Suns Mode - Weekly Podcast On The Phoenix Suns: Recent Episodes

Sunshine Cuny (Sunna)

Your new audio home for everything Phoenix Suns. There will be at least one episode per week (Thursdays) and I will be regularly analyzing rumors and chronicling our season as we roll along. #RisePHX

The Suns Mode podcast is available covering your Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury with new episodes every Thursday.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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@ValleySunna

As the title implies, the Phoenix Suns have kicked off NBA Summer League play. Summer League offers the opportunity to see young players show their skills, and the Suns have a couple players participating who the Phoenix basketball community are truly excited to watch.

Jordan Goodwin
Toumani Camara

There have also been a lot of rumors floating about regarding how the Suns will be attacking the rest of the offseason. Some way more reliable than others.

Do the Suns actually have a shot at James Harden or any other big name star?
Cam Payne and his future
The importance of knowing the right information.

The Phoenix Mercury have had a tough season. But with the All-Star break coming up this weekend, there is certainly an opportunity for the Mercury to get together and come up with a formidable game plan to revive the season and make the WNBA playoffs.

Good news: The Mercury will undergo a GM change at the end of the season
(Maybe an over-)Reaction: Why wait until the end of the season?
Good news: Brittney Griner receives All-Star recognition and will start if she is healthy
Good news: Skylar Diggins-Smith is making appearances
Upcoming game versus the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday 7/18 following the All Star Break.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

PROTECT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

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@ValleySunna

Offseasons are usually boring, but the Suns have made this one very fun for its fans so far. This week, I start the discussion around the new signings that the Suns have made, and provide an early outlook for how fans can expect the roster to look heading into the next season.

Suns finally bring in Eric Gordon
Amazing signings in Watanabe, Bates-Diop, Eubanks and Metu to surround the addition of Gordon
Who is returning from last year?
Who will be playing in Summer League action for the Suns + game schedule
Will Ayton be traded?
The story that can be made from the Suns' early offseason moves.

New episodes of the Suns Mode podcast release every Thursday

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
Protect your mental health always

WE ARE BG

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@ValleySunna

Suns Mode Thursdays are still popping off. Even during the offseason, fresh content is made for loyal Phoenix pro basketball fans. This week, I am able to talk about the Bradley Beal trade in stronger detail after leaving out some unofficial information last week. The Suns have also made a new draft acquisition that I touch on.

In other huge news this week, the Phoenix Mercury have fired their clown of a head coach.

Who is stepping in? What are they promising?
Overview of Vanessa Nygaard's time as a Merc
Who to watch out for
Upcoming schedule for the Mercury

This week I also talk about other offseason topics for the Suns.

Qualifying offers for players from last season
Cam Payne and Ish Wainright
Free Agency timeline and a list of players who the Suns should look at
Bring back JC???

Next week, I will do my due diligence and provide some deeper research on who the Suns may be looking to acquire as they take on the offseason. Hopefully, things will start to shine brighter on the Mercury side as well.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG (as in the 2023 All-Star starter BG)

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@ValleySunna

Another historic week for the Phoenix Suns faithful, as the team has traded for yet another All-NBA talent.

The NBA Draft is Thursday, June 22

Two prospects being analyzed in this episode. One as a more realistic pick for the Suns
The Suns Mode Can't-Miss Sleeper of the 2023 NBA Draft

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

WE ARE BG

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@ValleySunna

Every Thursday @ Midnight AZ time, you can catch a new episode of the Suns Mode podcast, where I provide a weekly update on everything Phoenix Professional Basketball.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

WE ARE BG

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@ValleySunna

Come back next week as soon as Thursday for a full episode!

WE ARE BG

This week, the Suns' head coaching search rages on. Hopefully we learn who is next to take the job by the time the next episode of Suns Mode is recorded.

The WNBA is off to a very hot start.

Buy tickets to see BG
Mercury improve and finally scratch the win column vs the Lynx this past Thursday
My think piece on how the Mercury are handling the absence of Skylar Diggins-Smith.

Every Thursday, a new episode of the Suns Mode podcast details a new week of the journey for both the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. Catch some new content next week!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence.

WE ARE BG

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@ValleySunna

The WNBA and the Phoenix community celebrated the return of a legend this past weekend. Although the Mercury drop their first two games to start the season, we are grateful to have been provided this opportunity to watch, and we are grateful that BG is back home and is safe.

This week, this episode provides an outlook on a report by Shams Charania that states the five head coaching candidates for the Phoenix Suns

Nick Nurse, Kevin Young, and some dark horses

Mercury Mode is every week during the WNBA season on the Suns Mode podcast.

Loss vs Sparks on Friday
Loss vs Sky on Sunday
Brittney Griner's performances
Diana Taurasi's performances
Other takeaways from first two games
Upcoming game on Thursday vs Minnesota Lynx

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Suns have unfortunately seen their 2022-23 season come to an end, but the WNBA season starts this weekend. There is no time to be acting sad.

Topics for this week's episode include the Suns' firing Monty Williams from head coaching duties.

Other coaching vacancies, and who may be interested in the Suns job
Why I will be holding off on talking about player acquisition
36 unbothered

As I stated, the WNBA starts this week, and that constitutes most of this episode.

Big stories to come out of the WNBA this week
Mercury roster looks to be set
Injury report
Preview for games on Friday vs Sparks and Sunday vs Sky.
Five new additions for the Mercury all introduced.
Biggest question for the Mercury going into the season.

The Suns Mode podcast will forever cover the two professional basketball teams in the Valley. If you are all about the Phoenix Mercury, you can rely on a weekly update for your squad every Thursday on the Suns Mode podcast.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

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This is it, Suns fans. This is a moment that we have been anticipating our entire lives. Down 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinal round, the Suns have an opportunity to come back and etch their names in the history books.

This episode, I recap the last three games for the Suns. It was two wins in Phoenix for games 3 and 4 before a game 5 loss in Denver.

Devin Booker and his phenomenal play
Deandre Ayton and his not so phenomenal play
Monty Williams' decision making
Kevin Durant's rollercoaster series

To win the series, the Suns are gonna have to play better, and different.

7 keys for the Suns to win in 7

Next week, regardless of the outcome of this series, I will provide a necessary Suns update on the Suns Mode Podcast. I will also be previewing what I believe will be a very exciting 2023 WNBA Season for the Phoenix Mercury

WNBA preseason has begun. Mercury defeat Storm Monday night. First regular season game on Friday 5/19 vs Sparks on ESPN.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence. We can only get it done through Valley Excellence. Be the best you that you can be.

WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

This week, the Suns have found themselves in a unique position. They are down 0-2 against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinal round.

This week, I recap a couple of tough losses for the Suns as well as map out the games ahead. I also implement a historical element about the 2006 Phoenix Suns and their monumental playoff comeback against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Phoenix Mercury start their preseason on May 8th.

Next week on Suns Mode, we will continue the journey to the chip, both for the Phoenix Suns and Mercury.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Suns have taken care of business against the Clippers and prepare to take on the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinal round.

Get in the building
Get in the building for the Merc

This week, I discuss all of the FIRE basketball we have seen throughout the league

Update on Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and the Nets
Celtics / Hawks getting competitive
Grizzlies looking subpar versus Lakers
Miami Heat stun the eastern conference favorites
Knicks pull off the mild upset
Golden State takes advantage versus Kings
Nuggets make easy work of the Timberwolves

Before previewing a series versus the Nuggets, I provide 3 positive points about the Suns in beating the Clippers.

As well as 5 points for improvement.

The Suns begin their series versus the Nuggets on Saturday, and will play game 2 in Denver on Tuesday this upcoming week. Next episode on Suns Mode, we will assess the series and how the Suns are playing after two games, as well as keep our tabs on the rest of this amazing playoffs.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

IT'S THE MF PLAYOFFS AND THE VIBES ARE HERE, BABY.

While the Suns did start things off a little bit rough, they come out of Phoenix with their first round playoff series tied 1-to-1 with the Los Angeles Clippers. With two huge games in LA, the Suns can come back to Phoenix with the opportunity to either win the series or take a crucial lead, so long as they don't lose both in LA.

Game 1 and Game 2 provided enough to write the most dramatic bestselling novel of all time, but I tried my best to fit them into a podcast episode instead.

The five leaders
One word to explain the Suns loss, followed by deep elaboration.
Where is the room for improvement from game 1
The start of Game 2 and the panic that ensued.
The five leaders, again, and how they executed that needed improvement in game 2.
Performers for the Clippers

The Suns head into Los Angeles for game 3 Thursday, game 4 Saturday afternoon before heading back to Phoenix for the crucial game 5 on Tuesday.

Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook, but what about the role guys for LA?
Cameron Payne possible return from injury
Where defenses may change for both the Suns and Clippers in game 3 and beyond
VALLEY EXCELLENCE

At the end of the episode, I mention all the other playoff series and refer back to the predictions I made for each series in last week's episode of Suns Mode.

How things are going in Timberwolves vs Nuggets, the series that will determine the next opponent for the Suns shall they make it past the first round.

Next week on Suns Mode, we will be discussing the three huge games from the Suns this series and seeing what is next after game 5. The possibilities are endless, as the Suns could either win or lose the series. Either team could be up 3-2 with an opportunity to win in 6. We will unfortunately not know until then what is next for the team but I promise, Suns Mode will be here forever.

We are in the thick of NBA Playoffs, but the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury play their first regular season game in 30 days. The Suns Mode podcast goes hard for the Merc too, so remain ready to hear about them as well as we get closer and closer.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence. And come back as soon as possible next Thursday to stay up to date on everything Phoenix Suns Playoffs.

ITS THE MUTHAFCKNNNN PLAYOFFS!!!

WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

After an incredibly tough season, it is time to get loud and hyped up for the Suns in the Playoffs as they prepare for their first series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

This week will deal largely with previewing the series between the Suns and Clippers. But there are also some important things I wanted to note about our great Suns team

Devin Booker
Perseverance and adversity
Pride

The Series between the Suns and Clippers will be very LIT. With game 1 on Sunday and game 2 on Tuesday, we will have a great feel for the series by the time the next episode of Suns Mode releases on Thursday next week.

All the storylines of Suns vs Clippers
X Factors
Prediction

The rest of this episode provides previews and predictions for each of the playoff series throughout the rest of the NBA.

My favorite series
Upsets and going against the grain

Next week, we will continue this bomb ass journey.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Suns are about to head into the final week of the 2023 Regular Season after what has been a very long, treacherous and unpredictable road for them. They have officially clinched playoff positioning in the Western Conference and are focused on obtaining a home court advantage for the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Get your butt in a seat buddy
Current play-in pictures in East and West along with schedule
Preview for each of the Suns' final three games of the regular season and what fans should expect.
What to expect for the future of Suns Mode in the playoffs.

The Suns are riding a six game winning streak, and have yet to lose a game with Kevin Durant on the court.

Recap of this past week and wins versus the Nuggets, Thunder and Spurs.
Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton

Next week, the regular season will be over and the play-in tournament will have begun. We will know who the Suns are playing in the first round when I release Suns Mode next Thursday at Midnight Arizona time.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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@ValleySunna

We are back to having great weeks on the Suns Mode podcast. The team is currently riding a three game winning streak that is part of one of the most encouraging stretches of the season for the Suns. This week's episode focuses on the two sources of encouragement: amazing bench play that was eventually supplemented by the returns of Deandre Ayton and Kevin Durant throughout the past week.

The Phoenix Suns are currently the 4th seed in the Western Conference, with six games left to jockey for playoff positioning at full health.

The Bubble between the 4 and 12 seeds

Surrounding topics for this week

How the Suns transformed a discouraging loss versus the Kings into one of the most important learning lessons of the season.
Phenomenal bench play in wins versus 76ers, Jazz, Timberwolves
Deandre Ayton's return, his impact and what it means for the Center position for the Suns
Kevin Durant's return, debut in front of the Phoenix crowd.
Encouraging signs from win against the Timberwolves
Important non-suns games with playoff implications across the West.

Suns play 3 games before the next episode of Suns Mode

Friday vs Nuggets
Sunday @ Thunder
Tuesday vs Spurs

Next week, aside from the routine content, I will be assessing who I believe the Suns should favor facing in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Everybody knows that the playoffs is where stuff gets real, so I suggest you hitch a ride on the Suns Mode wagon and listen as soon as next Thursday. We will be heading into the final week of the season, so playoff episodes will officially be right around the corner :)

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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The Suns Mode podcast is here yet again, as it always is on Thursday mornings. This week, Sunna continues to chronicle what has been a super unpredictable season for the Suns. It has been crazy on the injury front, and the Suns unfortunately lost another star last week.

Topics for this week's episode

Update on injuries
In-depth recap for lone win versus the Magic
Recaps for struggles versus Thunder and Lakers
Monty Williams
Devin Booker's high scoring
An update on the Suns standings in the Western conference
Brief previews for upcoming Suns games versus the Kings, 76ers, Jazz, and Timberwolves
Ayton return

Next week, Kevin Durant should be very close to returning to basketball. Much like a storm chaser, the Suns Mode podcast will largely focus on when KD will finally touch hardwood at the Footprint Center. Regardless, tune in for a guaranteed update for your Phoenix Suns as we inch closer and closer to playoffs.

TEN GAMES LEFT BABY

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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The Suns Mode podcast is a good place to keep up with your Phoenix Suns as the wildly unpredictable 2023 NBA season continues rolling along. With playoffs just about a month away, right now is the best time to get fully invested in the team.

Last week, the season took yet another unpredictable turn when Kevin Durant got injured during a pregame warmup exercise. Not much was known then, but the picture is fully clear about KD's evaluation period and severity of the injury.

This episode recaps three crushing losses over the past week versus the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks.

What stands out
Deandre Ayton
Where the Suns are in current playoff standings after losing.

The Suns have three games this coming week, versus the Orlando Magic (Thursday), Oklahoma City Thunder (Sunday) and Los Angeles Lakers (Tuesday). Remember to tune in as soon as Thursday 3/23 for the newest episode of the Suns Mode podcast.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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@ValleySunna

Western Conference Player of the Week Devin Booker is leading a red hot Suns through a four game win streak, and look to continue with three big games this week.

Update on playoff position and how many games are left in the regular season.

Listen to this episode for recaps of Suns recent wins versus the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kevin Durant big games and big slip up
Upcoming games versus Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks

One big topic this week, how have Suns' new acquisitions (aside from the obvious KD) been doing?

T.J. Warren, Darius Bazley, Terrence Ross

Remember to spread love and Valley Excellence
WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The time has come, the great KD has played his first minutes as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

Enjoy a podcast episode largely focused on the vibes surrounding Kevin Durant's debut game versus the Charlotte Hornets. Also, listen for the Suns current position in the Western Conference as they compete to make the postseason.

The Suns play three games in the next week

Friday 3/3 @ Bulls
Sunday 3/5 @ Mavericks
Wednesday 3/8 vs Thunder
Who will make the Suns rotation?

The Suns Mode podcast serves as a weekly update for everything Phoenix professional basketball. Every single Thursday, you can catch a new episode wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The "second half" of the NBA season is getting set to begin. Thankfully, the Suns have been riding the wave of a good past few weeks on the basketball court, leaving them in a good playoff position with 22 games left.

Overview of Western Conference Standings and where the Suns should strive for.
Who would the Suns play in the playoffs?

This week, we follow up on the lone game the Suns played since the previous episode of Suns Mode. It was a loss to the Clippers, but not demoralizing.

Terrence Ross' first game as a Sun
Josh MF Okogie

The Suns play three games before the next episode of Suns Mode.

When will KD play his first game? Hopefully this week
Giannis Antetokounmpo making a late MVP push
Friday vs Thunder, Sunday @ Bucks, Wednesday @ Hornets

In this week's segment on the Mercury, we provide the best update we have yet.

Diana Taura$i and Brittney Griner return on new contracts.
The (Welcome) home opener on 5/21/2023

The Suns Mode Podcast publishes a new episode at midnight, Arizona time every single Thursday and provides an adequate weekly update on the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The next chapter for the Suns is being written, and I am absolutely in love with the script.

This week, the main highlight is 5 new players coming to play basketball in the Valley, including Kevin Durant.

TJ Warren, Darius Bazley, Terrence Ross and Moriah Jefferson's perceived contribution
Who will be the fifth starter for the Suns?
Twins on the Nets

I also discuss recaps for games from this past week, hence DOMINAYTON in the title.

Deandre Ayton playing phenomenal basketball

Suns have one game left before the All-Star break, Thursday night vs the Clippers

In this week's update on the Phoenix Mercury, we are looking at a team that is very close to complete

Keeping Shey Peddy
Trading Diamond DeShields

Next week on Suns Mode, we will be hyping up the new Suns lineup featuring Kevin Durant. He will be playing in his first games with the squad.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

The Suns Mode Podcast is a weekly update podcast on the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury that you can enjoy every Thursday at Midnight AZ time. This week is one of the most exciting in Suns history, as they make the biggest trade in team history less than 48 hours after welcoming a new team owner.

Topics for this week's show

Kevin Durant full trade details. Saying proper thanks to those departing
Introducing Mat Ishbia and my thoughts on his introductory press conference
Suns are red-hot winning 9 of their last 11 games.
Devin Booker return from injury
Deandre Ayton in his flow
Suns upcoming matchups vs Hawks, Pacers, Kings
Phoenix Mercury, Diana Taurasi updates

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence
WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

After six weeks of grueling recovery, Devin Booker is set to finally return from his groin injury. The Suns have missed him throughout the past couple of months, seeing them slip all the way down to the 7th seed in the Western Conference, but are riding a solid stretch of games that have seen them back on the winning side of things.

The NBA trade deadline is February 9

A few players the Suns may be interested in
Deandre Ayton

In the last week, the Suns went 2-2, dropping the rivalry game versus the Mavericks and getting blown out by the Hawks, while adding wins versus the Spurs and Raptors

Recaps
James Jones and Raptors GM discuss trades before game

Suns play 3 games this next week

Friday @ Celtics
Saturday @ Pistons

Tuesday February 7th Devin Booker WILL reportedly return from injury to play in Brooklyn vs the Nets. This will be the Suns last game before the trade deadline.

WNBA Free Agency has gotten to a very wild start

Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart
Phoenix Mercury news and Sophie Cunningham

Next week, I imagine the Suns will have a good idea who they are trading for, and we will have something to talk about on the player acquisition front for either the Suns or Mercury, but here is to the best of Luck :)

The Suns Mode podcast is a show that follows your Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, and new episodes are published every Thursday at Midnight AZ time.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

Things are starting to looking so much better for the Phoenix Suns compared to a couple weeks ago. As things stand right now, the Suns are riding a four game win streak as they rise back above .500 at a record of 25-24. With a very big game coming up, the addition of key bodies like Cam Johnson has really helped turn things around quickly for the Suns.

Recap vs Nets for Cam Johnson's return from injury, DA's big game, Suns new owner steps foot in the building
Back-to-back wins versus the Pacers and Grizzlies this past weekend and some of the overarching themes.
Recaps for CP3 return games versus the Grizzlies and Hornets

The All-Star race is still alive! Make sure to vote Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker into the game as often as you can, using the NBA mobile app or vote.nba.com

Suns have four more games this week, highlighted by a rivalry matchup on Thursday night in Phoenix versus the Dallas Mavericks

Also Saturday @ Spurs, Monday vs Raptors, Wednesday vs Hawks and previews

WNBA Free Agency officially opens up for the league on February 1, 2023

Phoenix Mercury news regarding Sophie Cunningham, Shey Peddy, Meg Gustafson, Sam Thomas
Big trade and headlining topics for WNBA Free Agency

The Suns Mode podcast will be back next Thursday at midnight, AZ time, as is customary.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

You see it here: Cam Johnson has been announced as available for the Phoenix Suns starting on Thursday when they host the Brooklyn Nets at Footprint Center. This is one of many reasons you should start to be more positive about the Phoenix Suns.

