HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- On March 15, 2019, the Rockets beat the Phoenix Suns 108-102, improving to 43-26 on the season. The Suns, on the other hand, dropped to 16-54, on their way to a 19-63 season. Three years and one day later, the Suns returned to Toyota Center and the roles were flipped, but the Rockets see the Suns as reason for hope.
"I think it's like motivation for us," Rockets guard Jalen Green said. "Just to know that we could go from being one of the worst teams in the NBA to one of the best teams in the NBA, but it's all a process. Everyone's got buy in, everyone's got to lock in."
The Rockets are now 17-52 after Wednesday's 129-112 loss to the Suns, who are eight games better than the team with the second-best record in the NBA, but the process wasn't easy, and only three players who suited for the Suns that night at Toyota Center three years played on Wednesday, though they just happen to be three key starters, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges.
"You just feel the chemistry," Green said. "Everyone's talking, communicating, moving around, getting people open. Everything they were doing was with a purpose."
The 2018-19 season was the ninth straight without a playoff appearance for Phoenix, but the team showed enough improvement to be invited to the NBA's restart two years, where it won all eight of its games, leading to last year's NBA Finals appearance.
"They had a tough five, six years until the last three when they had that Bubble run," Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. said. "After that run they had momentum from that season, and it's been gel after that, so definitely we see a team like Phoenix and admire them, and we want to be one of those teams like that."
