The NBA playoffs have seen a few very competitive first-round matchups.
But, there are also a few that left us wondering: “What could have been?”
One of those series was the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers.
They entered the Western Conference playoffs as the four and five seeds, respectively.
Yet, the Suns were able to win the series in five games.
One of the reasons the Suns cruised was that the Clippers were missing their two best players.
Another reason the Suns won was due to the play of Devin Booker.
According to StatMuse, Booker has led the playoffs in points scored so far.
Most points this playoffs:
186 — Devin Booker
158 — Anthony Edwards
146 — Jimmy Butler
145 — Trae Young pic.twitter.com/SjV6cHinKj— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 26, 2023
Each one of those players above has played five games except Jimmy Butler.
The Heat star has only played four and has scored an incredible 146 points, including a season-high 56-point game.
For Booker and Phoenix, they will have to continue outscoring teams to win.
They are not a very good defensive team and rely on Booker and Kevin Durant for most of their offensive production.
While the Suns are the favorite to win the Western Conference, it will be interesting to see if their stars can continue this workload.
Phoenix gets almost no production from their bench, and they consistently play only six players.
While they were able to get past an injury-riddled Clippers team, it will be much tougher for them in the second round.
The Denver Nuggets and Suns will battle in the second round for a chance to go to the Western Conference Finals.
That has the potential to be one of the best series of the playoffs.
NEXT:
NBA Playoff Series Has Close Odds Despite A 3-1 Lead