I discuss many things in this week's episode of Suns Mode, beginning with some interesting rumors from the past week.

Who are the Suns interested in for free agency
Teams interested in Deandre Ayton

Suns are 21-24, and have four games coming up this week.

Why you should remain positive
Preview for games vs Nets, Pacers, Grizzlies, Hornets
Jalen Smith returns

My favorite update of the week is about one of Phoenix's brightest superstars and is in the latter half of the episode.

The WNBA Offseason is heating up, so I wanted to provide a little update on the crazy things that have already happened.

January 21st and why it is important
Jonquel Jones huge trade to the Liberty
Connecticut continues trading away players, sending Jasmine Thomas to Sparks.
Allisha Gray's big trade
Big free agency headlines

Suns Mode is a podcast released every single Thursday at Midnight (Arizona time) that provides a weekly update for your Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Phoenix Suns are now 21-22, but things are certainly looking more positive than in the last few weeks.

Suns drop weekend matchups versus the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, despite being close in both games
New injury news

The Suns did grab an inspiring win versus the Golden State Warriors

Three big reasons the Suns snatched a W

Suns could not execute win versus the Denver Nuggets to finish a back-to-back slate.

Why the Nuggets are scary

The Suns' schedule slows down a little bit, with them playing in only two games before the next time we speak on Suns Mode.

@ The Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday
@ The red-hot Memphis Grizzlies on Monday

This episode also features a preview for the Phoenix Mercury and their free agency situation. The WNBA is super exciting, and this offseason will be just that. For the final several minutes of the episode, you'll get:

ALL Free Agents for the Mercury, how they did last season and my offseason expectations for them
Salary Cap situation for the Mercury, my opinion versus others
Other big free agent storylines across the league
Skylar Diggins-Smith

That will be it for the week, enjoy your seven days and make sure to come back for Suns Mode next Thursday as we run it back with the Phoenix Suns' rollercoaster season and hopefully have more WNBA news.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Phoenix Suns continue their monumental downfall. They are now 20-19, ninth place in the Western Conference with a ton of season to go.

When do the Suns start thinking draft?

The NBA Trade Deadline is Thursday February 9th

Why have the Suns not made any moves?

Suns continue rough stretch after losing all three games the past week

Circus game vs Raptors
Worst performance this season?
Inspiring, yet super frustrating loss versus Cavaliers

The Suns have 4 games before the next episode of Suns Mode next Thursday. Enjoy some previews

vs Heat on Friday
vs Cavaliers on Sunday
@ Warriors on Tuesday
@ Nuggets on Wednesday

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

Vote for Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton to make the NBA All-Star game using the NBA app or vote.nba.com

WE ARE BG

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MIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

In the last week, the Suns have continued to slip. A simple glance at the Western Conference standings would show you the Suns have slipped from the top spot in the conference to their current position of fifth place.

My one concern about being 20-16

The biggest news for the Suns is that Devin Booker injured his left groin and will be out for at least the next four weeks. The Suns will have to pull it together and win games without him for a considerable period of time.

Remember to vote every day for Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and all of your favorite NBA players to make the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

vote.nba.com or use the NBA app to vote daily

This episode features recaps of two games versus the Grizzlies, Christmas night's game versus the Nuggets, as well as the most recent Suns loss to the Wizards.

Big games from lesser known names
Coaching
Rebounding

Suns will play their next three games on the road to end what will be a five-game road trip.

Friday @ Raptors
Monday afternoon @ Knicks
Wednesday evening @ Celtics

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence. Have a happy new year and continue coming to the Suns Mode Podcast every Thursday!

WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

This week on Suns Mode looks much better than the last. The Suns are finally winning games on the schedule again. The team has also made a big decision. Robert Sarver will no longer be the controlling owner of the Suns as the team has found someone to purchase the stake. Hear a brief bit about Mat Ishbia during the episode.

The Suns had a horrible injury report last week. It slightly improves this time around.

Cams
Josh Okogie
Devin Booker injury mismanagement

Devin Booker added another huge performance to his Hall-of-Fame resume, scoring 58 points as the Suns finally get revenge against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Was it necessary?
Zion, and the other stories generated by this game

Suns played a weird back-to-back Monday and Tuesday

Undermanned Lakers
Wizards on a losing streak

Suns have a huge weekend coming up

Friday 12/23 vs Grizzlies
Late Christmas Night Sunday 12/25 @ Nuggets
Tuesday 12/27 @ Grizzlies
Wednesday 12/28 finishing a back-to-back against the Wizards

There is a lot to be happy about, despite the Suns not being the perfect team we want them to be.

BG IS FREE
Suns have a new owner
It is the holiday season

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and have an amazing holiday!!

WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Suns are 16-12 and currently on a 5 game losing streak, each loss being a punch to the gut of Monty Williams and his team. This episode of Suns Mode provides an opinion on the team's recent losses, and follows up on reactions from the episode last week.

The Suns play four more games before the next episode of Suns Mode next Thursday. We'll see how it goes.
Thursday @ Clippers
Saturday vs Pelicans
Monday vs Lakers
Tuesday vs Wizards

Last week, the world found out that Brittney Griner is back in United States' custody. She has been freed from her wrongful detention in Russia and life is starting to look a lot better.

This is bigger than anything and everything Suns

Next week, we will continue on this journey with the Phoenix Suns; win or lose. All-Star season will be here before you know it, and we all know ball never stops.

While Brittney Griner may be free, remember we are always BG.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

I apologize for being negative this week, but there are real issues facing the Phoenix Suns right now. I hope that everything will be better next week. Suns Mode WILL be here

Suns have suffered two straight blowout losses, exposing the same fundamental issues present in both previous playoff exits.

Suns play three games in the next week

Friday, Sunday vs Pelicans
Tuesday vs Rockets

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

Deandre Ayton is coming off the best stretch of games in his career, and his first EVER Player of the Week award. Devin Booker is currently playing some of the best basketball he has ever played and WILL win yet another Player of the Week award.

The Suns are 15-6, coming off of 4 wins in the last week and a 6 game win streak overall.

Best of Book and Ayton

The Suns play 4 more games before next Thursday, as they strive to remain the best team in the Western Conference. Booker will look to continue his Player of the Week campaign Friday vs the Rockets, Sunday @ the Spurs, Monday @ the Mavericks and Wednesday vs the Celtics.

CALL FOR IMPROVEMENT
This is MUST WATCH BASKETBALL

And that will do for the week Enjoy the Booker and Ayton hype hour, and come back lit and ready for more Suns Mode content next Thursday.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Suns are 11-6, approaching the 25% completion point of the season. This week, we take a look at various Suns statistics on both sides of the ball, isolating areas of the game where the Phoenix Suns shine or need improvement.

The Suns are killing it in turquoise, winning consecutive games versus the Knicks and Lakers, and dropping a very close game against the Utah Jazz.

Suns overcome Anthony Davis' monster game
Patrick Beverley, enemy of the people

Before next Thursday, the Suns will play another four games as they strive to maintain the best seed in the Western Conference.

Friday vs Pistons
Saturday vs Jazz
Monday @ Kings
Wednesday vs Bulls

Suns Mode's next episode releases Thursday, December 1st at midnight, Arizona time.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Suns have introduced turquoise as a new team color and will be streaking the court in bright new uniforms for a total of seventeen games this season. I had the pleasure of attending the very first Suns game in Turquoise and I am super happy to be able to tell the story of this crazy game on Suns Mode.

Bouncing back from tough losses
Duane Washington Jr.
EVERYTHING from Warriors-Suns

Before the next time we gather on Suns Mode, the Suns will play three more games in these dope ass turquoise uniforms.

Friday @ Jazz
Sunday vs Knicks.
Tuesday vs Lakers

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come back for Suns Mode every thursday morning!

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LET GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Phoenix Suns have started off the year hot. At 8-3, this is a much better start than the Suns had experienced in their last two (playoff contending) seasons.

The early fight for the West

As you can see in the title of the episode, this start has not come easy. The Suns are currently working over some massive speed bumps, mainly in the form of injury.

Cam Johnson knee injury, timetable for return
Chris Paul minor heel injury

The Suns have played 4 games over the past week, starting with a back - to - back on Friday and Saturday vs the Trail Blazers, before starting a large road trip toward Philadelphia and Minnesota.

Two different stories in two different games versus Trail Blazers
Deandre Ayton returns
First games without Cam Johnson
Long distance road trip, losing to Philadelphia
Georges Niang
Ayton vs Embiid
No CP3, not so much of a problem vs Timberwolves
MIKAL BRIDGESSSSSSS

The Suns will play 3 more exciting games before the next time we meet on Suns mode. The long road trip will be ending in Florida over the weekend, with games against the Magic on Friday, and the Heat on Monday before returning home for a HUGE game versus the Warriors on Wednesday night.

Book, DA, Cam Payne and Mikal Bridges return to Orlando, home of the bubble.
Ayton vs. BAM, and the rest of what should make Heat vs Suns fun
ARIZONA TURQUOISE BAYBEEEEE

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come back for more Suns Mode podcast as soon as next Thursday, November 17.

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LET GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

We are roughly ten percent through the 2022-23 NBA season, and the Suns are immediately emerging as a powerhouse this year. As of this week's Suns Mode, the Suns are 6-1. Suns Mode is here to cover the Suns every week, every game. This week, I recap the best and worst from three great wins over the past several days versus the New Orleans Pelicans, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Highlight stats for the early part of the Suns season
Deandre Ayton injury
How Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson began a trend
Bismack Biyombo / Jock Landale and the bench squad
Close fourth quarters
The TWINS
The "Test"
Disaster-classes
the god damn TWINS

I do have some unfortunate news for the Suns community for this week, and that is that former Suns legend Steve Nash will no longer be the head coach with the Brooklyn Nets.

My reaction
Two points

The Suns do play four more games before I speak with the Suns Mode community again next Thursday.

Friday / Saturday home back-to-back vs Trail Blazers and how to seek revenge
Monday @ Philadelphia 76ers. Will Mikal have a good homecoming? Will Devin the Destroyer be back for blood?
Wednesday @ Minnesota Timberwolves. Is Deandre ready for the test? Are KAT / Gobert looking for their get back?

And that is what I have for the week. Thank you very much for listening to yet another week of Suns Mode, and be sure to return again as soon as next Thursday at Midnight, Arizona time. LETS GET SOME WINS

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

Basketball is back, and life is normal again. Every single day there are games for the mass of us to enjoy. We all get to be in Suns Mode, twenty-four-seven.

If you were able to listen last week, I hope it was a sufficient welcome to the season. It was fairly abrupt, but it's here. Last week, the Suns played in an emotional season opener where they emerged victorious versus the Dallas Mavericks. This week, the drama persists. Three more games under the belt for this season, and each one proved worthy of our viewership. This was basketball the world needed. This week, I provide the best and the most important from games versus the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.

Early losses are inevitable
Why learning moments are important for guys like Deandre Ayton
Damian Lillard the Big Dawg
How the Suns bounced back
The Suns' surprising bench.
The game everybody was waiting for
My opinion on Warriors' slew of technical fouls
Recaps of all three games
DEVIN BOOKER

Before talking about the upcoming games for the Suns, I introduce some headlines I read over the last week and provide my thoughts.

Jae Crowder speaks on trade request
Dario Saric
De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings
Eric Bledsoe of the ________ ______

And of course, every week we will talk about the upcoming games for our Suns. Before next Thursday, the Suns will play three more games. Friday vs Pelicans, Sunday vs Rockets and Tuesday vs the Timberwolves

THE REMATCH and the most important matchups
Zion Williamson
Brief offseason recaps
The Young Gun Houston Rockets
The Suns' first BIG test
Impact players to watch for.

And that will do it for the episode, but I promise it was a lot to unpack. If you made it to the end, you are fully up to date on your Phoenix Suns. Next Thursday Nov. 3, I plan to talk about some more intense, highly emotional basketball games. In the meantime, enjoy your week and enjoy your basketball watching!! Make sure to keep some time for your Suns.

Until next week, remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

FELLAS! THE SUNS ARE BACK! To start off the season, the Phoenix Suns pulled out a ridiculous comeback effort against the Mavs. After being down 17 points at halftime, Devin Booker, DA and the Suns went crazy and the Suns would eventually win by two points. This week on Suns Mode, I provide an in-depth, and fairly emotional recap of the Suns win vs Mavericks

Disastrous first half and reminder of Playoff woes
Dario Saric
How the Suns keyed in on Luka Doncic
Deandre Ayton's rollercoaster game
Mikal Bridges
Devin Booker taking charge
The Unexpected Savior

That will take a bulk of this week's episode. From there, we transition into a set of overarching expectations I have for our Suns team.

CP3
The Bench
What is a "good season"?
Deandre Ayton

And to conclude the episode, I talk about the upcoming games for the Suns before I speak with you guys again next Thursday as soon as Midnight, AZ time. Every week, we will talk about the games to be played before the following Thursday. This week, its the Blazers on Friday, Clippers on Sunday, and Warriors on Tuesday.

Brief offseason recap for each upcoming opponent
How the Suns can win each game
Who / What will be the next great Suns moment?
When to expect the Suns to debut 90s throwback jersey

And that will do for this week. I am super happy to be doing the podcast for another season of Suns basketball. Suns Mode will never leave, but I appreciate all that you do as listeners to keep Suns Mode alive. I will be happy to speak with you again and provide another FIRE week of content on Thursday, Oct. 27.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

This next Wednesday, October 19, the Suns will be opening their 2022 NBA season at home vs the Dallas Mavericks on ESPN. It is finally here. After five months, the Suns will have their first shot at revenge on the Dallas Mavericks after losing to them in embarrassing fashion at home in the final two games of the Western Conference Semifinals last season.

This week, I provide a cohesive recap of the last few months for the Suns. It's easy to lose touch, but I have been here every week. If you are getting back into basketball after a couple months away, this episode will fully catch you up on everything going on with the Suns' roster.

Who is here? Who is not?
Re-signings, free agents, trades and two-way contracts

Aside from a busy offseason, the Suns have also had to complete a training camp and four preseason games over the last couple of weeks. This week, I wanted to provide insight as to what I saw from our favorite team in these four games. While the wins and losses do not matter, these games are still important to many players trying to secure a job, and show us how players compete in gam situations. I have a few takeaways

2 Stars of the Suns' preseason
Most surprising impression
Worst impression(s)
The Project
My biggest takeaway

A couple weeks ago, I talked about the Suns encountering a bunch of drama with the Media Day showing and Jae Crowder's souring out on the team. This wasn't all of it. The Suns ended up having a pretty thick injury report this preseason.

Cam Johnson and Cam Payne expected returns
Landry Shamet expected return
Why Jae Crowder and Dario Saric are not with the team
Possible trade candidates

The final part of the episode is the most substantial, considering this is the basketball that actually matters. On Wednesday, the Suns will be playing the Dallas Mavericks to open the season.

Relevant statistics
Revenge and seeing a familiar face
The Mavericks' new basketball philosophy
Luka vs Ayton debates

When I speak with you again on Suns Mode next Thursday at Midnight (Arizona time), the Suns will have one game completed on the schedule. I will follow up on the questions I have proposed about the Suns rotation and the new look Mavericks, and it should be interesting. Next week, I will also continue to preview the upcoming Suns games for the next set of seven days, and provide my insights that will hopefully guide you through the Suns' journey to the 2023 NBA Championship.

Here is to another season of Suns Mode. If you made it here I appreciate your listenership as you are what keeps Suns Mode in existence. Follow @ValleySunna on Twitter to be more involved with Suns Mode and participate in our community.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence. See you next Thursday and every Thursday after!

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

This previous week, the NBA preseason kicked back into gear. For the Suns, drama is nearly at an all time high. They are coming off of a second round playoff exit a season after losing in the NBA Finals. Their owner has been suspended by the NBA for a season and has publicly announced he will be selling the team. They had a very shaky media day. And on top of all that, the Suns had to play their first two preseason games.

Their first game was a loss, to a team from AUSTRALIA. And of course, we all overreacted.

Production from 3
Craig Randall II and Robert Franks
Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton
The (lack of) Suns bench
Early takeaways from Monty and the Suns
What actually matters about this game.

The Suns were fortunately able to bounce back on Wednesday vs the Lakers, for our sake.

The return of DARIO SARIC
Follow up on Bridges, Ayton first game
Where I see Deandre Ayton's greatest improvements
Massive improvements from the bench
Cam Johnson and Cam Payne
Duane Washington Jr. and Frank Jackson

This next week, the Suns will be playing against the Nuggets on Monday and the Kings on Wednesday

The Murrays, Jamal and Keegan
What I believe are the most exciting things to look forward to in these games
Sit back and relax
Last chance to tune up

This week was a rollercoaster for sure. Nobody thought we would lose to a team from Australia, but maybe it was something our team needed to experience. This week, all we can ask for as fans is for the Suns to show visible improvement and show they are ready for their first regular season games.

Next week on Suns Mode, we'll wrap up the preseason but most importantly we will be previewing our first preseason game against our new arch-nemesis Dallas Mavericks, and that is only the beginning of a very tough initial stretch of games for the Suns this season. I will be happy and dedicated to bringing great content to the Suns community. You can catch Suns Mode every Thursday at Midnight, AZ time.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, see you on Thursday!

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Suns are less than FIVE days away from their first preseason games this season. Four months of mourning came and passed as the Phoenix Suns will attempt to avenge their second-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks. This week marked the beginning of NBA training camps, and the Suns have spent the last few days sharpening up their game.

At the start of the week, the Suns participated in NBA Media Day, usually a very fun day for the Suns and teams throughout the league. Unfortunately, the vibes were not good at Media Day, and that has brought a lot of drama with it. This week, I provide my reaction to the overreactions.

What fans need from the media
Deandre Ayton
CP3 and his response to Game 7
Monty Williams
New uniforms!

The beginning of preseason has opened up five new roster spots for the Suns. Last week I took some time to talk about Frank Jackson, a guard who signed a non-guaranteed deal and will try to perform his way onto the active roster. This week, the Suns brought in another new body: Timothé Luwawu-Cabarot from France.

Brief bio, history for Luwawu-Cabarot
Skills, weaknesses, outlook
Should he make the team?

With Media Day out of the way and new players bolstering the bench, the Suns are getting closer to ready for their first two preseason games. First, they will be playing against the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday?

Who are the 36ers?
Bringing back basketball we have not seen in years, literally.

After their party against the 36ers, the Suns will play their first official NBA Preseason game against the Lakers on Wednesday, October 5.

Lakers complete roster overhaul, new head coach
The questions that remain for the Lakers
Official Suns Depth chart, including starters, bench players, and two-way contract players.
Jae Crowder

That will mark the first episode of the new season of Suns Mode. If this seems like your type of content, make sure to return every Thursday at Midnight, AZ time for a brand new episode. Every week. Next week, we will dig deeper into the Preseason. For now, lets be happy that we are getting back into NBA Ball!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

Season 2 of Suns Mode ends with an absolute bang. Robert Sarver announced on Wednesday, September 21 that he will begin the selling process of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury basketball franchises. After several years of fans begging for his departure, the wish has come true. During this time of selling the franchises, Sarver will be serving his one year suspension from the NBA. Effectively, Robert Sarver has served his last hour as the man behind the closed doors for the Phoenix Suns. I encourage you to join me and the entire Valley in celebration. As a basketball community, we deserved this.

This week of Suns Mode is the only episode of the year that is 100% offseason. Last week, there were still WNBA Finals games left to be played. Next week will be the start of Suns Mode Season 3, and I will have a preview for the first NBA preseason games to be played. This week, we get to breathe.

