what you’re thinking. Some of these teams might take their foot off the gas by then. Seeding could be locked in, star players might rest. The Suns could catch a break.
And I ask you this: when has that ever stopped this team from losing before? An undermanned Pelicans squad? Loss. A depleted Brooklyn team? Loss. The Hornets? Loss. The Suns have had a bad habit of fumbling the opportunities that should have been layups, lining up the fatalities but freezing and forgetting to hit the high kick button.
To their credit, they’ve shown signs of life lately. Something has clicked. Defensive effort is no longer an afterthought but a priority. An injection of youth has given them legs like Sonya Blade beyond just the first half. Maybe not all is lost.
But the challenge remains. This is the kind of stretch that defines seasons, the final exam that determines whether a team belongs or fades. If the Suns have spent all year studying, now is the time to prove it. And if they haven’t? Well, the curve will be unforgiving.
I think back to last season, when Phoenix faced a similarly brutal finish. We wondered if they could cling to the sixth seed and avoid the Play-In. They responded by going 6-2, storming into the playoffs with momentum and convincingly dispatching the Minnesota Timberwolves with ease int he regular season. We all remember how that ended.
So here we are again. The tower of doom begins tonight against the best team in the NBA. How will they respond? There’s no way around it. The only way is through. Godspeed. Hopefully, the Suns can treat these games like Johnny Cage’s original fatality move, the Hollywood Walk of Pain.
Forward, forward, forward, high punch.
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