Suns stopped a bully when they defeated Clippers

If you would have asked me prior to the playoffs to name one team that I didn’t want our Phoenix Suns to face in the postseason, it would have been the Los Angeles Clippers.

Is it because I thought they were a better team? No. Rather, it was due to their style of play.

The Clippers showed during the regular season that they were a very physical team, a rough-and-tumble squad with several players that had pretty much no limitations as to what they would do on the court.

That thinking only intensified during the Western Conference Finals.

Seeing that Kawhi Leonard was going to be out was in a way a good thing for the Suns as it’s easier to face a team without one of their stars. However, it worried me a bit more because I knew they were going to play desperate, with no holds barred.

Be it DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Beverley, Paul George or Marcus Morris, Sr. there were several players on the Clippers roster ready to deliver cheap shots during the series.

And, like Amazon, boy did they deliver.

The Suns started the series up 2-0, without Chris Paul.

Then, even with CP3 returning, the Clippers went 2-1 to give the Suns a much slimmer 3-2 lead.

In a way they reminded me of the Bad Boys, the old Detroit Pistons, and Beverley was like Isiah Thomas without the talent.

I could name a lot of different things that Beve-dirty as I like to call him, well that’s the censored version, did on the court and you know what they were. I don’t have to name them or show you GIFs or pictures that will still frustrate you like they do me. Nor will I bring up too much of the blows and physicality from the other players on that L.A. squad.

Those details aren’t important here. I’m sure at least the vast majority of you readers are with me when I say that they displayed all the characteristics of bullying.

Bullying is not fun and just plain wrong but there is one good part about it. That’s when whoever is being bullied stands up, especially when they rise with a force after having had way more than enough and give the bully a bloody lip.

The Suns did just that.

When the series was 3-2, the Suns went to L.A. and said “We’ve had enough.”

There were still many bad calls or no calls from the referees (like a teacher looking the other way) but this resilient Phoenix team didn’t worry about that. They went out and gave it everything they got and didn’t let the lack of officiating in their favor hamper their blow.

That bully of a team, those L.A. Clippers, fell HARD.

The Suns won.

We’re going to the NBA Finals.

They’re not.

Let me say that again because it just feels so GREAT.

We’re going to the NBA Finals!!!