As we get to breathe, I introduce you to our newest Phoenix Sun: Frank Jackson. Jackson will join the team during the preseason as a non-guaranteed roster spot, meaning he will have to impress during the preseason to make the team.

Quick bio (Position, size, age, school)
Overview of college career
A breakdown of Jackson's most recent season
Why Jackson was let go, and what it will take for him to make official roster

The WNBA Finals have recently ended, capping what was a ridiculous WNBA Playoffs and a crazy WNBA season. I fell more in love with the WNBA than ever in this season, so I felt it was only right to give the WNBA a proper farewell. The Las Vegas Aces are your 2022 WNBA Champions, and will continue to be a threat for the years to come under the power of Becky Hammon and that bright core of players led by A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum.

Brief discussion on what the WNBA offseason may look like (spoiler alert: crazy?)
Why I loved seeing the Aces win so much

To end the episode, I once again said some things that had to be talked about. As someone who facilitates conversations around Phoenix basketball, it is only necessary to talk about Brittney Griner's wrongful detention in Russia. We will always be paying attention to the situation.

Recent news regarding Griner and family
Positive news soon?
Cannabis crime is not real crime

And that wraps it up for the week. Season 2 was over and it was a great one for me. I hope it was a great one for you as well and I hope we get to have several more years of Suns Mode together. I am happy to say I am part of this community and the Suns Media community as well now that we have an opportunity to shake the sports world, assuming the Suns/Mercury put in the time to select the best suitors to own the franchises.

Next week, be sure to tune in to the first episode of Suns Mode Season 3, where I will preview the first week of NBA Preseason ball, including the Suns first preseason game vs the Lakers on Wednesday, October 5.

Until then, remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence.

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

SAYONARA SARVER!

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

This week, Suns Mode is not the same old podcast. While I am used to being overly positive and always preaching the ways of #ValleyExcellence, this week just has to be different. For my Suns Mode faithfuls, I ask that you please hang with me through this one. Hopefully next week or in the coming weeks we can find the light again.

This week, we have come to the conclusion of the NBA's investigation into Phoenix Suns / Phoenix Mercury owner and governor Robert Sarver's actions of racism, misogyny and sexual abuse in the workplace.

Full details of 1 year suspension and league maximum fine
Adam Silver's thoughts
Sarver's stake and what can happen in the coming years
The opportunity to set a precedent in sports management.

Brittney Griner has eclipsed 200 days in Russian detention, and the US Government has yet to do anything about it. In this week's episode of Suns Mode, I go over some recent news about Steph Curry's attempt to contact the government and offer help toward Griner. How the government answered his offer, is terrifying.

Details on what was said
A very lengthy rant about the uselessness of the US Government and the bed of lies that is American politics.

On the brighter side of things, a new Phoenix Suns jersey has been leaked in full detail. These new jerseys will be primarily black in color and will replace the orange Statement jerseys from the past three seasons.

How "The Valley" jerseys leave a legacy
What is next for the Suns uniform set?

This week was difficult for me to sit on the microphone and not get too emotional about what we were discussing. There are things in life to be happy about and look forward to, like the WNBA Finals. They have been a movie.

The outlook for the Las Vegas Aces after game 1 and 2, and why they are just so damn good
Becky Hammon
Chelsea Gray and A'ja Wilson
My prediction for the end of the Finals.
Why game 3 and beyond is Must-Watch

And that will do it for this week. I'm sorry to not be able to provide the same mood that I have strived for as host of the Suns Mode podcast. I didn't feel I exhibited a lot of Valley Excellence, but things had to be discussed. If you listened, thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

@ValleySunna

The beginning of the Phoenix Suns 2022-23 basketball season is just around the corner. The NBA Preseason is less than a calendar month away, with the Suns playing their first game on October 2nd. This week, I start what will be a trend of Suns hype episodes to get us ready for the knitty gritty. Regular season basketball in one month and a half. Lets get it.

This week, I go over the basics of the Suns 2022 offseason.

Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker extensions
Bismack Biyombo and other free agent signings
Key departures
Cam Johnson
How would you grade the Suns offseason?

I have kind of given the Suns a hard time this summer, and the WNBA has been so ridiculously crazy that I have not really paid the Suns any attention. I wanted to say some positive things as well. Even though we are on the heels of two very disappointing playoff exits, I believe there is still a lot to look forward to.

Six reasons to be excited about Suns basketball this season. (there are plenty more than six)

The WNBA Playoffs are still raging with excitement. While our Phoenix Mercury are no longer in contention, the final four teams gave us a lot of great basketball. The Aces will head to the finals to make an attempt at the franchise's first title. On Thursday, the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun will face off in Chi-Town for a winner-take-all game 5. It is looking to get very exciting.

Why I am rooting for the Sun over the Sky, and what it will take for them to win
Recap of the greatest game between the Storm and the Aces.
A'ja Wilson
Tina Charles.

And that will do it for this week. If you made it here, thank you for listening. If you listened last week for my conversation on #ValleyExcellence, double thank you. I love you all. Together, all of us can provide the energy that we need to be successful, and our energy can help the Suns and Mercury as well. Make sure to follow me on Twitter @ValleySunna for everything Suns/Merc/WNBA and come here for the Suns Mode Podcast every Thursday for more of the same.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

Suns Mode returns for yet another week, and while we may be in double offseason mode (meaning both the Phoenix Suns AND Phoenix Mercury will not be playing basketball for another several weeks) I still believe this episode of Suns Mode is stacked full of important content.

First, I am calling two events to your attention. If you have the time, watch both WNBA Playoff Semifinal series and watch Serena Williams play her final major tennis matches at the US Open. Women in sports deserve the spotlight, and we have done a solid job tuning in. Serena Williams, and the many great WNBA players still playing have done so much for the present and future for women in sports. We live for these moments of greatness. Lets enjoy an amazing WNBA Playoffs, and send Serena out of her game knowing that she is queen.

After that, I provide the normal update on both the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury

Pay attention to BG
Jae Crowder

But the following part of the episode is why I feel so great about this week's Suns Mode. This week, the final 20-ish minutes are dedicated to a conversation on Valley Excellence, which is a term I created when I started this podcast. I say it every week, but it has been many months since I have talked about Valley Excellence for real. My mission is to define for you all WHAT Valley Excellence is as well as WHO personifies it. The most important thing for you to understand is that everyone is capable of performing at #ValleyExcellence, and that only you can decide what Valley Excellence actually means to you. Me saying the words can only mean so much. You attach actions and character to Valley Excellence, you have your own definition.

Larry Fitz, Devin Booker, Diamond DeShields, and many other examples of Valley Excellence that also have valley ties.

And that is what I have for this week, and honestly I'm feeling just as productive as midseason Suns Mode Sunna. I hope a conversation on Valley Excellence does just as much for you as it has for me. And of course, I will be back with more Suns Mode on Thursday, September 8th. There will always be fun to have.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS
MIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

The Mercury's 2022 WNBA season has unfortunately come to an end after they lost two games in Las Vegas against the Aces. While we may not be at our absolute happiest, there is still tons to celebrate and I hope you find tons of joy in this edition of Suns Mode.

Be proud
Sacrifice
What there is to look forward to

We have always been paying attention, we have never been silent, but now the only thing for Mercury fans and all members of our community to focus on. Brittney Griner is still not home. BG is in Russia for what should not be considered a crime. Cannabis crime is not real crime. It's hard to be down on mine when Brittney got nine. We will not stop.

In this episode, I go back on points made last week. The mission was clear from the jump: steal one game and bring the series back for an elimination game 3 in Phoenix. Game 1 was the one to get the job done.

Intensity and defense
We love you Shey

Game 2 was more of a crazy disaster. For the Aces, this game belongs in a basketball museum.

An overview of MULTIPLE WNBA records that the Aces have broken.
An offensive barrage
Not going down without a fight
Guarding the 3

There are some other massive rumors circling the Merc going into what will soon be the 2023 WNBA Offseason.

Skylar Diggins-Smith
Coach Nygaard

While the Suns may not have signed any new players this week, they have made an amazing announcement. The 1990's era Purple Sunburst throwback jerseys are returning! For one season and one season only!

Celebrating 30 years since '93
Deandre Ayton and his new nickname
BUY WHEN AVAILABLE

The KD trade is reportedly off for the rest of the offseason.

told ya

That will do it for the week. Suns Mode will be going nowhere. Come back as soon as next Thursday (Midnight, AZ time) for more content on everything Phoenix professional basketball.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

MIGHTY MERCURY
LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

The WNBA regular season has concluded in 2022. For the Mercury, this has been a season of constant turmoil and one that fans won't particularly forget. Thankfully for us, the season has not quite ended yet. The Merc still have time to right the ship. By finishing the season with a 15-21 record, they have earned themselves the opportunity to play the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs.

Playoff formatting and home court advantage
Injury reports for both teams

A solid portion of this episode is my introduction of the Las Vegas Aces. This team finished as the WNBA's top seed and they have the potential to compete for the next several championships. Many people know that they are good, but only few understand just how good this team is. For the Mercury, knocking off the Aces in the first round might be the biggest upset in WNBA history.

Offensive juggernaut (explaining the stats)
Former M'VP A'ja Wilson and her star-studded cast featuring multiple All-WNBA caliber players.
Tendencies in play
Introducing the bench.
The absolute goal for the Phoenix Mercury is:

After that, I introduce some content that should hopefully serve as motivation for the Mercury. Knowing they are playing against the best team in the WNBA and are also as short-handed as any basketball team in history — the Merc will absolutely need motivation.

Discussing the nearly bipolar Mercury defense that we have seen all season.
The new Big 3
Reiteration of the mission
Skylar Diggins-Smith and the associated press

I end the episode stating some of my beliefs about who the biggest factors are for the Mercury. They will be incredibly important. Tune in. I also conclude with full series predictions for the other three WNBA Playoff matchups.

Next Thursday, I will provide a follow up on the Mercury. We will know by then whether or not they have advanced by the first round. There will absolutely be another episode of the Suns Mode Podcast about the Phoenix Mercury next Thursday. Win or lose. Your job: Sit back and enjoy the playoffs!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence. Shine bright like a Diamond! Hope to see you all again back here next week for more content on Phoenix Pro Basketball. Cheers

FREE BRITTNEY GRINER
WE ARE BG

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

MIIIIIGHTY MERCURY!

@ValleySunna

The Mercury have started their final home stand — 4 straight games at the Footprint Center to end the regular season. After going 0-3 in the previous road trip, wins are super important. And losses must be committed sparingly.

While the Mercury picked up a loss vs the Lynx on Wednesday, they are still alive in the WNBA Playoff Chase thanks to their win vs the Liberty on Saturday night. I got the pleasure of watching both of these games in person at the Footprint Center.

Skylar Diggins-Smith
Best stats, comparison between two recent Liberty matchups
How does the team step up?
Experiencing Sylvia Fowles’ final game in Phoenix as well as Napheesa Collier’s recent return for the Lynx
Shey, Sophie, Diamond

The Mercury are still alive in the playoff race. Their 14-20 record is identical to those of the Liberty, Dream and Lynx. Mercury will have two games. Once on Friday vs the Wings, then Sunday vs the Sky

Arike Ogunbowale’s absence and the Wings.
Sky possibly clinched.
Dream vs Liberty both Friday and Sunday
If the Merc win 2 games, who do we need to lose?
Okay, how about if the Merc only win one game?

And that will do it for this week on Suns Mode. This final weekend will be tons of stress and suspense, but hopefully we come out of it as one of the teams on top. Nobody wants to be one of the four teams on bottom.

If the Merc somehow miss the playoffs, I would never leave you without a thank you for supporting our team, the WNBA, and the Suns Mode Podcast as I have dedicated so much time, energy and love into my blooming fandom for the Phoenix Mercury. If we make it, STAY HUNGRY.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come back next Thursday as we get ready for the beginning of the WNBA Playoffs, and inch ever so closer to the start of Phoenix Suns basketball. Suns Mode ain't ever leaving. You can always rely on a new episode weekly. Follow @ValleySunna on Twitter for updates and basketball talk.

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

FREE BG. WE ARE BG.

DO IT FOR BG, FOR THE VALLEY

@VALLEYSUNNA

The last couple weeks on Suns Mode have been a progressing dive into the WNBA Playoff hunt. Currently, the 6-8 seeds in the WNBA Standings are yet to be clinched, and we have six teams fighting for only three spots. The Mercury are part of those six.

Every week, the Suns Mode Podcast provides an update on everything Phoenix Professional Basketball. Typically we'll start with Suns Mode, hop on the spaceship, then transition to the Merc Mode portion of the episode. I envision this being the format for the indefinite future. For the Suns this week, I talk about the two most recent roster moves.

The Suns have filled the two 2-way contract slots on the roster this past week. One is a familiar face. The other is brand new. I am fairly satisfied with the moves, but am hungry for more. During the episode I provide my opinions on Ish Wainright and the new Duane Washington Jr. In the episode I discuss skill sets, potential and the importance of these two players to our team.

What I got from Duane Washington Jr. tape
Suns doing right by Ish.

The rest of this episode is solely dedicated to the WNBA Playoff Race and our Phoenix Mercury. Last week we called it a race. Unfortunately we must now upgrade this to a CHASE as the Mercury are on the outside looking in. In this episode I talk both the good and bad from the Mercury's three previous games.

My front row experience during Thursday's win vs the Sparks. Plus important stats and messages regarding some of the Mercury role players
Two losses vs the Liberty and Sun. But I consider these to be a tale of two different losses. Listen for what I mean when I am going over the two games.

Every week, we look at what is ahead for the Phoenix Mercury. When the next Suns Mode releases, the Merc will have played three more games. Another road game vs the Sun on Thursday before returning to Phoenix for games on Saturday vs the Liberty and Wednesday vs the Lynx.

No push overs
Why I think the Mercury can beat the Sun despite just losing to them
Prediction for high-stakes game vs Liberty
Sylvia Fowles
Revenge for the most heartbreaking loss of the season.

Current WNBA Standings as of the end of games on Wednesday, 8/3/2022
6. Wings 14-16
7. Dream 13-18
8. Liberty 13-18
9. Mercury 13-18
10. Sparks 12-19
11. Lynx 12-20

Additional WNBA Playoff Race Games:
Wings play Aces on Thursday, Fever on Saturday, Liberty on Monday AND Wednesday
Dream also play Sparks on Friday, Lynx Sunday, vs Aces Tuesday
Sparks play Mystics on Sunday, Sun on Tuesday

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and be sure to return to Suns Mode next Thursday. You do not want to miss one bit of important WNBA Playoff Chase info. I will always be here to let you know.

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC
MIIIIIIIIIGHTY MERCURY

@ValleySunna

Going into Thursday, the Mercury remain in the heat of the playoff race. The Merc, the Dallas Wings, the LA Sparks and the Atlanta Dream are fighting for the final three playoff spots. All four teams currently have 12 wins, and the Mercury have only 8 games left. Last week, the WNBA Playoff race was relevant. This week, it should dominate every basketball conversation.

This episode of Suns Mode (following introduction) begins with our only Suns news for the week. The Suns have went ahead and signed head coach Monty Williams to a contract extension, guaranteeing his position as the Suns head coach for the next several years. After talking about Monty, I provide a general update on the NBA offseason and what could be left for the Suns to do.

My reaction, considering what there is to be considered
My evaluation of the current Suns bench
Kevin Durant and the slew of trade possibilities.

The rest of the episode is dedicated 100% to the Mercury and the WNBA playoff race. I start with sharing awesome highlights from last week's win against the Storm.

The "in the building" experience for Sue Bird's final game in Phoenix
Skylar Diggins-Smith
Late season expectations for DT3
Sophie Cunningham and just how largely she has stepped up.
BREEZY TURNER

From there, I am happy to say I will be in the Footprint Center (front row!!!) to see the Mercury again on Thursday as they play the Sparks, one of the other teams in the playoff race.

Most important game of the season. For real. NO CAP.
Nneka Ogwumike
Liz Cambage/Sparks contract divorce
Breezy/Sophie and their matchup, the Ogwumike sisters

The Mercury will play another 2 games after that before we meet again on Suns Mode. Both on the road.

Sunday vs Liberty
Tuesday vs Sun
Are these games must win opportunities?

And much like I did last week, I provide you a list of games at the end of this episode to help you keep track of the surrounding games within the WNBA playoff race.

Thursday is a huge day
Upcoming games for the Sparks, Wings, Dream

And that will do it for another wonderful week of Suns Mode Spaceship content. The WNBA playoff race should only grow hotter, so be sure to return next Thursday for more fresh Suns Mode WNBA talk. Hopefully, there will be some good news on the Suns as well.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and even though we DO NOT LIKE Los Angeles basketball and should be very actively rooting for the LA Sparks to lose, we shall do so respectfully. Rep The Valley with pride and respect and we will all see great things happen.

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

@ValleySunna

BOOOOOOOOO SPARKS BOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This week on Suns Mode, I am happy to be back in my normal setup recording the best episode yet during the Phoenix Suns offseason. In this week's edition I focus mainly on two headlining topics that take up the entirety of the episode.

First, the Suns have finally made their decision. They will be keeping Deandre Ayton on a maximum contract. The Suns may now look forward to FOUR MORE YEARS of Deandre Ayton and this week is just the beginning of the journey. I expect my standards for this amazing basketball player to grow, but I also have growing expectations for the Suns. I don't believe they have used Ayton anywhere near his full potential.

Using a statistical approach to prove that Deandre simply does not get used enough
Same stats show much less competent players at his position are being used significantly more.
Why I am excited to keep podcasting

Second, I provide our first dive into the WNBA playoff race. I have been urging the Phoenix Mercury to stay on top of things and just win the damn games, but it isn't necessarily that simple. Regardless, we are hopping into the "must win" territory. If you want to make the playoffs, you need to listen to our DEMAND to win games.

Current standings for the Phoenix Mercury and competing teams. Top 8 seeds make the WNBA Playoffs.
The good news and the bad news, with only NINE games left for the Phoenix Mercury.
Mercury game on Friday vs the Storm.
Six other WNBA games to watch before the next Suns Mode that will help you navigate the WNBA Playoff Race.

And that will do it for the week. As always, you can catch episodes of the Suns Mode podcast on Thursdays at midnight, Arizona time! Regardless of what happens, I am always going to be here to provide a weekly update on Phoenix Professional Basketball.

Hopefully, we will have a better update in store for the Mercury and their hunt for the championship, and hopefully the Suns also continue making moves that will ensure they consistently fight for a championship as well. Enjoy your week.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence <3

FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

FREE BG
WE ARE BG

@ValleySunna

Just like many of our favorite NBA players, I am on vacation this week. The destination: Appleton, Wisconsin.

Housekeeping: For my Suns Mode regulars, I apologize for any differences you notice in this week's episode. I am on my backup equipment and am in a room that is nowhere near soundproof. I think things went well considering the circumstances, but it definitely sounds different. For that I am sorry

For anybody that miraculously found Suns Mode for the first time this week, understand that this is not common AT ALL. Next week, I will be back home on my main setup and it should sound much better. If you want a better idea of what the regular episodes sound like, feel free to check out any episode in Season 2 for a good sample.

To open the episode, I talk about my vacation briefly and discuss this basketball city I am staying in.

From there, I talk about the one move the Suns have made this offseason since our most recent episode of Suns Mode.

Former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Josh Okogie
Full view of the roster after Okogie signing

As I've been doing every week, I provide a brief update on Deandre Ayton's restricted free agency situation

After that, I discuss the state of the Summer League Suns.

Ish Wainright and Gabriel Lundberg
My personal opinion on the Summer Suns.

And just like every week this offseason, I capped this week's episode with an update on the Phoenix Mercury. While it has been a disappointing season thus far, our girls are still in the race to snatch a playoff spot. We are not 100% in control, but the presence of the X-Factor can mean a lot for our team! We can not waver!

