I have the Suns to take it all!

The Phoenix Suns will be remembered as the team to send two Los Angeles teams fishing in these National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs. Let’s hope the LA players are on their way to The Bahamas on vacation.

A talented Suns team didn’t need any help on this run, but they got it regardless. A little luck came with key injuries to the Lakers and Clippers teams.

Even the Denver Nuggets went against these Suns without one of their star players, Jamal Murray.

Yeah, I know. Injuries are a part of the game and many don’t care about injuries, especially when it comes to these two LA teams. I get it.

Lakers fans like myself didn’t appreciate getting beat up by this upstart Suns team.

Yes, I found myself wanting the Clippers to win their series against them. I also lost a friendly bet.

When Paul George exploded in the Game Five win for the Clippers, I thought they had a chance. He erupted for 41 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals, but the Clippers’ defense failed in Game Six and the team’s shooting went cold like they were ready to go home.

George led all players in the playoffs in minutes and points. He tried, but not enough… without his teammate and Clippers’ best player Kawhi Leonard, they stood little chance of advancing.

In Game Six, the Suns were up by only seven, and then an angel appeared… guiding the basketball into the basket for every Suns player.

In Game Six, the Suns shot 56 percent from the field and better than 50 percent (17-for-31) in three-point tries for a 130-103 victory.

They could do no wrong in the fourth quarter, especially with the aging Chris Paul (CP3) at 36 leading them and having one of his better performances in his playoff career.

Paul scored 31 of his game-high 41 points in second half. He also had eight assists and no turnovers in the game.

CP3 wanted the ball in his hands. Nobody was going to cause him this chance to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 16 years.

CP3 referred to Clippers fans as family. Really? … not the way he rubbed it in during games in LA’s Staples Center where he played six years with those same Clippers.

Chris Paul was locked in in Game Six. They call it ‘The Zone’. The Clippers’ Patrick Beverley couldn’t take it anymore. That’s why Beverley pushed CP3 like a kid in the school yard.

The Suns can do that to players. Just ask Nuggets’ center and NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Nikola Jokić who was ejected while playing these same Suns in the Western Conference semifinals.

CP3 often displays a competitive spirit. I doubt I can become a Suns’ fan and don’t care to visit the valley in the desert, but all due respect must be given to this team from Phoenix.

Thanks to one Bahamian named DeAndre Ayton whom my friend Marcellus Hall had the pleasure of helping in the Jeff Rodgers youth basketball camp here in Nassau, The Bahamas, the Suns are in the finals.

No player has been more consistent than DeAndre during these playoffs. He has been a stellar performer on both ends of the floor – every minute he has played.

He’s averaging the highest field goal percentage for a postseason in NBA playoffs history. Yes, google it.

Pretty much home-grown in Arizona during high school and college after leaving The Bahamas, DeAndre is also developing into a well-respected NBA center, who reminds many of Bill Russell’s style of play.

For you Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James lovers, Bill Russell is the Boston Celtics Hall of Famer who won a record 11 championship rings without eye-popping statistics.

Ayton is playing like the No.1 draft pick that he became in 2018. His presence meant more than his 16 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks in Game Six. They are now calling him DominAyton. Get it?

I don’t care too much whether Chris Paul (The State Farm guy) never wins an NBA title (like Charles Barkley). For Ayton, yes.

The Suns had two previous NBA Finals appearances. They lost to the great Celtics in 1973 and the Chicago Bulls in 1993.

The Suns is a fairly young team. They play almost like college players. That’s exciting to watch for many.

The Suns celebrated like they won the 2021 NBA Finals after eliminating the Clippers, but it’s coming.

The Phoenix Suns have an 11-2 win/loss record in their last 13 games, and should continue to roll all the way to the NBA title that the organization has never won in its 53-year history. The NBA Finals begin at 9 p.m. tonight at the Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Games one and two will be in Phoenix and then the best-of-seven championship series moves to the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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