Bleacher Report Gives Phoenix Suns Record Prediction
The 2022-23 NBA schedule is out, and the Phoenix Suns finally have an idea of what their regular season slate looks like.
The Suns will begin their 82-game trek on Oct. 19 when the Dallas Mavericks come to town, a chance to begin the season with a dash of revenge for what unfolded in a humiliating Game 7 atmosphere.
From there, notable games such as Christmas Day/Martin Luther King Jr. Day will also feature the Suns between now and the end of the season. Phoenix will have 34 nationally broadcasted games.
Now that we know some crucial dates, Bleacher Report (using FanDuel odds for over/unders) gave their take on expectations for Phoenix next year:
Bleacher Report Puts Phoenix at 52-30 Record for Next Season
Over-Under: 53.5
Record Prediction: 52-30
"Expecting the Phoenix Suns to plummet from 64 wins to 52 feels like a stretch, but it's not without precedent," said writer Andy Bailey.
"In 2014-15, the Atlanta Hawks won 60 games in the regular season and then got annihilated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The next season, with most of its key pieces back on the roster, Atlanta went 48-34.
"With as good as the West appears to be in 2022-23, we may end up looking back on the 2021-22 Suns as a similar situation.
"Chris Paul is entering his age-37 campaign, and there may be some lingering discontent from Deandre Ayton after a prickly free-agent period. On the court, other teams around the league may use a Mavericks-like spread offense to attack Phoenix in the way that got them destroyed in Games 6 and 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
"Then again, this could all be a gross overreaction to one series. Ayton, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson are all nearing their primes. Maybe the disappointment of the 2022 playoffs is just the fuel they needed to get to the next level."
The Suns were one of nine teams to be projected at 50 wins or more, joining the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.
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