Capping off the first half with a great win vs New York
Skylar Diggins-Smith-All-Star-Greatness
A double-overtime thriller to open the second half of the season
Some unfortunate truths about the Merc

Once again, I will be back home on my normal equipment next Thursday, when hopefully there will be much better news for us, and some Mercury wins as well. Of course you can always rely on Suns Mode every Thursday (Midnights, AZ time.) to provide you a weekly update on everything Phoenix Professional Basketball. Suns and Merc, baby.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

@ValleySunna

The last seven days have marked the start of NBA free agency, opening the doors into the offseason.

The Suns have made a few moves over the first week of free agency

Devin Booker and his rise into superstar status
The return of the (Bis)Mack
Introducing new acquisitions Damion Lee and Jock Landale.

I also briefly discuss some of the other moves throughout the offseason that share some relevance with the Suns.

JaVale McGee, Aaron Holiday on the way out
Jalen Smith secures the bag
Ricky Rubio, T.J. Warren sign deals

I spent some time talking about the headlining moves of the first two days of the free agency period

Jalen Brunson leaves the Dallas Mavericks
Timberwolves pull of mega trade with Jazz to acquire Rudy Gobert.

With the offseason far from over, I discuss some of the remaining free agent options for the Suns

Deandre Ayton, Collin Sexton in Restricted FA
Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, etc.
Keep an eye for trades.

And as I have been doing every week, I provide an update on the Phoenix Mercury at the end of the episode. In this last week, the Merc have lost another two games and now have a record of 9-14 on the season. Approaching the home stretch and heading into the playoffs, the Mercury are undeniably running out of games to lose. In this update, I discuss:

Coaching
Mercury and their size issue
Expectations derailed by BG situation
Follow-up on 1st half season goal now that All-Star game approaches
Skylar Diggins-Smith drama, follow up on Tina Charles drama
Two games: vs Liberty and Lynx before next episode on Suns Mode
My final thoughts and circling back to COACHING

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and don't forget to come back to the Suns Mode Podcast every Thursday at midnight, AZ time! Next week, I hope to spend many more minutes talking to The Valley as hopefully the Suns make some moves and the Mercury win some basketball games. Regardless, I'll be happy to speak with you.

FREE BG. WE ARE BG

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

@ValleySunna

This week, rumors and speculation becomes true action. After weeks of hearing about what COULD happen with Deandre Ayton, soon enough we will have come to a conclusion as to what actually happens with his situation. Aside from DA's situation, many big moves have already been made as a primer to what is expected to be a gigantic offseason.

Last week was the NBA Draft, and last week on Suns Mode I talked about seven different prospects the Suns could pursue. All have found a new home in the NBA and some will be playing in the upcoming Summer League. I follow up quickly on where our prospects ended up getting drafted, as well as the opportunities the Suns ended up having that night.

Last week I also spoke a lengthy bit about the Detroit Pistons and what was their expected push for Deandre Ayton's restricted free agency. Since then, the Pistons made moves that have seemingly quieted their interest in DA. I explain these moves and how it could affect DA.

Free Agency opens up on Thursday June 30, and many moves are expected to happen and have been happening since right before draft day. Just before free agency started, a couple huge pieces of news had broken out. I briefly discuss these situations as well.

Dejounte Murray traded by Spurs
Big free agent target Miles Bridges arrested for felony domestic violence.
5 other offseason thoughts before start of Free Agency

And as always, we cap off the episode with an update on the Phoenix Mercury. It has been dramatic, but it looks like our Merc are in the midst of a culture shift and are currently riding a 3 game winning streak

Tina Charles
Overtaking a rival
Some of the season's best performances built by three words.
Skylar Diggins-Smith
Reshanda Gray

The Mercury are in the position to make a hefty statement with two games in the next seven days. Saturday is a brunch match in Chicago to face the Sky, a consensus top-2 WNBA team that is set to rematch with the Mercury after the 2021 WNBA Finals. Continuing a winning streak while underhanded against the current best team in the league would say many things.

After that the Mercury play the Sparks on Monday, who they have proven to be able to handle.

And that will do it. Will the Merc inch closer to .500 basketball, and possibly carry a 5 game winning streak as we get closer to the All-Star break? Will the Suns make any large moves as free agency begins? Will the Suns retain Deandre Ayton? I hope to have answers for you next Thursday (Midnight AZ time) on Suns Mode. Make sure to stay tuned to the podcast and my twitter @ValleySunna for updates on the Suns offseason and Mercury season.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence. Hope and pray for the best.

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

KEEP DA AND FEED HIM
PAY DA MAN

@ValleySunna

Fellas, the 2022 NBA Draft is now upon us. The Phoenix Suns currently do not hold any picks in the 2022 Draft, but have the option to buy in. Considering how last season went, I am very hungry for some new young talent to be added to the Suns. Deandre Ayton will be 24 in a month, and is currently the Suns' youngest player. I don't enjoy that.

I addressed many NBA rumors in this episode including:

Trades leading up to draft
Deandre Ayton - Pistons
Jae Crowder
Suns, DA and the max
How Jerami Grant trade affects Suns
Kevin Durant

This week, we will talk about 7 prospects that the Suns may have interest in and could very well draft. This is not based on any insider information or workouts the Phoenix Suns have hosted, just my own scouting and the scouting of other content creators.

Addressing rumors of the Suns having interest in trading into the draft lottery (picks 1-14)
An amazing prospect fit projected for late in the first round
Three more prospects that would address the Suns' interest into trading into the 2nd round.
The 2022 Suns Mode Sleeper prospect. Lowest cost, highest value. In 2020, it was former Charleston, Hornets and Sixers guard Grant Riller. Last season, it was former West Virginia star turned Knicks guard Miles McBride. McBride is kicking butt and Riller is still breathing, but who is next?

While the main feature of the episode is the NBA draft, I also provide an update for the Phoenix Mercury at the start of the episode. I will provide more full Mercury coverage starting again next week.

2 straight losses
4 upcoming games Thursday @ Lynx, Saturday @ Wings, and Monday and Wednesday at home vs the Indiana Fever.
WNBA All-Star starters announced
How can the Merc motivate themselves to start winning games now that the WNBA season is halfway through?

And that will do it. Next week on Suns Mode, we'll see which Mercury players make the WNBA All-Star reserves, and hopefully introduce a new player to the Phoenix Suns, as well as continue to follow the conversation of the offseason. As the offseason continues to heat up, the Suns Mode podcast will remain an ongoing thing every Thursday, as midnight Arizona time.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

@ValleySunna

Another week has passed and I have been feeling happy as ever. Last week, we were dancing in jubilation about the Mercury ending their monster losing streak. This week, we get to celebrate another three wins; our most successful week of the season so far FOR SURE.

Before I provide a recap for the four most recent games for the Phoenix Mercury, I spend the early portion of this episode breaking down our newest NBA trade. This, I assume, is the start of a long offseason full of moves throughout the NBA.

Rockets trading Christian Wood to Mavericks
Does this affect Deandre Ayton's trade value?

Thankfully, thats the only NBA news I have. The rest of the 45 min, we get to talk about the rise to greatness that the Phoenix Mercury have taken. They have picked up 3 big wins to bring them to a 6-9 record for the season. Here are just a few of the things I talked about regarding the Merc's last four games:

Atlanta Dream's defensive supremacy
Tina Charles returns from injury
A set of missions for beating the Dream, and how they were accomplished.
Clutch minutes and OT vs Dream
Free throws
4th quarter DT vs Mystics on Sunday
Skylar Diggins-Smith and a set of clutch plays to help secure win
What caused the Mystics to win rematch despite Merc playing well
Tina Charles All-Star level vs Fever
2 big things from Mercury that have impressed me that encompass the entirety of the last couple weeks+ and have translated to wins.

Before the next Suns Mode, the Mercury will have played two more games this season. Friday vs the Dallas Wings and Tuesday vs the Minnesota Lynx

The goal remains the same
Lynx legend Sylvia Fowles

At the end of the Merc portion of this episode I once again remind you to submit your ballots for the 2022 WNBA All-Star event in Chicago.

Voting ends June 20th.
go to vote.nba.com and submit your 10 best/favorite WNBA players to compete
go to twitter, #yourfavoriteplayer #WNBAAllStar and retweet when your friends tweet!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence. Free Brittney Griner. WE ARE BG.

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

@ValleySunna

If you are listening to this podcast, the Phoenix Mercury have won a basketball game. This came about after the Merc have seemingly turned it around during their loss to the Chicago sky a couple weeks ago. After a couple tough losses, the Merc get to spend a few days back in the W column.

Diana Taurasi ejection
Response to my own comments from last week (oop)
Tough loss vs Connecticut Sun

The miserable losing streak (7 games !) is now over. The Mercury got revenge on their LA rival for their high scoring bout early in the season, and wound up taking the win 81-74.

Sparks good offense/bad defense philosophy falling apart
Skylar Diggins-Smith
Defensive intensity
Sparks immediately firing former Lakers champion guard Derek Fisher from his head coaching duties.

Skylar Diggins-Smith ABSOLUTELY deserves your vote for the 2022 NBA All-Star event. She is coming off of a 29 point game vs the Sparks and has been having a great year despite some really bad losses to start the season.

Go to vote.wnba.com and pick your favorite WNBA players to represent the league at All Star Chicago
4 guards, 6 frontcourt players across all 12 teams
Yourfavoriteplayer #WNBAAllStar on Twitter

SkylarDigginsSmith #WNBAAllStar

There is news that the Suns went thru a COVID outbreak during the Western Conference semifinal series vs the Dallas Mavericks. To end off this episode, I share my reaction to the news.

Here's to four straight weeks of not talking about Deandre Ayton sign-and-trade deals.

Free Brittney Griner and we need to do whatever it takes to get her back safely to the United States. For her, for her family, and for the basketball community.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence. A new spaceship podcast episode will arrive again next Thursday and then prepare for our 2022 NBA Draft episode the following week!

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

SkylarDigginsSmith #WNBAAllStar

@ValleySunna

The Suns 2022 season is dead, but there is not yet any means of an afterlife. The NBA Finals are set to begin and only when that series is over can the Suns focus on how they live out the 2022-23 NBA season. In the last seven days, absolutely nothing new has happened in the world of Phoenix Suns basketball.

In this episode I wanted to spend time talking about a recent article about Deandre Ayton that has been circulating. The article speaks on positional value and whether or not DA is worth the max contract he is seeking. There are two main points to the article and I respond to both.

Self creation
JaVale McGee

While I spend tons and tons of time talking positively about Deandre Ayton's game, I also wanted to spend some time talking about some thing that Deandre should be looking to improve on this offseason and going into next year.

Timing plays
Awareness with ball

We sadly have to live with the possibility that Deandre Ayton may not be a Phoenix Sun this season, so as a huge DA fan I decided to make Destination Power Rankings for our homeboy.

Phoenix will ALWAYS be #1

And as you can expect every week during the offseason, we board the Spaceship. We will be flying back and forth from Mercury to the Sun. This week on the spaceship, the Merc have now sustained a 5 game losing streak. Why? and how do you fix it?

Coach Nygaard should consider one very drastic lineup change
3-Point defense
Upcoming games vs Connecticut Sun, Los Angeles Sparks

And that will do this episode. I am so very sorry that this was how the news cycled this week, but I will always be here. Here is to another week, but this time a much better set of 7 days. Will we hear any positive news about the Phoenix Suns offseason? Will the Phoenix Mercury win a basketball game or two? Find out NEXT TIME on the Suns Mode Podcast: Spaceship series

A new episode of Suns Mode releases every Thursday at Midnight, Arizona time. Come follow me on Twitter @ValleySunna in the meantime.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

SHINE BRIGHT
LIKE A DIAMOND!

It has been a week-plus since the Suns season has ended. Basketball moves on, but the Suns still find themselves in the weird realm of offseason basketball purgatory. A surely exciting offseason is coming up ahead, but in the meantime the Suns and other teams have to wait for the NBA Playoffs to end. Sadly, the playoff games have been blowouts lately for the most part. It has been tough to watch at times.

Despite all that, Suns Mode listenership was strong as ever last week, and there is still tons to talk about here EVERY THURSDAY, at midnight AZ time. This week, I start by giving out some very well deserved recognition to our most recent award winners

Devin Booker All-NBA and stats for the season / overview of career
CP3 All-NBA and stats for the season
Karl-Anthony Towns takes third All-NBA center spot
Snubs
Contract eligibility situation for Devin Booker, KAT now that they are All-NBA players.

Sadly, some of our favorite and most popular content creators are running away with a personal piece Deandre Ayton did with ESPN about his love and passion for video games, saying that his commitment to the video games is leading to a lack of said commitment on the basketball court. I find this kind of talk fairly embarrassing (especially coming from guys that can't do anything athletically) and wanted to state my opinion on Deandre's hobby. Before we hop on the Spaceship, we have an Ayton conversation.

And of course, much like every week this Suns offseason, we are hopping on the Spaceship, where we will be flying back and forth from Mercury to the Sun.

Following up on 2-2 start
Three new consecutive losses to the Wings, Aces and Sparks and takeaways from each game
High scoring games
Upcoming matchups Sunday vs Dream, Tuesday WNBA Finals rematch vs Chicago Sky. AND how the Merc can get back in the Win column.
I love Candace Parker

And I end this weeks episode with yet another call to action, yet another message to FREE BRITTNEY GRINER. We are approaching 100 days of BG's wrongful detention in Russia and that is absolutely not okay. BG and her family need to be priority #1 for anybody involved in this situation. and please GET HER HOME

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and be a Diamond! Excited to meet you guys on the Spaceship again next Thursday!

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

FREE BG. WE ARE BG

@ValleySunna

In this episode of the Suns Mode podcast, I start with making it very clear how grateful I am to continue doing this podcast and want to thank anyone who supported me in this, no matter who, when or where.

From there, I spend a good chunk of time going over the things that happened between the lines in game 6 and 7 for the Suns against the Mavericks. Neither of these games were competitive, but I tried my best.

The next chunk of the episode relates to how dramatic the Suns situation has become over the rapid period of losing in game 6 and 7.

Deandre Ayton
CP3
Monty post game / after season media availability
James Jones after season media availability
Free Brittney Griner

The rest of the episode is something I will be much more happy to talk about. ALL ABOARD THE SPACESHIP! WE WILL BE FLYING BACK AND FORTH FROM MERCURY TO THE SUN. Enjoy a brief recap of the first four games of the Mercury season, followed by a preview for our next three games for the Merc.

Why is it important to support the Merc, WNBA, and Women's ball altogether?
Mercury start season 2-2 with wins vs Seattle Storm and losses vs Las Vegas Aces.
Merc have upcoming games Thursday vs Dallas Wings, Saturday vs Las Vegas Aces, and Wednesday vs Los Angeles Sparks.
Additions Tina Charles, Diamond DeShields.
Ball Movement

Warriors in 6, Celtics in 7

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and keep in mind that Suns Mode will still be occurring weekly with a focus on the Phoenix Mercury as well as the Suns offseason.

LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC LETS GO MERC

The Suns are currently up 3-2 after a big home win in game 5, but many of us did not necessarily see the series going this way. In fact, throughout much of last week's episode I had nearly guaranteed the series to be over and in the hands of the Suns after 4 or 5 games. This week I unfortunately had to walk some of those comments back, but I still kept an analytical eye on the Suns basketball and was able to have fun for yet another episode. Shit is still okay with the Suns up 3-2 we just gotta be a lil more invested now.

Games 3 and 4 in Dallas were not very good at all for the Suns.

Mavericks made adjustments to their offensive game plan / Suns reaction
Getting others involved for Mavs
Turnovers (game 3 edition)
Lack of Ayton usage and other bad stats from game 3
Mavericks kill from the "5-out" in game 4
CP3 and his birthday trippin
Turnovers (game 4 edition)
Flopping
Suns' on-ball defense

We didn't play good basketball at all, but had tons of notes to take into game 5 back in Phoenix. PHX got the best basketball crowd in the country and it is very difficult to come in and win important games there.

A rough start in the 1st quarter
Early adjustments by Suns (Bismack/JaVale, Shamet/Payne)
Mikal Bridges gets going
Huge 3rd quarter (D-Book and DA special)
Other key stats from huge game 5 win

The Suns have their next "biggest game of the season" moment staring them right in the face. Game 6 will be played on Thursday night in Dallas, and if the series reaches game 7, the boys will return back to Phoenix for the next game on Sunday.

First quarters
Bridges/DA important defensive matchup on Luka
Game 6 CHRIS
Theo Pinson and the annoying ass Mavericks Bench

The Memphis Grizzlies (sans-Ja) and the Golden State Warriors are still locked in on the other side of the Western Conference Semifinal.

Golden State up 3-2 with game 6 Friday, possible game 7 Monday
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals could be as late as Wednesday or later

Look for a bonus episode of Suns Mode whenever the Western Conference Finals matchup is fully set. I will dive in and analyze the matchup as I have done with the previews of both playoff series this far. This Bonus episode should release no later than Tuesday 5/16 at 12AM Arizona time, but does not currently have a set release date.

Until we meet again, always cheer for our Phoenix Suns, and maybe try to take some time out of your weekend to listen to Kendrick Lamar's upcoming album "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers." It's gonna be a great one.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and follow me on Twitter @ValleySunna to get updates on the Suns Mode Podcast and join in on the Ayton gospel! See you again probably before Thursday!

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

"tables turned, lesson learned, my best look."

Our great Devin Booker has defined our 2022 Playoff journey as the Phoenix Suns' Revenge Tour after losing in the NBA Finals last season. He did so by acknowledging the great Phoenix crowd. Anybody in attendance in games 1 and 2, and anybody who had the TV on and watching with all their energy — thank you — for the Suns have most certainly picked up off of all our collective energy.

Last week, I did two episodes of Suns Mode. Our Thursday edition was released just before the game 6 of the Suns vs Pelicans series as well as the game 6 of the Mavericks vs Jazz series, and in that episode I talked about the early parts of the Suns/Pelicans series with a focus on how to win game 6 in New Orleans. The Suns would go ahead and pick up the win, and the Mavericks would go ahead and pick up their win as well.

This set us up for the Suns Mode Bonus episode released this past Sunday, which was focused solely on the matchup ahead between the Suns and Mavericks. If you listened to two episodes this past week I could not thank you enough. If you have not listened to the Bonus episode from this past week and still want to learn more about the matchup, it is still not too late. I feel like most of my insights have really not changed even though we are nearly halfway through the series

In this episode, I talked about the series of events that occurred in game 1 and game 2, following up on many of the predictions I made about this series and how the Mavericks would try to match up. We start by talking about game 1.

Mavericks pace
Luka Doncic and his method of ball-dominant basketball.
Luka needing himself and his team to play "perfect" games.
Rebounding battle
Maxi Kleber
Cameron Johnson
Deandre Ayton and his matchups
Now 6-0 in playoff game 1s in the Devin Booker era.

From there, we moved onto game 2. I had assumed coming into this series that game 1 would be a fairly easy win. We know game 2s don't come that easy, as the Suns would drop one at home in the previous series. It started off as a very tough game, but the Suns would end up coming into their usual dominant form and create a blowout out of game 2.

Suns matching game 1 turnover count in the first half alone
Offensive fouls / Refs trying their hardest in the first half to provide Mavericks advantage.
Foul trouble (Ayton, McGee, Cam Johnson)
Bismack Biyombo
Luka Doncic and his method of ball-dominant basketball (again)
Example of lack of sustainability in Mavs offense comparing first and second halves.
Incredible 4th quarter masterclass from the greats Chris Paul and Devin Booker.

I end the episode by previewing the next two games. The Suns will travel into Dallas to play games on Friday and Sunday. If the Mavericks are lucky enough to pull one out, they will travel back to Phoenix for game 5 on Tuesday. Regardless, I am at least 90% confident that the series will be over by the next time we talk on Suns Mode.

