Why don’t we view the Phoenix Suns the way we should?

I kind of understood the skepticism many had regarding the Phoenix Suns’ chances at replicating their success from last season.

Immediately going from a team that hadn’t made the playoffs in 10 years to one that won the 2nd-most games in the league, the Suns caught a lot of teams by surprise last year. That wasn’t going to be the case this season. Every team now fully knew what they were capable of. Every team was to treat them with the level of respect and preparation other top teams warrant.

Chris Paul has defied conventional wisdom as he creeps deeper into his 30s. You figure he’d eventually start to decline, though, right? Perhaps that would start in the 2021–22 season?

And when evaluating this team based on its ability to make a return to the Finals, it’s hard not to consider the luck they had the first time around. I know. I know. Playoff success is difficult under any circumstance. The Suns could only beat the teams in front of them and the healthy players they were comprised of. But if we acknowledge that they probably don’t beat either LA team if they’re healthy, how are we supposed to believe they deserve to be mentioned among the top of the NBA’s top contenders?

The answer is quite simple actually. By looking at what’s staring us dead in the face through more than a…