Suns Reportedly Dealt With COVID Outbreak in Playoffs

Early Wednesday, The Athletic reported six individuals on the Phoenix Suns (including one player that was not named) tested positive either late in the Western Conference Semifinals or the day after Game 7's loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

"One Phoenix assistant coach, Bryan Gates, tested positive after Game 6 and missed the final game, while at least some of the other Suns members indicated to colleagues they weren’t feeling well prior to Game 7," said the report.

The Suns reportedly did not hold end of season meetings in person due to the outbreak, rather doing them through Zoom.

"The ordeal raised questions internally about whether they were following the league’s rules for testing. The NBA requires all team personnel, regardless of vaccine status, to test for the virus if they are experiencing symptoms, and they may not play, coach or be at team facilities if they test positive," The Athletic said.

"I think it’s very clear that nobody wanted to report stuff," said one source with knowledge of the Suns’ positive tests who was not authorized to speak publicly about them. "And this is where it gets dicey."

The Mavericks reportedly were concerned about Phoenix's COVID spike, with one Dallas source indicating to The Athletic a rumored Suns outbreak began as early as Game 5.

This of course would be a mess for the NBA, as positive individuals are not allowed to play or coach. If somebody is symptomatic, testing is required by the league.

The Suns were outplayed at home by the Mavericks in Game 7, as their top-three players (Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton) failed to score a field goal until 4:15 left in the first half.

Phoenix became just the second team in NBA history to have 64 or more wins in the regular season and not reach the conference finals.

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