Expect our next new episode of Suns Mode to be released next Thursday. Hopefully, we will be recapping a great Suns win but I can imagine we will also be talking about the series going on between the Grizzlies and Warriors. I think they will still be in the heat of things.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence AND KEEP THAT ENERGY FOR THE REST OF THE REVENGE TOUR.

WHILE WE ARE FEELING THIS GREAT, MAKE SURE TO TAKE THE TIME TO LOVE YOURSELF.

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

SWEEP THE MAVS

@ValleySunna

The 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs is officially underway! The Phoenix Suns have eliminated the New Orleans Pelicans in six games and will face the Dallas Mavericks, who defeated the Jazz in six games as well. Our journey to that ever-so-elusive chip is 25% complete. 4 wins down, 12 to go.

The Suns Mode Bonus episode this weekend is focused mainly on two things: the Suns' amazing closeout win in game 6 as well as a preview of the series ahead vs the Mavericks.

Game 6 was absolutely magical, and certainly one of the most memorable Suns playoff performances of my lifetime.

F*** Jae Crowder
Devin Booker and his dramatic game 6 return
Team defense
Cam Johnson
Deandre Ayton and his dominant series.
GAME SIX CHRIS
R.I.P.

The other half of this episode is based on what we'll see against the Mavericks.

Amazing guard play. Doncic. Booker. Brunson. Paul.
Devin Booker's anticipated matchup
How will the Mavericks match up with Ayton?
Differences in pace
Clutch minutes
Never sleep

Aside from Suns vs Mavericks, there is a ton of great playoff basketball left to be played. For the last 5 minutes of the podcast, catch my (far too) early predictions for the other three series between the Bucks/Celtics, 76ers/Heat and Warriors/Grizzlies. We have the opportunity to see some really competitive series here in the second round; and we all know the most competitive rounds are the most fun.

Thank you very much for tuning into the Suns Mode Bonus episode for this week. You can expect a new episode on Thursday, as new episodes are released every Thursday at midnight, AZ time.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and enjoy the beautiful amount of Playoff basketball ahead. Gotta appreciate it while we got it.

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

WRANGLE THE MAVS
STAY GREAT

Thanks to the Phoenix Suns crowd, our lovely Valley Boyz and Girlz, the Suns have taken a 3-2 lead over the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. Game 5 was absolutely electric, and being able to witness that in the Footprint Center in person was something I will never forget. Another thing I would not forget is the moment the Suns win their championship; and for that to happen, they need to get past game 6 (and possibly 7) against the Pelicans.

To prepare you for this game, I provided a very extensive recap of the Suns' game 5 win. Every game is equally as important as the other in principle, but the Suns made some very important adjustments and the energy from the Phoenix crowd was too overwhelming for me to not talk about it. There were tons of takeaways.

Lineup adjustments
Mikal Bridges HAVE A NIGHT
Cam Payne
Jae Crowder
CP3 follows up game 4
Jose Alvarado provokes PHX crowd
Three point shooting, rebound matchup differentials.

Also another note

Pels are dirtayyyyy

The Suns and Pelicans play their game 6 on Thursday evening, the same day this podcast episode releases. The Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz will be playing their game 6 right after the Suns on Thursday, and the winner of the series (Mavericks lead 3-2) is who will face the winner of the Suns series.

Cam Johnson
Deandre mf AYTON
Brandon Ingram hand
Game 6 Chris

If the Suns and/or Mavericks/Jazz end up playing a game 7, those games will be played on Saturday, with game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals already tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 2.

Expect a BONUS episode this week and multiple times throughout the NBA Playoffs. Episodes will be released on Thursdays weekly as expected, but this Sunday, I will post another episode previewing the series against either the Mavericks or Jazz specifically.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come hang out with me @ValleySunna. Expect a new episode on Sunday as well as another regular Thursday edition episode next week.

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

BACK ON TRACK AND DOMINAYTON......

The Suns have officially began their 2022 NBA Playoff journey. Last season, the best crowd in the NBA gave us a game 1 victory that was ever so important to winning the series against the Lakers. This year, the Suns crowd made sure to keep that game 1 energy so that the Suns could absorb it and grab a win. One down, 15 to go.

If you tuned into the Suns Mode Bonus episode this past weekend, thank you. Also, if you haven't, you may find benefit in listening to that episode for the purpose of providing yourself the necessary knowledge for watching the playoff series. Last week, I talked about how we could win games 1 and 2. Game 1 definitely had the energy.

Phoenix best basketball city in the West.
Deandre Ayton absolutely embarrassing Jonas Valanciunas in game 1.
CP3 in the fourth

It was a really good game 1, but that didn't quite translate over to game 2

Devin Booker going absolutely crazy (31 points and a career high 7 threes) in the first half
Jae Crowder
CP3 good, but can improve
Absolutely horrible transition defense
Deandre Ayton

I also revisited my keys to winning games 1 and 2 from this past weekend.

First quarters
Jonas Valanciunas
Defending CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram

I didn't formulate new "keys" for the upcoming games 3, 4 and 5 on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. They pretty much stay the same, but I do have some very important parting messages.

CP3 in New Orleans for games 3 and 4
Keep eye on Landry Shamet
Cam Johnson potential
Importance of game 5 in Phoenix
How will your season be defined?

No excuses. Let's #RallyTheValley and give our boys as much support as possible! No Book, NOT SHOOK!!!!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and keep cheering on the Suns until you can't take it anymore ... and then some. Regardless of how the Suns come out after game 5, there will be a new episode next Thursday with future playoff basketball games in mind. Stay hungry and immerse yourself in the beauty of playoff basketball. I will see you next week.

NO BOOK NOT SHOOK
LETS GO SUNS
LETS GO SUNS
LETS GO SUNS
LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

If you were already here for Suns Mode Thursday, you would already know what it is: Suns Mode is in the Bonus. A piping hot episode of Suns Mode is ready for you on a wonderful Saturday in April because IT IS PLAYOFF TIME. Feel free to listen to the two episodes from this week in any order.

This episode is focused solely on the Phoenix Suns' matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2022 Western Conference Playoffs. Game 1 is set for Sunday in Phoenix (6PM AZ). I felt the best way to prepare our minds for playoff basketball was by taking a look at last season's first round matchup against our big rival Los Angeles Lakers. If it weren't for the Phoenix crowd energy, who knows if that young and inexperienced team would've made it past the first round, therefore allowing us to eventually make the Finals. Without that Finals run, could the Suns have made 64 wins?

A massive part of this episode is a recap of the exciting Clippers-Pelicans play in matchup.

Overview of the clutch minutes
Pre-game drama
Runs, runs, runs

After taking a look at the recap, I provided a look at the Pels.

How did the Suns play them during the regular season?
What is their lineup strategy?
Rookies

Phoenix can hold it down for game one, but I ended this Bonus episode by providing my keys for the Suns to leave Phoenix up 2-0 going to New Orleans, where CP3 used to run the house.

Starts
Jaxson Hayes, Jonas Valanciunas
Defending CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram
TRUST DEANDRE AYTON, THE PLAYOFF RISER

Next Thursday on Suns Mode, I will recap games 1 and 2, and get you guys ready for games 3 and 4 (maybe 5???). Until then, just enjoy all the beautiful basketball.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

PLAYOFF SUNS! PLAYOFF SUNS! PLAYOFF SUNS! PLAYOFF SUNS!

The NBA's 75th anniversary season comes to its first stopping point: the regular season is now over, and the best team in Suns history (64-18) prepares for a first round playoff matchup against either the Los Angeles Clippers or New Orleans Pelicans. We will find out who following their game on Friday which will determine the 8th seed in the Western Conference.

As Suns fans are not yet aware of who they will be facing in the first round, I will be focusing on releasing a bonus episode this week on Saturday. Bonus Suns Mode episodes were common during the playoffs last year and will be employed as I see fit. The bonus episode on Saturday will focus solely on the Suns first round matchup with either the Clippers or Timberwolves, while this week's Thursday episode will consist of something more like a regular season wrap-up. Look for the Bonus episode to be released as soon as it is ready.

Here are your "SportsCenter" type of sub headlines for this week's Thursday episode

Clutch
Bismack Biyombo
Trade deadline
Two-way contracts
Immediate needs after 2021
Questionable offseason
Year-over-year improvement from most of roster
Injuries
Frank Kaminsky
And much, much more

If you have been a Suns Mode listener throughout this season, or since last season, I could not possibly thank you enough. Time is valuable to everybody, so I'm happy you were able to fit in time for myself and our Phoenix Suns in your weekly routine. I love you very much and appreciate everything you all give me in spirit. As far as I'm concerned Suns Mode ain't disappearing any time soon, that's thanks to you.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and tune in for that bonus episode on Saturday! That will be information you can not miss! Gotta be in the know, I'll forever to my best for you.

Drop me a follow on Twitter @ValleySunna for general basketball shitposting and podcast updates.

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

The 2021-22 Suns have now cemented themselves as the greatest Suns team in NBA regular season history. Our 63rd win this season came against the Lakers, which also kicked them out of the playoffs. Expect my bit on this game around the midway point of this podcast episode.

Before that, I talk about the two losses the Suns endured this past week vs the Grizzlies and the Thunder. As Memphis will come in as the 2nd seed in the West this season, losing this game was a fair disappointment; but I did want to bring up a few statistical anomalies that could possibly explain what made the Suns look so bad against an undermanned Grizzlies team. Against the Thunder, the team sustained very horrible shooting numbers, but there were a couple bright spots that I do discuss.

The Suns did run into another loss, this time against the Clippers who can possibly be the team to face the Suns in the first round. As the Suns begin to rest players, these games can be hard to analyze, but the Suns' bench unit tried their best, scoring tons of points in the 4th quarter and nearly overcoming a 26 point deficit after three quarters.

Aaron Holiday, Ish Wainright, Bismack Biyombo, Iffe Lundberg, Elfrid Payton

I also pointed out three things for fans to look at during the Suns final two games this season, mainly revolving around who needs to find their rhythm still.

This week, I also gave some time to the Devin Booker MVP and Mikal Bridges Defensive Player of the Year races. Both players are getting major endorsement out of the league's best players and most popular faces. I look at not only statistics, but the competition in these awards that will make things very difficult for voters.

Much like my episode last week, I wanted to provide you guys with a list of must-watch NBA games for the final weekend of the regular season. Stay tuned to end of episode for that but nonetheless here is the list:

Thursday - Bucks vs Celtics, 76ers vs Raptors, Spurs vs Timberwolves, Grizzlies vs Nuggets
Friday - Suns vs Jazz, Cavs vs Nets, Heat vs Hawks, Hornets vs Bulls
Saturday - Playoff teams play, but not really against each other.
Sunday - Final day of NBA regular season. Bucks will play vs Cavs.

The NBA Play-In tournament will run from April 12-15 next week. Hopefully by the time we reconvene on the Suns Mode podcast, next Thursday, The Suns should know who they need to prepare to face off against in the first round. The NBA playoffs will begin on April 16th. I will do my best to keep you guys updated, but the timeline might be a little bit weird. Be prepared to possibly see extra episodes of Suns Mode during playoff weekends.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and make sure to GET HYPED for some PLAYOFF NBA BASKETBALL! It's the best time of the damn year!

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

This episode can be interpreted as a direct transition from last week's episode, titled "Suns Mode 2022 NBA postseason preview, part 1." After discussing the Western Conference's play-in picture last week (seeds 7-10), I wanted to provide the same fair discussion to the better half of the Western Conference playoff bracket. While the Suns are head and shoulders above the rest of the league, there are still roughly 6 games of very important basketball left for each of the other teams in the league; so keeping an eye on the standings will be important.

Before I discussed the 2-6 seeds of the Western Conference, I provided any necessary updates to the Western Conference play-in picture. I will continue to do so next week.
Suns played playoff contenders in the Nuggets last weekend, Warriors this recent Wednesday.
Suns will play play-in contenders in a back-to-back against the Lakers and Clippers on Tuesday and Wednesday this upcoming week.
Suns will play mega-contender Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Why do I enjoy this team?

This week, I also provided some context on what is left for the Suns to chase this season. The key is to stay hungry, and to not lose that necessary intensity before the playoffs.

Chase the franchise-record win total with 6 games left
Solidify personal narratives
Return of CP3

And finally, I provided a list of what should nearly be considered "MUST-WATCH" games for the next seven days. The Suns technically have nothing left to compete for, but tons of other teams do. If you are a genuine hoops enjoyer, you should have a very fun weekend of basketball watching, considering there is also the NCAA Final Four being played (listen for my brief F4 predictions!).

Nets vs Bucks on TNT Thursday (ECF?)
Suns vs Grizzlies on Friday
Timberwolves vs Nuggets Friday ends after suns
Pelicans vs Lakers Friday ends after that
Heat vs Bulls Saturday (Bulls in danger of falling to play in)
Nets vs Hawks on Saturday possible play-in game
Jazz vs Warriors Saturday possible first round matchup
Bucks vs Bulls Tuesday before we beat Lakers
Celtics vs Bulls before Suns vs Clippers Wednesday

And that will do it. Next week, I will provide my final regular season update as we get fully prepared for the playoffs. We will intensely scrutinize both the Western and Eastern conference playoff picture to provide context for how the NBA's wonderful 75th regular season will conclude. It will definitely be a crazy week.

Next week, I also want to start elaborating on the story that is the 2021-22 Phoenix Suns. When we go week by week, it can be easy to push the old stuff behind. The last 3 seasons have been incredibly special, and we must continue to recognize that for our boys. A new episode of Suns Mode will release on Thursday, as expected every week.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

"oh man we sent the bitch ass warriors out their own arena how down bad"

There are NINE games left for the Suns in what has been a magical 75th NBA season. Currently, they sit at 59-14, the only team with a chance to get 60 regular season wins and the franchise record well within reach.

With it almost being time for the 2022 NBA Playoffs, I decided it was time to start preparing for the Suns' journey to avenge their 2021 Finals loss. This week's episode is the first part of the series of Suns Mode playoff previews. In this edition, I focused mainly on who the Suns will look to face in the first round of the playoffs, and that will be one of four of the play-in teams (7-10 seeds) in the Western Conference.

This week, listen for my thoughts on the Pelicans, Lakers, Clippers and Timberwolves.

Evaluating each team based on current record, roster acquisitions and year-over-year improvement
Identifying preseason expectations for each team and determining whether or not they fulfilled those expectations.
Key stats relative to rest of league.

On top of our preview of the Minnesota Timberwolves, I also provide a game recap for the Suns' most recent game against the Wolves on Wednesday night.

Deandre Ayton and the Suns will look to continue their win streak against some very legitimate playoff contenders, including the two best big men in the league.

Thursday @ Nuggets

2nd half of back-to-back after Deandre Ayton has a career night against KAT. Will DA have another big game against big competition?
Nuggets currently 6th seed with chance to slip into play-in picture and become potential 1st round playoff opponent for the Suns.
Deandrola Jokic?

Saturday vs 76ers

First look at 76ers since trading for James Harden
How will Deandre Ayton have performed during the stretch of 3 games against some of the best big man competition in the league?

Wednesday vs Warriors

Revenge for Christmas Day and previous matchup
First look at Warriors since return of Klay Thompson
Possible Suns returning from injury?

And that will do it for this week. As you can tell, tons of playoff basketball to talk about. Not only am I talking about potential first round opponents for the Suns, I also have the privilege to talk about our 3 upcoming opponents; who will also have tons of playoff basketball ahead of them.

Next week, I will continue to chronicle the Suns season and will provide the next edition of our Suns Mode NBA Postseason preview; where I will talk about the better half of the Western Conference playoff picture. But remember, it all starts by beating one of these four play-in teams. We can NOT get too far ahead of ourselves! So keep enjoying Suns basketball and the Suns Mode podcast on a week by week basis. Hope you enjoy :)

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

Were you frustrated about Torrey Craig's recent play since he joined the Suns via trade this February? You were probably not alone, but I brought it into my very own hands to reverse Torrey Craig's shooting curse. I'm sure you will love the story as much as I loved telling it, so tune in for that :)

This week, I try my best to answer the pressing question: Do the Phoenix Suns have the deepest bench in the league? There is a small handful of teams that deserve similar recognition.

Every week on Suns Mode, I recap the games the Suns played within the previous seven days. The Suns lost vs the Raptors on Friday in a very close game, and I have thought of tons of reasons why the Suns lost this game. Get ready for the best and the worst.

Fortunately, that is the worst it gets, because the Suns handled business in their next three games against the Lakers, Pelicans and Rockets to carry them to a still league-best 56-14. I have tons of positive content from these three games as well as my response to Anthony Davis's words before Sunday's game.

On the other side, I also provide a brief preview of the games coming up for the Suns within the next seven days. The Suns will start off playing an Eastern Conference title contender in the Chicago Bulls in Phoenix on Friday, then will begin a short road trip in Sacramento vs the Kings on Sunday before traveling to Minnesota to play the Timberwolves on Wednesday. The games against the Bulls and Timberwolves will be fun for basketball lovers all around the world.

Watch for Ayton/Vucevic, Ayton/KAT matchups in these games

Next week, I will change things up a little bit and provide my very first Playoff preview for this season. I will take out the magnifying glass and critique every team that will be representing the Western Conference within the current playoff picture. Until then, I hope you really enjoy this episode.

S2E24. RIP MAMBA AND GIGI <3 |2 24| <3

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and see you as soon as next Thursday for our Suns Mode playoff preview!

@ValleySunna

Suns are 53-13 and ROLLING toward the best record in the entire league. Accommodate your celebration with 45 minutes of Suns Mode! This week is the best week to celebrate the forgotten role players of the Suns that are contributing despite dealing with major absences in the backcourt. This week: it is all about Cam Johnson, Deandre Ayton and Cam Payne.

Every week on Suns Mode, I recap the games the Suns played in the previous 7 days. We witnessed the Cam Johnson game against the Knicks on Friday; continue listening for recaps on Sunday's finals rematch vs. the Bucks as well as the Florida back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday vs the Magic and the Heat.

This week on Suns Mode, in the spirit of celebrating our young guns, I brought back some classic Suns Mode energy.

5 Suns players who absolutely deserve props and aren't receiving enough.
2 players who need to be encouraged and picked up.

Those 7 players will need to have a good week if the Suns want to clinch home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. While it is nearly inevitable, I would like to see it happen sooner rather than later. The Suns will play 4 games

Friday vs Raptors

Building.
Ayton vs Siakam matchup

Sunday vs Lakers

LeBron in carry mode
Can the Lakers (9th seed) make the playoffs?

Road back-to-back starting Tuesday @ Pelicans

Must enact revenge for what happened a couple weeks ago.
TRUST DA AND YOU WILL WIN

Wednesday @ Rockets

Schedule trap.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and tune in as soon as next Thursday for a new episode of Suns Mode. Playoffs are right around the corner, and you should want to be in the know!

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

The Suns are the first team in the NBA to reach 50 wins. Every single NBA season has its story, and every NBA team has its own story within the story. The Suns are currently traveling on a bumpy road, but show resilience as they write the newest chapter of their 2022 journey — a chapter of basketball without Chris Paul or Devin Booker.

Things started off well in a win vs the Thunder

Full-time Point Book lineup; Book playmaking and defensive clinic
Twins masterclass
Aaron Holiday

Things quickly went south vs the Pelicans, then the Jazz

CJ/Brandon Ingram/NBA Refs combo was unstoppable
Deandre Ayton is simply not getting the ball enough despite being the best available asset on offense.
2nd chance point differential vs Jazz

Before next Suns Mode Thursday, the Suns will play another 4 games. Time to get to the knitty-gritty without CP3 or Book

Friday vs Knicks

Continuity from Blazers game in terms of focus on passing.

