Denver Nuggets: Why the Phoenix Suns are a different kind of storm

Phoenix’s total-team effort is what has helped them build a quick 2-0 lead, putting the pressure entirely on the Denver Nuggets

Look beyond what Ayton brought in Game 1 and you’ll find a total team effort, both offensively and defensively, that outdid most of Phoenix’s full-game products from their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only was Jae Crowder, as the kids say, in his bag from three, but he proved capable on switches. Though he spent less than two total minutes guarding Jokic, he’s only expected to fill in on switches in a serviceable manner, a responsibility he’s more than capable of taking on.

The same goes for Mikal Bridges, and should he see the floor when Jokic does, the same goes for Torrey Craig. (And just an FYI: Even if he’s not regularly serving as a Jokic-stopper, Craig is wiping points off the board on consecutive possessions, running the floor like a madman.)

The taller Jokic is often keen, understandably so, on taking advantage of his high release point when defended by “shorter” opponents. But he struggled to get going at the rate he’s been used to this season when Phoenix’s wing defenders were forced into that oft-undesirable matchup. With respect to Portland, they didn’t have the wing defenders to hang with Jokic in the post, nor in any realm, for that matter. On his way to averaging 33 points in that first-round series, the Joker could regularly turn toward the basket and find Carmelo Anthony standing in his path. With respect to Melo, that’s not a deterrent.

Then there’s the respect owed to Damian Lillard, which in turn requires yet another “With respect to Portland” caveat due to the fact that aside from Lillard, the Blazers deployed no real threat to Denver’s chances of advancing, despite the fact that the series went six games. The phrase “no man is an island” simply can’t apply to Lillard, for he was stuck on one throughout the first round, dragging his team along with him like Martins Licis hauls a garbage truck down the street in that Geico commercial.

And therein lies the difference between these two series’: Damian Lillard was a storm. The Phoenix Suns are a hurricane with individual tornadoes spinning within and individual thunderstorms rumbling deep within those tornadoes. That this article has now exceeded 1,300 words without the mention of Devin Booker goes to show that they have more options and capitalize on their skills at any and every turn. Is Paul’s shoulder acting up, therefore making him unable to provide consistent offense? Might I interest you in an offensive punch from a Cameron Payne or a Cameron Johnson, then?

Should the benches continue to empty as early as they did in the first two games, keep an eye on how Michael Malone is still required to field the likes of Paul Millsap and Markus Howard, a newfound contributor but far from a barnstormer, while Monty Williams can give Langston Galloway and Jalen Smith the thrill of their lives during garbage time.

The Suns are a different animal than the Trail Blazers were, one with a louder roar and a far more painful bite. Should they continue to boast the same edge that appeared in Phoenix on Monday night, their second-round series will be much quicker than the first.