The Phoenix Suns flexed their muscles in Game 1 of the NBA season. The team’s top three scorers (Booker – 22, Oubre Jr – 21, Ayton – 18) led an impressive second-half performance scoring 32 and 38 points, respectively. But more notable was the Suns’ ball movement. Starting point guard Ricky Rubio finished the game with 11 points and 11 assists, all while wearing number 11. The Phoenix offense had a flow, poise, and dare say…life.
Yes, that’s right. The time has finally come. Queue Mase! Fans have been waiting, yearning for the return of Patrick Peterson. Team expectations have lowered since the announcement of his suspension back in May. The Arizona Cardinals struggled early in the first quarter of the season, but after winning two straight, his return comes at the perfect time.
Basketball offseason workouts are in full swing. Suns fans have been delighted to see star Devin Booker filling highlight reels of open gyms against elite talent around the league. Recently, a video surfaced of Booker voicing his displeasure for being double-teamed.
Last Thursday, Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals played an abysmal game of football. Unlike the first game, the Cardinals were outcoached and out hustled, plain and simple. I wanted to take a couple of days to process this game. To avoid writing a “panic” expose based on one preseason game. The blaring negativity has faded and I’m left with two concerns and a conspiracy theory.
The starting group only saw roughly one drive each before being rested, giving bench/role players the opportunity to shine for a spot on the eventual 53-man roster. With that being said, let’s overreact to the small sample size that we saw Thursday.
Igor Kokoskov and the Phoenix Suns have done it! They have snapped a franchise record 17-game losing streak with a win Monday against the Miami Heat. This is their first game since January 12th against Denver, a game where star player Devin Booker didn’t even play. A lot has transpired in this month and a half, players discussing (retweeting) their unhappiness with their role, trades that happened, and trades that didn’t. The pressure was building for the Suns, pressure that was going to swiftly result in the firing of head coach Igor Kokoskov.
After letting Steve Wilks go after 1 year of head coaching duties, the Arizona Cardinals have decided to hire another coach with limited NFL coaching experience: Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury going through an incredible two months, where he was: Fired from Texas Tech, Hired as USC Offensive Coordinator, and now an NFL head coach. The Cardinals and Kingsbury have agreed to a four-year deal with a team option for the 5th year.
The Phoenix Suns took on the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday in what appeared to be another slow start for the Suns (72-49 at halftime). The marquee matchup was surely seeing Rookie center Deandre Ayton go up against the entertaining Joel Embiid. Unfortunately, Ayton (18pts/11reb) had no answer for Joel Embiid (42pts/18reb) who was a force to be reckoned with.
All of us have many traditions that we are fond of around the holidays; baking cookies, caroling or even looking at Christmas lights. But the Arizona Cardinals are developing a new tradition, finding a head coach.
The Phoenix Suns have done something that hasn’t been done since 2015: a 4-game winning streak. In just one week the Suns doubled their win totals. This begs the question, “What on earth has changed for the Phoenix Suns?!”