Sunday @ Bucks

Utilize Ayton matchup similar to last game vs Bucks in February

Florida back-to-back

Magic Tuesday, Heat Wednesday
Don't allow the Heat to kill from 3, and out-coach Spo
Heat will be much healthier than previous matchup.
Get players off floor vs Magic.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and remember to return as quick as next Thursday for some fresh Suns Mode content!

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

trust ayton and you will win
@ValleySunna

The All-Star break has officially come to an end, and now it is time for the Suns to return to the basketball court. They currently stand at 48-10 with 24 games left to go in the regular season. Playoff basketball is right around the corner, and now is the time to get HYPE.

Sadly, this episode largely revolves around the Chris Paul injury. While this is terrible news, sometimes there can be good within the bad. CP3's absence will allow the Suns to take an extended look at Aaron Holiday, and will allow some extra space for Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet to return to playing form after missing significant time with injuries.

Following the injury news, I provided an All-Star recap.

Devin Booker scored 20 points: favorite moments + stats for the day.
CP3 played despite injury: what does this mean?

Before next week on Suns Mode Thursday, the Suns will play four more games.

Back to Back Thursday @ Thunder, Friday at home vs Pelicans

Are these guys any good?
What to keep an eye on without CP3/Payne on the floor vs Thunder and possibly Pelicans.

Sunday afternoon at home vs Jazz

First true test for the Suns without CP3 since the Western Conference Finals last season.
What makes the Jazz good?
Seize the opportunity.

And one more, Wednesday evening at home vs the Blazers.

What is the best way to describe the Blazers?
Brief recap of recent games for Suns vs the Blazers

Listen following the game previews for my message: What is one thing the Suns can do to guarantee them a few wins this upcoming week? (Hint: it's about someone I really enjoy talking about on here)

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come back as soon as next Thursday for a new week of Suns Mode content!

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

The Suns are heading into the 2022 NBA All-Star break with a league-best record of 48-10, a whopping SIX (6!) games ahead of the 2nd place Warriors.

This week, I did my best to keep things short and sweet for you; but there is still tons to talk about. Last Thursday was a gigantic day for this franchise, as they win their first rematch against the Bucks since losing the Finals on the same day they traded for Torrey Craig and Aaron Holiday.

Gigantic game for Ayton and CP3 vs Giannis and the Bucks
What will Torrey Craig and Aaron Holiday provide for this team and how have they done so far vs Magic/Clippers/Rockets?

Aside from their biggest game of the season vs the Bucks, the Suns attached three more wins against the teams mentioned above, and as always I got some recap work for you guys.

Respect Mikal Bridges DAMNIT

There is an entire weekend of All-Star basketball to get to, and in the spirit of the big game I decided to share 5 of my favorite Suns related All-Star facts. Expect to hear a couple of your favorite names. Also, tune in for my All-Star predictions at the end of the episode.

Who will win Rising Stars, Skills Challenge, Three Point and Slam Dunk Contests?
Who will win?
How much will Book score, and other important stats for the big game.
Who will win All-Star MVP?

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come ready next Thursday as we introduce the second "half" of the season on the Suns Mode podcast. This is when and where it gets real.

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

The Suns are in a beautiful position, but the burning question remains: What will the Suns do to get over the championship hump? Who will the Suns trade for? Much of this episode revolves around the 2022 NBA Trade timeline — meaning the trades that have already happened. I find this necessary to keep you updated not only on where players are moving to, but as well as to update you on which players are still available. Luckily, even after the slew of trades, there are still at least five players the Suns could look at trading for.

The trade deadline is February 10th at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
Last season, the Suns only made one move prior to the trade deadline (Torrey Craig).

The NBA All-Star game will be played on Sunday, February 20th. Both Devin Booker and Chris Paul will be representing the Western Conference.

Will Book and CP3 play for team LeBron or team KD?
Three point contest participants announced.

While the Suns came into their games last week with an 11 game winning streak, they unfortunately could not extend it as they lost to the Hawks.

How does a team beat the Suns?
At least one incredibly stupid decision was made.

The good news: the Suns have won 3 straight games since then, including a back-to-back against two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. I have tons of recap for you all!

If it weren’t for the trade deadline, the only thing that would matter to us right now is the upcoming Suns game vs the Bucks. On Thursday night, the Bucks will arrive in Phoenix to play in the ultimate Finals rematch! I have a preview of the Bucks for you as well.

Suns will also play the Magic, Clippers, and Rockets before they head into the All-Star break next week. On Suns Mode next Thursday, well be (hopefully) talking about some new Phoenix Suns, four more Phoenix Suns wins, and everything NBA All-Star weekend! Hope you enjoy this week’s episode.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS

Mikal Bridges and his Phoenix Suns are working on a very hot win streak; 11 and counting. For the best team in basketball it may seem easy, but nothing is ever guaranteed in the NBA. The troubles of the NBA are part of why we love it so much, and the Suns have gone through adversity just like every other team.

Now that Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder are returning to the Suns lineup, the Suns could be looking to stretch that 11 game winning streak into an upcoming four game road trip at something closer to full strength. As Landry Shamet and Cam Payne continue to miss games, usage between Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Elfrid Payton has become a concern. The Suns are very much looking forward to the return of the bench guards.

Throughout this episode of the Suns Mode Podcast, I discussed plenty of NBA All-Star information and opinion. Could the Suns be looking at 3 All-Stars this season? While entrenched in the All-Star discourse, we must also remember the NBA trade deadline is on February 10. I discuss some new trade rumors.

If you are looking for a podcast where we spread A TON of positive light on our stars, this is the place to be. This week, I spread tons of Mikal Bridges, Devin Booker, CP3, Cam Johnson, Deandre Ayton and Monty Williams propaganda in this one. Only some of the most dominant players on the NBA's best team and the league's best coach — no big deal.

Every week on the Suns Mode podcast I provide recaps of the games within the last week, in chronological order. The Suns have played three games in the last week. Every basketball game is its own gem, and talking about wins against the Timberwolves, Spurs and Nets was very fun for me.

As always, we finish off the episode by getting ready for the games that lie ahead. The Suns are heading on a four game road trip.

Thursday @ Hawks
Saturday @ Wizards
Monday @ Bulls
Tuesday @ 76ers

The Bulls and 76ers are the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings. Enjoy the finishing segment of the episode as a way to provide yourself a mini-update on the teams the Suns will be facing, as well as a mean for you to get HYPED! Imagine 15 wins!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence; and come back next Thursday for more All-Star, trade deadline and everything else that could possibly be relevant to the Phoenix Suns for the next week.

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

The craziness continues — the Suns are the best team in the league by a fair margin, a record of 38-9.

Last week, the topic of the podcast was Devin Booker among his stretch of amazing basketball. He still has it going, but CP3 has recently dipped into his bag the last couple of games. This had been huge in the Suns grabbing their four most recent wins with great fourth quarter performances in each of them. In this episode, I talk about CP3's effectiveness in the last few games and how he was able to take over and win games when they mattered.

The other large part of this episode is focused on the new Phoenix Mercury head coach, Vanessa Nygaard. Nygaard has lived a very fulfilling basketball life and brings tons of big-game experience to this Mercury locker room. Pay attention to the middle of the episode for Coach Nygaard's Suns Mode introduction. Merc up!

Other surrounding topics for this week:

Suns injury report (Deandre Ayton, Cam Payne, Jae Crowder, more).
A great stretch of games for Bismack Biyombo
Pacers reveal ideal trade package for Justin Holiday
Shorthanded Suns take care of lightweight contenders in the Mavericks, Jazz.
Suns have upcoming games vs Timberwolves (Friday), Spurs (Sunday) and Nets (Tuesday)
Could the Timberwolves be a possible playoff opponent for the Suns?

That'll wrap up the week. Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and return to Suns Mode as soon as next Thursday at 12AM Arizona time.

GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS

@ValleySunna

After bringing home the recent Western Conference Player of the Week award, Devin Booker is continuing to shine. In his last three games, he has posted 35, 30 and 48 point performances that have led to dominating road wins. The Suns look to finish out the road trip strong in Dallas before coming back home for a few games. Suns Mode has all the content to keep you kept up on everything Phoenix Suns for the next week.

Aside from celebrating the Legend of Book, much of this episode is myself focusing on several possible trade candidates for the Suns. The February 10th trade deadline is only weeks away, and decisions will most definitely be made. Names we talk about include Eric Gordon and Torrey Craig among several others.
- Aside from who the Suns can trade FOR, I also try to focus on who the Suns can afford to trade AWAY.

While we spend most of the recapping talking about Devin's stretch of awesome performances, I provide surrounding details that should help you understand the game in its own context.
- Deandre Ayton suffers injury early vs Pistons
- Cam Johnson returns from injury and is plays off the bench vs Spurs

And as always, the final segment of the show is myself previewing the Suns set of upcoming games within the next seven days. This week will be much tougher than last week, and the Suns absolutely need to keep winning games to try to extend their lead on the Western Conference. In the next seven days, the Suns will:
- Finish off their road trip in Dallas to take on Luka and the Mavericks (on TNT).
- Fly back home to face the Indiana Pacers on Saturday (just beat Pacers 112-94 this past Friday)
- Play two consecutive games against the Utah Jazz. Phoenix on Monday, Utah on Wednesday
- Who is available? More importantly, who should YOU be watching for?

To end off the show, I encourage you to VOTE for your favorite NBA players to get into the All-Star Game. You can:
- Go to vote.nba.com to submit your lineups once per day
- Go to your NBA App on your mobile device and submit your daily lineups
- Go on Twitter, and include #PlayerFirstNameLastName #NBAAllStar in a tweet.
- Retweet any tweet like the one above, because retweets also count as votes!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come back as soon as next Thursday, January 27th. I'll have another week of hot-pressed Suns content for you. Until then, have a great week and cheer on your Suns!

GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS

DevinBooker #NBAAllStar

DeandreAyton #NBAAllStar

ChrisPaul #NBAAllStar

MikalBridges #NBAAllStar

CameronJohnson #NBAAllStar

@ValleySunna

With a regular season record of 31-9, the Suns are just about halfway through the new campaign. This gives us the perfect opportunity to look at the Suns as a collective this season. Six major takeaways stand out for me so far.
The team hopes to find its midseason groove soon, and the fans are also anxious to see who becomes #NBAAllStars. If anybody finds the early part of the NBA season boring, then this is when the fun begins.

This week, I reviewed the first #NBAAllStar voting returns. D-Book, CP3, and Deandre Ayton all made top 10 fan voting in their position groups, but there is still work to do.
- Vote on the NBA app on Android or iOS devices
- Submit your favorite lineups on vote.nba.com
- Tweet #YourFavoritePlayerFirstAndLastName #NBAAllStar. Each tweet counts as one vote, and each retweet counts as another. Pay attention for days when votes count double.

Those are the big chunks of the episode, but I also recapped the most important positives and negatives from the Suns previous games against the Clippers, Heat, and Raptors.

And as always, a brief preview of the Suns upcoming games to cap off the episode. Before I speak with you again next Thursday, the Suns will play three more games on the road. Games start Friday 1/14 as the Suns travel into Indiana to take on the Pacers, then a Sunday/Monday back-to-back follows. The Suns will travel to Detroit on Sunday to play the Pistons, then to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Monday.

In the interest of good sport. Good luck to the Arizona Cardinals and your favorite NFL Playoff teams this weekend.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence and come back for more Suns Mode as soon as next Thursday, January 20th. See y'all then!

@ValleySunna

VOTE.NBA.COM

GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS

For the third time in four weeks, the Suns Mode podcast is celebrating Big Boy Joy. This time around, the Suns are going through a big man struggle, and made a game-changing move in signing former Hornets/Raptors big man Bismack Biyombo to a 10 day hardship contract. Biyombo has been shining very bright in two games for the Suns, giving us a reason to celebrate!

While we spend a good chunk of time discussing Bismack on the show, there are tons of surrounding topics that provide a fun-filled week of Suns Mode content. Those include:

Get Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, and Cam Johnson into the 2022 NBA All-Star Game by going to vote.nba.com and submitting ballots. ALSO, go on Twitter and #YourFavoritePlayerName and #NBAAllStar in the same tweet!
Spread Cam Johnson 3 point contest propaganda!
Going thru a tough time, Suns face Celtics this past Friday
With the situation that COVID has imposed on the Suns, what has Phoenix done to right the ship?
Recaps of this past Sunday vs Hornets, and Tuesday vs Pelicans
IN-DEPTH previews of the next three games the Suns will play (Thursday vs Clippers, Saturday vs Heat, Tuesday @ Raptors)

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and also remember, if you don't vote for the boys to be All-Stars, then they are NOT going to make it! We will all do our part! See you all again as soon as next Thursday, January 13th!

GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS GO SUNS
BIGBOYJOY

VOTE.NBA.COM
VOTE.NBA.COM
VOTE.NBA.COM
VOTE.NBA.COM

NBAALLSTAR #MIKALBRIDGES

NBAALLSTAR #DEVINBOOKER

NBAALLSTAR #DEANDREAYTON

NBAALLSTAR #CHRISPAUL

NBAALLSTAR #CAMERONJOHNSON

Suns Mode wraps up 2021 with a new episode, and while it may have been the Suns' worst week of basketball in the early part of the season, this week was still tons of fun. This week, we focus most on spreading holiday joy and All-Star propaganda, as well as recapping the Suns previous 4 games.

As promised last week, an update is provided for the Suns current standing in the Western Conference playoff picture, and it may look even better than you had thought.

Surrounding topics for the show:

Suns do well enough in two games vs OKC Thunder
- Cam Johnson is a mad man.
- Neither team had a head coach, Suns take tough 2nd game.
- Jalen Smith is a good young ballplayer these days
- Turnover issues

Suns could not win "Biggest game of the Year" vs Warriors on Christmas Day.
- Steph went 10-27, what else you asking for?
- Role players for GS deserve tons of credit.
- Shots were falling, but the turnovers and rebounding ability for the Suns were a massive contributor in losing this game.

Suns lose heartbreaker to Grizzlies, a one point loss without Jae, DA, or Monty.
- Steven Adams is the man I said he was, even though Desmond Bane and Ja Morant will definitely steal the thunder for winning this one.
- Horrible officiating hinders masterful 4th quarter from the Suns.

With all the COVID protocols going round the league and teams looking very different for the time being, I will not go into much depth on the teams we will be facing.

Friday 12/31 @ Celtics. The house that Devin owns. (Suns Mode Rhyme Time?)
Sunday 1/2 @ Hornets
Tuesday 1/4 vs Pelicans.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, have a safe and wonderful New Year's celebration, and of course don't forget to return for Suns Mode as soon as next Thursday, 1/6!

VOTE.NBA.COM

NBAAllStar #DevinBooker

NBAAllStar #DeandreAyton

NBAAllStar #ChrisPaul

NBAAllStar #MikalBridges

NBAAllStar #CameronJohnson

VOTE.NBA.COM

VOTE.NBA.COM

VOTE.NBA.COM

For the second straight week, we are celebrating Big Boy Joy on Suns Mode. Deandre Ayton is making his case at an All-Star season, and if there were an All-Star game for bench players then JaVale McGee would be making his case as well. Nonetheless, the big boys and the Phoenix Suns look to continue their historic season; win by win.

The early part of the show is dedicated to DA and JaVale and how their Valley Excellence has carried over into the new week. Before this, I also mention the Suns' current place in the western conference playoff picture. Aside from that, I also briefly discuss the current COVID-19 Omicron outbreak within the league, and how the Suns may be playing their cards right VS. the virus.

Liked the "What's up with that?" segment last week? Look forward to it again.

As we transition away from Big Boy Joy, we celebrate The Return of The Chosen One. Devin Booker returned for the team on Sunday and the Suns are now back to optimal health (you know, aside from Frank, Dario, and Nader). In this part of the show I give a very brief recap of how well Landry Shamet and the rest of the team did in Booker's absence.

Look forward to a brief update on the Suns' free throw shooting.

For the big Christmas Day game against the Warriors, I tried my best to find some solid factoids about the Suns and Christmas basketball. I share that with you along with lengthy discussion about what happened the last two times the Suns and Warriors faced off, and what it will take to win Round 3.

Aside from Christmas Saturday, the Suns will play another three games before I speak with you all again on Suns Mode.

Thursday 12/23 vs Thunder
Monday 12/27 vs Grizzlies
Wednesday 12/29 vs Thunder again.

Thunder: they suck, but look out for that possible trade target!
Grizzlies: Damn good team, but beatable. Listen toward the last five-to-ten minutes for my thoughts on how and why this team is performing so well.

Tons of content for this week, and I hope you all enjoy it every bit! Remember to come back as soon as next Thursday, December 30 for another hot week of Suns Mode content!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and of course keep celebrating Big Boy Joy!

CHRISTMAS, CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE
TIME FOR WINS, THE TIME IS NEAR
WE'RE ALL GOOD, WE SHOOT AND PASS
HURRY CHRISTMAS HURRY FAST

DA WANTS TO BREAK THE HOOP
I WANNA SEE THE VALLEY-OOP
WE CAN HARDLY STAND THE WAIT
PLEASE CHRISTMAS DON'T BE LATE.

GO SUNS BABY

@ValleySunna

It has never been a better time to be a big boy, because this week on Suns Mode, we're celebrating Big Boy Joy. I don't want to do to much to spoil the episode in the description but here it is, short and sweet: If you are a big boy, or know what big boy joy feels like, then you had to feel good seeing how our bigs did on Friday vs the Celtics and on Tuesday vs the Blazers. JaVale McGee, Jalen Smith, and of course Deandre Ayton will all be embracing the spotlight in this episode. It would be disrespectful to not give the big boys credit.

As part of my recap for the Celtics game, I introduced a new, permanent segment to Suns Mode, called "What's Up With That?" It's pretty short and sweet, but I had fun and really think you all will enjoy it.

Extreme highs come with extreme lows, and we dealt with both sides when destroying the Celtics then immediately getting destroyed the next game by the Clippers. We talk about the losses too, just not for as long. Of course we also recap the OT thriller vs the Blazers.

From the recaps, we head straight to the previews. As we do every week, the last segment of the episode is dedicated to the next set of games the Suns play before the next time we speak on Suns Mode. Before our next episode on Thursday, December 23rd, the Suns will have played three more games.

Thursday vs Wizards
- 2nd half of a back-to-back for Wizards.

Sunday vs Hornets
- Could LaMelo return?
- Tons of scoring potential
- Big question: Does team defense beat team offense? (it should)

Tuesday @ Lakers
- Not horrible anymore?
- Sike?

And that will do it for the episode, and I'm sure you can tell it is A TON of content. As always, we will be back next Thursday for another week of Suns holiday content!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

CAM JOHNSON FOR ONE! TWO!! (THREEEEEEEEE!!!)
GO SUNS <3

@ValleySunna

While the Suns' illustrious 18 game winning streak has come to an end, there is plenty of time to start a new one. The Suns are still without Devin Booker for the time being, so things will continue to be tough, but everything you want is on the other side of hard. (s/o mont)

In this episode, it was only right that we took time to reflect upon the greatness that was the franchise-record win streak. Throughout much of the first fifteen minutes will you find plenty of bits about the winning streak, including
- Team stats and stat leaders
- How just about everybody found a way to get involved
- Comparison with other large winning streaks in recent history.

After that, you can rely on recaps for the Suns most recent games.
- Suns continue win streak vs Pistons
- Win streak unfortunately ends vs Warriors (we spend a decent amount of time on this one)
- Another win vs the Spurs to get another win streak started.

Once you're past the recaps, you will reach our brief segment of trade/buyout talk. The Suns will almost certainly be looking for that last piece to round out this roster. While many would agree they are playoff ready, you can never be too safe. You have probably seen a lot of talk about some of these players, but this is most definitely the shortlist of Suns options.
- Torrey Craig and more!

