🏆 The @Suns are a day away from their 1st #NBAFinals since ’93. Open the thread for how they got here. ⤵️
Got the Moment in your collection? Show it off in the comments 🌞
It really started in The Restart, when the @Suns went a perfect 8-0 in Orlando in 2020 -- including this game-winner from DBook.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-1
Phoenix JUST missed the #NBAPlayoffs last year ... but the buzz was real. And a foundation was being built around a rising-star young core.
(+ a lot of oops to Ayton)
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-2
A big part of that foundation now? Cam Payne.
Payne had bounced around the league for half a decade -- along with a stint in the Chinese Basketball Association -- before the @Suns signed him last June.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-3
Then, last November, the Point God arrived.
Coming from a trade from OKC, Chris Paul raised Phoenix up from the start.
CP3's made a career of instantly improving his new squads. Now, in Year 16, he's on his way to his first #NBAFinals.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-4
Meanwhile, the world woke up to Devin Booker.
Book had made his first All-Star appearance a year before, but his 2020-21 was special.
One of the league's top 2-guards (if not the best) thrived next to CP3, taking his game to new heights.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-5
And if the superstar guards ever missed, Ayton was there to clean it up.
Often overshadowed by Trae & Luka from the 2018 Draft class, the #1 pick's had a monster year in Phoenix, combining elite size & athleticism to own the paint.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-6
But #WeAreTheValley goes way deeper than the @Suns Big 3.
Jae Crowder's toughness & versatility (and 10 ppg) gave Phoenix a boost from the start.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-7
Do-everything Dario Saric did just that, helping to anchor the Phoenix bench as the ultimate Glue Guy.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-8
Cam Johnson was instant energy for the @Suns all year, helping to define Phoenix's high-flying style.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-9
And when the regular season wrapped ... the @Suns had the second seed in the West. (with a team-leading 21.4 PER from their 16th-year PG)
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-10
Remember Cam? That guy from the Restart?
He's made an impact all postseason, helping the @Suns take down the champs.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-11
Not to mention DBook's Playoff career-high 47 to eliminate LA.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-12
Against the Nuggets, the @Suns just kept coming.
And running.
Shoutout to @TCraig_23 for the 2nd voiceover Moment ever, on this HUGE alley-oop.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-13
Rising star Mikal Bridges upped the @Suns rotation all year, making an impact on both ends of the floor as the team's 4th leading scorer in the reg season & #NBAPlayoffs.
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-14
Best handles of the #NBAPlayoffs?
The Moment: hoo.ps/suns-journey-15
One round later, Phoenix kept rolling, taking a 2-0 series lead against the Clippers -- including one of the great plays of ANY postseason.
...and 41 from CP3 in Game 6 to send the @Suns (and one of the NBA's great all-time PG's) to the Finals.
With more @Suns Moments coming in the next #NBAPlayoffsPacks drop + ATTW4, 2 questions...
1⃣ What's your favorite @Suns Moment in your Collection?
2⃣And who's winning the #NBAFinals?
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.