"You not winning without Book... These guys don't grow on trees" - Shannon Sharpe believes Phoenix Suns would have held off Pelicans with healthy Devin Booker
After dominating the regular season, the Phoenix Suns find themselves tied in their first-round playoff series with the New Orleans Pelicans after two games.
Thanks to a near triple-double from Brandon Ingram, the eighth-seeded Pelicans managed to steal a game on the road, winning 125-114 on Tuesday.
One factor that led to the Suns dropping game 2 was being without the services of All-Star guard Devin Booker. After 24 minutes, he left the game with hamstring tightness and was unable to return. Before exiting, Booker had 31 points on stellar 12-for-19 shooting. He still ended up as Phoenix's leading scorer.
This injury has the potential to throw a major wrinkle in the Suns' championship aspirations. Reports have emerged that Booker is expected to miss at least the next two games of the series. The next two games are on Friday and Sunday in New Orleans.
Not to discredit the Pelicans' winning efforts, but Booker's premature exit drastically changed the game.
On FS1's "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," Shannon Sharpe said the Suns would have won if Booker does not sustain an injury:
"I do believe they would have won ... because Book had it going. There's a difference between the regular season and the postseason. Ain't nobody trying to go into the postseason without their best players."
Would the Suns have held off the Pelicans if Devin Booker didn't get hurt?
"I do believe the Suns would've won because D Book had it going too! He's that dude, he just gets better and better." — @ShannonSharpe https://t.co/XXwNCEef4E
Phoenix Suns now at a huge disadvantage
Before the playoffs began, the Phoenix Suns were viewed as the team to beat. After an incredible run to the NBA Finals last year, they had the NBA's best record (64-18), which was also a franchise record for wins, this season.
In light of Tuesday's injury to Devin Booker, thoughts might change about how far this team can go.
If the Suns have to go an extended period without Booker, they could run into some issues. They should still beat the Pelicans, who finished ninth in the West at 36-46, but they will need their star guard back in the later rounds.
After this series, Phoenix will face either the Dallas Mavericks or Utah Jazz. Each team has their own elite guard who can fill up the box score. Booker's production will be needed to combat the likes of Dallas' Luka Doncic or Utah's Donovan Mitchell.
HE. IS. ON. FIRE. 🚨 HE. IS. ON. FIRE. 🚨 https://t.co/4OVfovAyFq
The team the Suns should be most worried about is the Golden State Warriors. With Steph Curry back, they are a force to be reckoned with. More importantly, they look like their title-winning teams once again.
Getting back to full strength as soon as possible is crucial for Booker and the Suns. Depending on how long he is sidelined, the Western Conference could be wide open.