And as always, to round out the pod we preview our upcoming games vs the Suns. There will be three games coming up. This segment is best for those looking for preliminary information about the opponent, as well as those looking for basic "keys" to winning the game. We don't give these guys too much attention this week, so this segment is fairly short.

Friday vs Celtics
- Sunna will be there!

Monday @ Clippers
Tuesday @ Blazers
-Would love to see Booker return for either of these games.

It's been another week on Suns Mode, and the Suns are still ROLLING the league over. The current win streak has now reached 17, a number that ties the franchise record. While this all sounds like good news, there is a hiccup; the Suns will have to go for that franchise-record winning streak WITHOUT Devin Booker.

For this week's episode, we take a look at how the Suns absolutely run New York (BING BONG!) and came back to run the supposed best team in the league right after.
- The Knicks might not be in Panic mode, but they for sure ain't in Suns mode.
- The Nets are a really good team with a roster that is supplemented pretty well (despite no Kyrie). Do NOT let others make the excuse that the Nets lost this game solely because James Harden did not play well.
- Big questions arise after the Suns' statement win against the Warriors.

The next big focus for this week was making sure we give Devin Booker his due appreciation. 17 games is a gigantic winning streak, and it definitely would not be there without Book. In the middle of the episode, we recap Devin Booker's amazing play over the span of the winning streak. As part of this recap, we come up with some resolutions that the Suns may decide to stick to with the absence of Booker. He will definitely be missed (hopefully not for long).

And our last big focus is previewing the upcoming games for the Suns. By the next time we talk on Suns Mode, the Suns will have played three more games.

Thursday vs Pistons
Friday @ Warriors (Round 2! DING DING!)
Monday vs Spurs

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and join back as soon as next Thursday, December 9th to talk some more NBA Basketball on Suns Mode!

THANK YOU MONTY, KELLY, CHRIS, JJ, RICKY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY DEVIN. LET'S GO SUNS!!!

@ValleySunna

The Suns have won 14 straight games as of now. I am just as emotional as you all, knowing what kind of crap the Suns have gone through in the past decade. Through most of Devin Booker's career, he would've played game 60 by the time he got win #15, so this one is for him. Winning streaks this long are VERY difficult to come by, and I don't care who is/isn't playing on a given day.

The main topic of this episode is why the national media may not be paying as much attention to the Suns as most fans argue they should. Knowing what we see on TV every day, I can come up with multiple reasons why sports networks aren't reporting about the Suns.

As we do every week, look for some important stats in the middle of the episode. Devin Booker superfans will be happy they stuck around to listen to this one.

Aside from all of that, a the last remaining big portion of the episode is dedicated to who the Suns have on the upcoming schedule. Before the next episode of Suns Mode next Thursday, the Suns will have played three more games.

Friday @ Knicks
Saturday @ Nets
- In this episode, I found it fitting to revisit our most recent draft day trade. If you wonder how Jevon Carter or our could've-been draft pick are doing for Brooklyn, I highly suggest listening to this part.
Tuesday vs Warriors
- This game could settle who the best pound-for-pound regular season NBA team is.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come see us next Thursday! It's only gonna get better!

@ValleySunna

GO SUNS!

visit https://soundcloud.com/kendricklamarcompton/sets/overly-dedicated-kendrick and listen 100 times you won't regret it

The Suns have found themselves out of an early slump again, this time in a much quicker fashion. Since losing to the Kings in a heartbreaker, the Suns have won ten straight games. It hasn't always looked perfect, or even good for that matter, but the Suns are back to winning tons of games, and that is all we care about.

Like I said, it hasn't always looked good. The Suns have had to deal with moving pieces and winning tough games. The first main topic we go over this week is how incredibly difficult it is for ten straight wins to fall into place. Take into account the upper-management turmoil within the franchise, and you're left shocked even further.

This week we also provide some player outlook on some very important pieces to the Suns' equation for success: Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and Mikal Bridges. These guys have had to pick each other up many times in the past year, and Mikal was doing a lot of that for the other two this season. Mikal is starting to struggle shooting the ball, and now his boys need to pick him up.

The last major topic we go over is the Suns situation with Jalen Smith, and to a certain extent Abdel Nader. It's kind of a clown circus over here.

And from there, we slide over into the preview segment. The Suns will have played four more games before we talk again on Suns Mode.

Friday vs Mavericks
Sunday vs Nuggets
Monday @ Spurs
Wednesday @ Cavaliers
-Catch this segment for brief previews as well as injury reports (they are pretty spicy this week!)

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and make sure to come back for Suns Mode as soon as next Thursday, November 25. Thanksgiving day. We will have tons to talk about, hopefully including a 14 game winning streak. Cheers!

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

BEAT THE MAVS
FRY THE NUGGETS
BEAT THE SPURS
BEAT THE CAVS

@ValleySunna

Hello Suns Mode listeners,

welcome to the kaminsky week.

Frank the Tank has been absolutely phenomenal, filling his role as the team has demanded production from him with Ayton out. Kaminsky scored a career high on Wednesday vs the Trail Blazers and Suns Mode does its part to celebrate.

As we do every week, the focus was to call out some performances within the last week (good or bad) that could use some extra encouragement. We don't slander players here. This week, our main focus was from behind the three point line.

The other main chunk of this episode is my opinion on why we can't give Ayton away. For the millionth time, he needs to be a Sun.

Aside from that, the Suns play four more games before next Thursday when Suns Mode returns, starting with a three game road trip. We provide the adequate weekly preview.
- Friday @ Grizzlies
- Sunday @ Rockets
- Monday @ Timberwolves
- Wednesday vs Mavericks.

Surrounding topics for the episode
- Suns performance in the clutch
- Complimenting the guard depth
- Suns three-point defense
- Weekly check on Devin Booker 3 point percentage.

For those that have been missing out on betting outlook, I have taken a hefty break from gambling, due to some heartbreaking parlay busts. I'll be back, but I promise you I am not keeping any secrets in the meantime.

Remember to come back for more Suns Mode next Thursday, where I can imagine the Suns-Mavericks rivalry will take up a large portion of the show. We will see.

Until then, spread love and #ValleyExcellence

FRANK THE TANK. FRANK THE TANK. FRANK THE TANK. FRANK THE TANK.

GO SUNS <3

The Suns have slightly revived what was a horrible start to the NBA season, and now sit at 3-3 after consecutive wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans. While the team has looked better, the bottom line is that the Suns have not been performing to the elite defensive standard that they have placed on themselves and even though they won both of the last two games, they won't get very far playing the way they have.

Take the wins how you get them. 3-3 is 3-3 no matter what happens. With the possibilities of Deandre Ayton and Cameron Payne continuing to miss time still looming, the Suns may have to continue grabbing some 'dirty wins.' In this episode of Suns Mode, we recap the past week for most of the Suns roster, comparing performances from the previous four games compared to the wins vs the Cavs and Pelicans. These players will all have objectives they look to fulfill in the upcoming games, especially if Deandre Ayton remains out.

Before the next time we gather on Suns Mode, the Suns will have played four more games.
- Thursday vs Rockets
- Saturday vs Hawks
- Monday @ Kings
- Wednesday @ Trail Blazers

Two new opponents, and two who are VERY familiar. If you come out of this episode looking for more info about the Trail Blazers or the Kings, I invite you to check the two most recent episodes of Suns Mode (episodes 3 and 4 this season).

Lastly, we open the episode (lol ironic) by talking about the Suns not using the third year option on Jalen Smith. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. It is 100% disappointing but only by listening can you find out how 100% disappointing.

Remember to join next week for some more Suns Mode, as early as next Thursday, Midnight AZ time! (THERE IS A TIME CHANGE SOON Y'ALL WATCH OUT)

Spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come hang out for a big time episode next week!

@ValleySunna

The Suns are off to a 1-3 start. no bueno. With 78 games left, the season is far from over but the team still needs to prove they can play better than they have shown. The Suns have lost two straight games vs the Trail Blazers and Kings, both very beatable teams considering that the Suns are fresh off of a finals run. To continue the home stand, the Suns will play the Cavaliers (Saturday) and the Pelicans (Tuesday), two more teams that are very beatable... considering that the Suns are fresh off a finals run.

In this episode, Suns Mode Sunna points out some slips in the early Suns narrative.
- CP3 was one of the more reliable hands through the first three games, but vs the Kings...
- Deandre Ayton didn't have the best start through the first three games, but vs the Kings...
- Devin Booker finally getting a large scoring night vs Kings

Plus other key stats for the team (defensive, free throws, etc.)
- solid free throw shooting rant btw

We also believe in giving credit where it is due. Mikal Bridges, Landry Shamet, and Elfrid Payton have been DAWGS in their roles through four games.

We would be doing an injustice to the sport of basketball and the listeners of Suns Mode if we didn't acknowledge good play on the other side. Last week, we said Harrison Barnes was somebody that can win games for the Kings. This week, we talk about him making a super-difficult-buzzer-beating-game-winning three pointer on the Suns court, yet the Harrison Barnes narrative in 2021 will tell you he is a bum. Apparently, if I hadn't said anything about Barnes last week, everybody would've been surprised to see Barnes score the way he did. I don't gotta be Phil Jackson to know basketball. I see ballers and I talk about them when the Suns play against them. Harrison a baller.

And that's what we talk about. As you can see, it is kinda all over the place, but the main goal is to recap the good and bad (mostly bad) from the previous week and gather everything we need to have a positive week come ahead of us. Next game mentality. First, the Cavs; then, the Pelicans.

Make sure to join me next Thursday, as I will have a new week of Suns Mode content, ready for the enjoyment of basketball fans all around the world! Thank you for listening.

The Ayton Mode er... I mean Suns Mode podcast returns this week and if you read the title you'll know; the Phoenix basketball community has had a decent amount to feel disappointed about lately. If you have a longer memory, you are probably still disappointed with the Phoenix Mercury's loss in the WNBA Finals. The Suns Mode podcast provides space to sulk in the pain.

Maybe you're not disappointed in the Mercury, but really wanted to see Deandre Ayton sign an extension this summer. That didn't happen, and just about every true fan is disappointed. The most pro-Ayton podcast in the Valley shows it's true colors yet again this week.

If you have super short memory, which is good for this beautiful sport, you are probably disappointed in the Suns dropping their opening game to the Nuggets, the team they swept in the playoffs. The reaction to this game will take the bulk of this episode.

Every week we will also preview the upcoming games for the Suns. Before the next time we gather on Suns Mode, the Suns will have played three more games.

Friday @ Lakers
Saturday @ Trail Blazers
Wednesday vs. Kings

While looking at these three games, we take a look at how the Suns come into this game as well as their opponents. The Lakers and Blazers are both looking to bounce back from unexpected losses in their opening games, just like the Suns are. During this episode we outline some expectations for the Suns and their opponents.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and make sure you come back next to Suns Mode Thursday or as soon as you can thereafter, as we will continue to have hot content!

BEAT LA
BEAT THE BLAZERS
DETHRONE THE KINGS

LETS. GOOOOOOOOOOO SUNS

@ValleySunna

The title speaks for itself -- the NBA season is about to begin! The Suns are set to face the Nuggets for their first regular season game on October 20th, and this episode of Suns Mode is the last time we discuss the state of the team before the real games are played.

Before we preview the regular season, we should first wrap-up the preseason. Here are some of the questions we tried to answer.
- Who will take the 10th rotation spot?
- When is Cam Johnson on the court and who is he running with?
- How will Elfrid Payton round out point guard duties? Does he fit well with Payne?
- Are Chasson Randle, Chandler Hutchison any good?
- Jalen Smith at the power forward compared to the center position.

Here's how we are going to preview the 2021 NBA Season
- Season predictions regarding Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Cam Payne and Cam Johnson
- Who will be the top five on the Suns in three pointers made?
- Who will win, as well as who will earn runner-up honors for the NBA Awards (MVP, DPOY, ROY, etc.) as well as some Low-Risk High-Reward picks for the gamblers.
- Power Rankings with record predictions for the Western Conference
- Rankings for the Eastern Conference
- Brief talk about the Denver Nuggets

Lastly, we introduced two new semi-permanent fixtures to the podcast
- Last week and the week before, Suns Mode went Merc Mode! As long as there is content, we will revisit the state of the Phoenix Mercury every week. We shall move as one, and my love for the Mercury is strong just like my love for the Suns. I hope you all feel the same.
- The Suns Mode Parlay. Essentially, we will be picking a series of several moneylines hoping that we win money. I pick these games with pure objectivity, as if I were making the bets with someone else's money. If you trust me, let's win some money. We will do this every week starting with this episode.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and definitely make sure to tune in to the Suns Mode podcast next Thursday, as we are back to the knitty-gritty. Content hotter than the Sun is on the way.

@ValleySunna

If you couldn't tell by the title, the fate of our favorite basketball team lies in the hands of one very wealthy man: Robert Sarver. In recent speculation, it is reported that the Phoenix Suns are reluctant to give Deandre Ayton his max contract extension. While we all know this is very ridiculous, we must find an answer as to WHY this contract extension is in question. In very common Suns Mode fashion, Sunna proves (for the fiftieth time) why Deandre Ayton is worthy of a max contract extension.

Aside from the Deandre Ayton - Robert Sarver contract drama, we also have two games of preseason basketball to talk about, and two more preseason games coming up before it is time to welcome the Nuggets to open the season. Last week, we outlined a few key things to look for through the Suns' preseason stretch. This week, we follow up on those keys and continue to look for these things and more as the Suns wrap up the preseason.

While we are getting rightfully excited for the Suns season to kick off, there is still some amazing basketball out there! The Phoenix Mercury are coming off of a bad performance in game 4, and are heading to a winner-take-all game 5 with a trip to the WNBA Finals at stake. Let's make sure to give our Merc the Suns Mode salute as they strive to keep Phoenix basketball alive. MERC UP <3

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come see us next Thursday, as we wrap up the preseason and serve up the Suns Mode Regular Season preview! Let's get it!

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP!

It's finally here: the beginning of the NBA season is now upon us. This week on Suns Mode, training camp is the biggest topic as Media Day has brought us tons of enjoyable content. We pour through the best content from Media Day, and that will constitute a bulk of the episode.

Another big topic for this week is the newly signed contract extension for Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. Could this affect the possible upcoming contract extensions for Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges? Come and listen.

With training camp starting up, preseason basketball games will be coming up very soon. Before the next episode of Suns Mode next Thursday, the Suns will have already played their first two preseason games.
-Monday 10/4 @ Sacramento Kings
-Wednesday 10/6 vs Los Angeles Lakers
-What to look for from these teams, as while as 5 keys to the start of the Suns preseason.

And for my favorite rendition of bonus content: we're switching to MERC MODE! Come join me in giving our girls the proper hype they deserve! For those unfamiliar with the Phoenix Mercury or WNBA basketball in general, I feel this week's episode of Suns Mode will not only have you hyped up for this series vs the Las Vegas Aces, but educate you about our wonderful team as well.

Phoenix is a basketball city. Simple as that.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and come join us again as soon as next Thursday 10/7 for our next week of awesome Suns content.

MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP MERC UP

LETS GO SUNS

If you're a gambler, you are already well aware of the fact that sports betting has become legal in Arizona and is now legal in many other places as well. If you aren't a gambler, this would be a good episode to help you navigate the sports betting world. This week, we provide some necessary updates about the Suns and add on to the overflow of offseason speculation, but we also look at the Suns (and others) in the sports book.

We strive to answer:
- Who will win the coveted NBA awards (MVP, DPOY, MIP, ROY, COY etc.) this year? and what are the odds?
- How many wins will the Suns grab this season? Bet the over or under?
- What are the odds the Suns win the NBA championship, the Western Conference, or even the Pacific Division?
- What are the odds the Suns make the playoffs?
- How are the Suns looking in single game bets?

Other surrounding topics:
- Discussing additions to the assistant coaching staff this summer in Bryan Gates and Jarrett Jack
- Thaddeus Young, and a couple more possible trade candidates for the Suns

No clever title this time, because this week we had to tackle a very big question.

The question: Do I think the Suns can make another championship run.

What do we strive to accomplish in this episode?
- Take a deep breath, and look at our past two seasons through the perspective of James Jones.
- Provide real explanations for how Jones felt about the Suns' position to win throughout the respective timeline.
- Putting together an 'equation' so to say, describing how the Suns went from a 26-39 pre-bubble in 2020, to a 51-21 NBA Finals contender in the 2021 season, as well as adding to the equation so that it all equals out to, "SUNS NBA FINALS CHAMPS 2022"

If you listen hard enough, the bars may come.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, maybe also spread the word to your friends about the Suns Mode podcast!

Tune in as soon as next Thursday, as I'm sure we will have a lot of awesome Suns content.

@ValleySunna

"FLEXIN ON (the los angeles) FAKERS WITH GREEN NECKS AND NO SKILL"

(rap talk for boo lakers go suns)

Much like you can never judge a book by its cover, you should never judge a podcast episode by its title. Recently, the Suns have provided us the most exciting news in weeks by signing 25-year-old forward Chandler Hutchison, a former first round draft pick. He is likely filling a two-way roster spot.

Regarding Chandler Hutchison, we will be trying to figure out two things:
- What made his value plummet from 22nd overall draft pick, to a two-way contract in the span of only three years?
- What will he provide for the Suns? (expl. of two-way deals, comparison to others on team)

As always, there are going to be surrounding topics for the show. First some thoughts and prayers sent Suns fan-favorite Cedric Ceballos' way, as he us currently dealing with COVID-19 in the ICU.
- Free agency news.
- Updating the trade rumor wire
- A huge announcement at the end of the show. If you would like to look without context: bigleaguebs.substack.com

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, Suns Mode will make sure to bring some back for next Thursday.

"it's purple and orange or nothing"

Suns Mode Sunna bring in another week of Suns content. This week, we talk mainly about the Phoenix Suns' developmental crisis (we may have to start calling it that at some point). The Suns have recently waived young guard Ty-Shon Alexander leaving many people shocked and worried, especially after the Suns got rid of their G-League team last year. With Jalen Smith potentially on the move it adds even more drama. This has been an awesome debate covered by many corners of the Suns community, we just wanted to do our bit.

Surrounding topics for this week:
- Shams Charania confirms Suns interest in Thaddeus Young
- Suns atop NBA.com Western Conference power rankings.
- Devin Booker back in the lab.
- New Paul Millsap (free agent) rumor.
- sunsmode.com is no longer in commission. This will not affect the podcast whatsoever, but do make sure to tune in next week, as Sunna will have a huge announcement.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence.

Good luck in your fantasy football endeavors if applicable.

The Suns Mode podcast publishes new episodes every Thursday, at midnight Arizona time and you can reach Suns Mode wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

WEEEEEEEEEE LOVE THE SUNS BABYYYYYYYYYY!

WHO???? Unfortunately not Mike Jones, but Suns Mode Sunna brings you the 44th episode of the Suns Mode Podcast. We begin our episode by honoring Suns legend Paul Westphal whose #44 is retired in the purple and orange.

Much like last week's episode, we are partaking in some offseason speculation. With one spot left on the roster and Jalen Smith having completed his first Summer League, NBA analysts have been busy creating possible trade proposals and free agent rumors. Last week we talked about the Suns upgrading their team by adding Brandon Ingram, so come see which big name it is this week!
Aside from the big trade proposal, we also discuss a few possible free agent options for the Suns.
If you have any ideas, whether they be related to player acquisition or not, the Suns Mode #Mailbag is always open. You may send ANY question, thought, or basketball related concerns to @ValleySunna on Twitter or through valleysunna@gmail.com

Surrounding topics for this weeks show:
- The Suns Mode podcast appreciates any content submitted by Suns Mode listeners.
- Monty Williams recently spoke about the appearance he made in the Bucks' locker room after losing the championship series.
- Suns release concept for new uniforms.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

LET'S GO SUNS LET'S GO SUNS LET'S GO SUNS LET'S GO SUNS

See y'all on Thursday.

