Cam Johnson's Standing Ovation Well Deserved in Return to Action
PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns needed it, but perhaps their fans needed it more.
The Suns have been in quite the slide as of late, Heading into Thursday night's meeting with the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix had lost nine-of-ten games and haven't seen either Devin Booker or Chris Paul (among others) in the lineup due to injuries.
The absence of forward Cam Johnson has been notable, too. He tore his meniscus on Nov. 4 and missed nearly 40 games before eventually being cleared to return on Thursday.
Suns coach Monty Williams said the team was going to put him on a minutes restriction heading into action, so Johnson naturally started on the bench.
With 5:45 left in the first quarter, Johnson entered the game to what was a vibrant standing ovation from the Phoenix crowd.
Johnson quickly came out of the gates and scored ten points to finish the fourth quarter. He finished with 19 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
The Suns notched a much needed win under their belt, yet there was plenty of talk post-game about the amount of love their fans showed Johnson upon his return.
Williams on Johnson's roar from the crowd:
“I just thought he brought a level of juice to the arena that we hadn’t felt in a while. When he got off the bench, you could feel the fans and the community like, ‘That’s our guy.’ Mikal (Bridges) saw his twin come into the game and he was like, ‘Let’s go.’ I thought it was awesome, I really did, to have your fans emotionally wrap their arms around a guy that has grown up in this city and watched him battle through a tough injury and have him check into the game and feel the love from the community, from our fans, I thought it was awesome. It was one of those moments that I try to stay focused as much as I can in the game, but in that moment, I felt it."
Johnson said he didn't expect the massive applause as he checked in:
“Not really. It’s great, I appreciate it though, it just shows how much this arena, this city, these fans care and I appreciate it so much. Gave me juice, think it gave the team a little juice, but I just want to say, I missed 37 games, can’t tell you how good it felt to back out there.”
Those of us in the media weren't privy to what Williams told NBA on TNT following the game, though many people claim he told them Johnson was expected to get around 18 minutes of action. Johnson finished with 22 under his belt and reporters were hit with a "next question" with a smirk from Williams when asked if he went over the initial limit after Brooklyn built a late comeback.
Perhaps things didn't go as planned, yet that's been the story of the Suns' season. There's hope Johnson's arrival (with others looming) can help turn the tide and put Phoenix back into their rightful spot as one of the top teams in the West.
Yet that's thinking for way down the road. The moment currently belongs to the fans of Phoenix who have continuously supported their team through up and down. Booker once said of Suns fans in a post-game presser: "They don't bull---- around here."
They showed that same energy and love to a player they've watched grow up right in front of them over the years.
