Phoenix Suns: 5 reasons they won’t make the playoffs in 2017-18

4. Strength of schedule

Forget the brutality of playing in the West for a minute, because the Suns also have an absolutely barbaric slate of opponents to prepare for in general.

In fact, Phoenix has the toughest schedule in the NBA for the 2017-18 season according to both Strength of Schedule (determined by last year’s win-loss record) and Pythagorean Strength of Schedule (determined by Pythagorean Expectation):

Their opening slate of games isn’t too menacing, but by the time January, February and March roll around, it ratchets up a few notches.

To start 2018, the Suns will take on playoff-caliber teams in nine of their 14 January contests. In February, that number cranks up to 10 of 11 games, and it’s a perfect 11 of 11 if you’re in the select crowd that believes the Los Angeles Lakers will be a playoff team (spoiler alert: they won’t).

In March, the Suns face six teams that were ranked in the top-four of their respective conferences, plus two more games against a drastically improved Oklahoma City Thunder team. Eight of those 14 games come on the road.

Oh, and Phoenix has two games against the defending champs in their final five games. Good luck making the playoffs with that schedule.