Suns Mode Thursday is back, and this week we have the first episode mainly catered towards Jalen Smith. Stix just finished his first Summer League, and we talk about the best to come from his performance. While we keep things entirely positive, there is something that happened in the last Summer League game that had many speculating about Smith's future in the league. Suns Mode is simply adding more timber to the speculation bonfire. You'll see what I mean.

Other surrounding topics for this week's show:
- JaVale McGee signing official
- An interesting drop (perhaps a bomb) on Devin Booker
- Important NBA games have been released including opening week and Christmas Day, as the NBA gears to release the full schedule in the coming weeks.
- Some interesting facts about the Suns' last Christmas Day matchup.
- Enjoy the rest of your summer, and pray for us returning to college (sad face).

Suns basketball is currently on hold, but there is never a dead moment in the Suns community. Suns Mode contributes to that by publishing new episodes weekly during the offseason as well. Come join us next Thursday, as we will definitely have some fun talking Suns.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

It is officially 2021 Suns Mode Offseason.... season????
All joking aside, the Suns Mode podcast gets back on its true footing much like the Suns have done to start the offseason. There is a master plan. Many have called it something dumb or cliche, like a process or a scheme. This is a master plan. While the Suns have been quiet compared to other teams making splash moves, they have made moves to cement themselves as a title contending team for the 2021-22 season.

This week on Suns Mode, we talk about the deals that the Suns have made over the past week, and how they will serve as supplemental pieces on the Suns roster. We also explore a couple of the options left in the free agent market, and the risks associated with said options. Possible acquisitions of players via trade are also discussed. The other main topic of the episode revolves around the Suns' contract extension scenarios; more specifically why they have not happened yet.

Surrounding topics for this week.
- Devin Booker and Team USA Basketball win Gold!
- Update on possible free agent targets discussed in last week's episode of Suns Mode.
- Up to date picture of the Suns active roster.
- Spending options available to the Suns
- Three takeaways from the first two games of Summer Suns action, setting the tone for the final three games.

Tune in for another episode next week on Thursday. The end of the offseason is inevitable, but it has NOT happened yet! So we stay rolling! We will have some more Summer Suns to talk about and what the Suns continue to do with the offseason. With one roster spot left, the Suns are really in a good position to place the cherry on top. Whatever they do, Suns Mode will be here for you.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

GOOOOOOOO SUNS <3

It is NBA Free Agency Season, and the Suns and their competitors have hit the ground running. As of right now, the Suns have checked off a couple off boxes early in the offseason, in retaining Chris Paul + Cam Payne while also signing JaVale McGee to come off the bench at center. With those pieces falling into place, we take a look at the Suns' spending position, and some realistic free agent targets for the Suns going forward.

Surrounding topics for this week's show:
- Suns pull off draft day trade, sending 29th pick and Jevon Carter to the Nets for Landry Shamet
- Pacers sign Torrey Craig
- Lakers, Jazz add multiple pieces
- Warriors may look to make splash trade
- Much of West staying stagnant or getting worse
- East getting more competitive (Bulls, Knicks, Heat)
- Five realistic free agent targets
- 2 unrealistic free agent targets + the unlikelihood of the sign and trade
- Suns begin Summer League play on Sunday
- Team USA Basketball chance at a medal

Tune in next Thursday, as we will have tons of jalen smith to talk about, and surely much more as NBA Free Agency continues to fall into place. Training camp will be here before you know it... then preseason... you know what's after.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

"puttin' defenders in the mix like Stix"

It is 2021 NBA Draft time, and y'all already know what it is; it is time for all of the Suns fans and podcasters to pretend they have been paying attention to the draft. While many of us believed our team showed flashes of perfection this past season, the harsh reality is that this team is rather desperate to make some improvements this offseason, with the utmost pressure placed on grabbing a competent backup center and another shot-creating guard.

In this episode, I studied and analyzed film for several prospects, and will be sharing my impressions with you all. The prospects that I chose have all been selected by the Suns in at least one mock draft and are all within the 15-40 range. Many of these guys will likely not be available at the 29th pick, but I can almost guarantee that one or two of them will. I will also give you guys my absolute favorite prospect that the Suns may have a realistic shot at drafting.

We also give the audience an update on team USA basketball, and Devin Booker as they continue their trip to Tokyo as gold medal hopefuls.

Next week on Thursday, August 5th, the Suns Mode podcast will return, and we will talk about the Suns' draft selection as well as any further developments about free agency, as that will all heat up over the next couple of weeks. Hope to see you all then!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

"#RiledForMiles" "#TiedToMcBride"

If you know, you know. The Suns have just lost in the 2021 NBA Finals, and we are all left wondering what could've been. Reality is, we will never know; but the future ahead is very bright from the Suns. Here at Suns Mode, we don't mean to ignore everything that sucks about losing, but we are still 100% in the mindset that this team can contend for an NBA title in the coming years. For now, we will just have to wait.

To help with the waiting game, the Suns Mode Podcast will be introducing Simba French with the Nassau Guardian. Simba has been covering sports for the Bahamian outlet since 2018, and had lots of great things to say regarding Deandre Ayton, the Olympics, a very special draft prospect and perhaps best of all, Bahamian pride. Hope you all enjoy him being on the show as much as I did. For our very first guest, the experience was awesome.

For those that need a reminder, the Suns Mode Podcast does not stop here. We will be here next Thursday, July 29th and the following Thursdays to come. Hope you guys are ready for our first ever full Suns Mode offseason.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence, and be happy that we made it here :). 28 teams can not say that.

The Suns and their fans have been humbled. After taking an early 2-0 lead at home, they have squandered games 3 and 4 on the road allowing the Bucks to tie the series at 2-2. In this episode of the Suns Mode Podcast, we talk about everything that came out of games 2, 3, and 4 (good and bad... mostly bad), what exactly could've happened and how the Suns can adjust for a VERY important game 5 and beyond.

Topics for this week:
- Suns Mode is searching for a guest for our podcast airing next week: Specifically, we are looking for an NBA fan from the Bahamas, who has some insight on how the nation has rallied behind Deandre Ayton. We will have a very nice basketball conversation :)
- Superstitions
- Bucks adjusted very well after game 1
- Game 3 was very hard to learn from
- Game 4 should be very easy to learn from
- Bucks bench taking advantage
- KEYS to winning game 5 and beyond
- How next week's show will look depending on outcomes
- Thank you all.

Make sure to tune in for our show next Thursday, July 22nd. It's gonna be a wild one for sure.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

BEAT THE BUCKS BEAT THE BUCKS BEAT THE BUCKS BEAT THE BUCKS

"EVERYTHING YOU WANT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HARD"

The Phoenix Suns have officially played in their third ever NBA Finals, and emerged victorious in game 1 against the Bucks. Suns Mode Sunna goes over takeaways from game 1 and how to continue doing great in the upcoming games.

Topics for this week's show:
- Why we didn't do #SunsModeInTheBonus last week
- Giannis healthy?
- Cam Johnson pursuing his Master's degree.
- Super Awesome Stats of game 1
- Dario Saric injury and what it means for the Suns
- Three major factors contributing to the Suns success in game 1
- 5 possible ways we can expect the Bucks to adjust in game 2 and beyond.
- 3 Suns players to watch out for in the upcoming games.

Make sure to tune in to our next episode of the Suns Mode Podcast next Thursday, July 15th, as we will continue to follow the Suns and talk some ball! Next episode will air after the Suns have finished Game 4.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

BEAT THE BUCKS BEAT THE BUCKS BEAT THE BUCKS BEAT THE BUCKS

"sleep is for the weak, not the anxious."

The Suns have officially punched their ticket to the 2021 NBA Finals, and Suns Mode Sunna is here for it. In this episode, we emotionally go over the frustrations that the Phoenix Suns have dealt with throughout the entire NBA regular season and playoffs. Most importantly, this episode serves it's purpose as a safe celebration space for each and every Phoenix Suns fan. Go ahead and get lit, you deserve it!

Hope you all enjoy this episode and please, PLEASE keep doing whatever you have been doing! Keep up our good mojo!

Stay tuned to our podcast feed and @ValleySunna on Twitter for updates on when #SunsModeInTheBonus III will re published (after conclusion of Eastern Conference Finals)

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS LETS GO SUNS

"i think this might be the very best f**king moment of my life. Let's get this chippy"

You already know what it is, as @Ayton_SZN on twitter said, it's the @ValleySunna Ayton Haters rant! Deandre Ayton's fans, stans, and supporters should be all over this one, as we really bring the smack down on some WAY too early criticisms of Deandre Ayton.

Other topics:
- The fake Drake of Suns Twitter once said "not everybody needs a podcast" when talking about our pro-Ayton show. Is he being ignorant? (yes oh my god why is this a question)
- Tokyo 2020: Will Devin still play? + rest of roster announcement
- Deandre Ayton pulled off the best play in Suns' postseason history.
- More idiots
- CP3 ready to come back for game 3, Kawhi still out
- Giving credit to our boy, I mean our DAWG Cam Payne!! CP15!!!!
- Revisiting keys from the bonus episode (I was coincidentally CRAZY correct)
- New keys for the Suns winning in SIX OR LESS

Make sure to tune in next Thursday, July 1st for our next episode of the Suns Mode Podcast, which will follow Suns-Clippers Game 6 if it happens. We will talk more about whatever we need to talk about with Suns-Clippers, and also focus our attention to the Eastern Conference Finals between the Bucks and Hawks to see who will make the Finals! See you then!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA

"Suns in __, don't f'n matter"

You already know what it is! As promised, we brought you guys a bonus episode (but not without some hard work!!!)

Just talking more Suns in 4, as well as some film study about the Nuggets.

An attempt at an amateur learning professional basketball strategy: We talked about the effectiveness of the "Spain" pick and roll that we saw the Suns running.

Enjoy!

BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA

SunsModeInTheBonus.

Come see us again on Thursday, per usual!

@ValleySunna

The Suns have officially completed their sweep of the Nuggets, and are waiting to see their opponent in the Western Conference Finals. Regardless of who it is between the Jazz and Clippers, you can definitely rely on another installment of #SunsModeInTheBonus again this coming weekend!

Other topics covered on the show:
- sunsmode.com update! (new piece on CP3 COVID situation)
- The Suns in 4 guy
- Nikola Jokic's brother playing tough.
- Hawks/Sixers, Nets/Bucks updates
- More on the CP3 situation
- How the Clippers-Jazz series fits in with the CP3 situation
- Injuries have plagued this season and postseason. How should we feel?
- Asterisk season?
- NBA Awards season and snubs
- Revisiting Sunna's Keys to win from last week.

SunsModeInTheBonus Part II following the results of Jazz-Clippers. Right here!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

SUNS IN 4 SUNS IN 4 SUNS IN 4 SUNS IN 4

BROOM BROOM BROOM BROOM

You already know what it is: The second round of the playoffs have begun and the Suns are currently leading the Nuggets 2-0. Suns Mode Sunna goes over the best talking points following Suns-Nuggets Game 2 and provides further insight on claims made in our recent Suns Mode Bonus episode. Much of this episode focuses on how the Suns make it out of this series.

Other topics covered in the show:
- Nikola Jokic about Deandre Ayton after game 1: "He knows what he needs to do and he's doing it at a really high level. He's a real two-way player, doing it on both ends. I don't think you can ask for a better mentality from a young player." How DA has performed well and how he continues to work hard as the Suns chase glory.
- Are Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert deserving of their recent awards and honors?
- I was wrong. Simple as that.
- In the bonus episode, we talked about how the consensus favored the Nuggets bench over the Suns. We break down the bench matchups so far.
- CP3 still hurt?
- Touching up on our Keys to beat the Nuggets from the bonus episode, as well as updating our performance expectations for games 3 and 4.

The next episode of the Suns Mode Podcast will air on Thursday, June 17th and by then, Suns-Nuggets should have gone through game 5 (or 4 if it's a sweep). We will talk more about Suns-Nuggets, how to win, as well as how the Clippers-Jazz series is looking.

As always, spread love and #ValleyExcellence

@ValleySunna

BEAT THE NUGGETS BEAT THE NUGGETS BEAT THE NUGGETS BEAT THE NUGGETS

SUNSMODEFIFTYPIECE

We got a bonus episode this week!

As promised, we have a brand new episode to go along with everything we talked about this week. Now, we know that the Suns have made Round 2 of the Playoffs, and that they will play the Nuggets. Suns Mode Sunna provides some great keys that the Suns should emphasize on for them to take advantage in this series.

Other topics covered in the show:
- Series prediction for non-Suns matchups
- Best takeaways from Suns series vs Lakers.
- Respect Deandre Ayton
- Risk vs Reward: The Anthony Davis Dilemma.
- Speaking point: What did the Bubble really mean?
- Speaking point: Revisiting reactions to the CP3 trade.

Make sure to stay tuned to our regular schedule, as we will schedule another episode for Thursday May 10th, and we will talk about how the Suns look coming out of game 2.

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

@ValleySunna

BEAT THE NUGGETS BEAT THE NUGGETS BEAT THE NUGGETS BEAT THE NUGGETS

We are right in the thick of things. The Lakers are playing basketball without Anthony Davis, and the Suns made them pay in game 5. Do the Suns have what it takes to win the series in either 6 or 7? That's the question that we work to answer this week.

Other topics handled during this show:

Best views from the rest of playoffs, including ongoing series between the Nuggets and Trail Blazers.
LeBron gave Anthony Davis injury advice.
James Jones answered the call for CP3's injury status.
Most important factor for game 6.
Four keys to the Suns winning the series
Battling anxiety with #ValleyExcellence

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence. See you all next week.

-@ValleySunna

SunsModeInTheBonus

Suns Mode has now kicked into the next gear as it is now time to get REAL, and talk about the 2021 NBA Playoffs. We revisit predictions made for ALL 8 playoff series and shine the light on some of the most interesting nuggets from around the NBA during the first two games of the postseason. We also talk about the insanity that was the first two games of Suns-Lakers and what it was like to experience Game 2 at the renovated PHX Suns Arena.

Other topics for the show:
- The first game back in the playoffs was a very important win to get.
- Deandre Ayton is borderline the best player of this series.
- CP3's shoulder injury that poses the question: Could the Suns win game 3 or possibly even 4 without a healthy CP3 from particularly a guard play standpoint?
- Anthony Davis purposefully kicks other men in the nuts like he is a student in the first grade.
- AD supposedly "pissed" at Monday's practice.
- Keys to staying alive in the series, as well as what we found most and least impressive from the Suns during games 1 and 2.

BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

Please tune in next week, Thursday June 3rd as we continue to #RallyTheValley! See ya soon!

"let's goooooooooo suns!"

The Suns have now figured out who they will be playing in the first round of the season, and it looks to be Mic... I mean LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Suns Mode Sunna continues the podcast's rookie season by making the first playoff appearance. We talk about not only the Suns playoffs and their series against the Lakers, but the rest of the playoff picture as well, including the East!

Other topics covered in the show:

Suns finished 51-21. This is the team's best finish since...?
MVP, COY, and DPOY news/debates
Important final regular season stat lines for Suns starters
Raja Bell recently said the Phoenix Suns were "fake" contenders. We respond.
Headlines of the Play-in tournament + reactions.
Suns Mode will be representing at game 2! (i got playoff tickets!!!!)
Predictions for all the first round matchups
Keys to beating the Lakers.

Thank you for listening, and remember to tune in to next week's show on Thursday, May 27th, because the playoffs don't end here!

Remember to spread love and #ValleyExcellence

"My son was asked to form a sentence with the word “carry” on zoom earlier on today and he said “lemickey was carried by super teams and AD to his Mickey Mouse rings”. Children are our hope and I am proud of the education system!"

Suns Mode Sunna brings you another fresh week of Suns Mode content! This week, the main focus is reminiscing on some of the best moments from this season, as well as revisiting some predictions that myself and Suns Fans made before the season started. This episode serves as our regular season finale, and we will be focused on playoffs right from here.

Topics we covered this week:

An update on playoff tickets (lol).
Revisiting Suns Mode predictions for the Suns' win total this season. Were we right or wrong?
Revisiting Suns Mode predictions for season stat averages for Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton. All three had a nice season, but were we close to right?
Revisiting Suns Mode predictions for Suns three point shooting.
Replies to Suns Mode mailbag question, "What was your favorite memory/game from the regular season?"
Western Conference play-in and playoff picture. Who will the Suns play in the first round?

Remember to always spread love and #ValleyExcellence

Please tune in next week, as early as Thursday, May 20th to see our Suns Mode playoff opener! We will make out early playoff predictions for the Suns and begin to size up our playoff opponents. We will also follow the entirety of the NBA playoffs and all the craziness that comes with it, not just stuff involving the Suns :)

Thank you for listening!

"ooooo wee I sure am excited for some playoff Suns basketball!"

Suns Mode Sunna does all the hard work in researching and analyzing the current Playoff ticket situation for Suns fans at the arena. We also take an even deeper look at the Western Conference play-in and playoff picture as it currently stands.

Topics covered in this week's episode:

Playoff tickets
LeBron James recently said "whoever came up with [the 2021 NBA play-in format] needs to be fired." We provide an explanation of what he said, as well as a reaction to the interview.
Explanation of the real play-in format (sorry for being wrong)
The entire playoff picture for the Western Conference as it stands right now, and could the Suns avoid the Lakers through the first two rounds? Find out here.
Recap of tough 4th Quarter against Hawks and the awesome OT win vs the Cavaliers.
Upcoming games against the Knicks, Warriors and Lakers, along with the keys to winning the game.
-Rhyme Time requirements for next week!

Tune in next week for the next installment of the Suns Mode Podcast on Thursday May 13th, as we talk about the final regular season games and look at the playoffs.

Thank you for listening, and remember to spread love and embrace the values of our Valley!

"woah sunna really looking out for the fellas in this episode, I can't wait to grab some playoff tickets!"

Suns Mode Sunna grills up another episode of weekly Suns content. In this episode, we give an overview of the Western Conference playoff picture as the Suns have OFFICIALLY secured their spot in the postseason, as well as speak about the faux drama that stemmed from Cam Johnson's description of the incident that left him with a nasal fracture.

Other topics:
- With Jae Crowder and Dario Saric out of the lineup, Torrey Craig and Frank Kaminsky stepped up their game.
- Mikal Bridges and how he flips his slumps and turns them into hot streaks.
- Saving the road trip and beating the Clippers leading into an important matchup vs the Jazz.
- Rhyme Time requirements for next week.

Love you all, and thank you very much for listening.
Spread love and #ValleyExcellence

Steve Nash in a Lakers jersey

Lindsey Hunter

Jeff Hornacek

Earl Watson

Jay Triano

Igor Kokoskov

Both Morris Twins

Shannon Brown

Wesley Johnson

Kendall Marshall

Dionte Christmas

Archie Goodwin

Alex Len

Shavlik Randolph

Tyler Ennis

Mirza Teletovic

Jon Leuer

Marquese Chriss

Dragan Bender

Tyler Ulis

Isaiah Canaan

Troy Daniels

Mike James

Danuel House

Jimmer Fredette

(and many more. look back and laugh because YOU DESERVE THIS MOMENT)

Suns Mode Sunna brings you the 24th straight week of fresh Suns Mode content. This week, we unfortunately talk a little less about Deandre Ayton than usual, but it's only because we spend most of the episode talking about Devin Booker's current form. We also talk about some bright moments that came from the start of the current road trip, in games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.

Topics we cover:
- Suns current record and how the Western Conference play-off picture surrounding the Suns currently looks.
- Devin Booker is on a bit of a scoring slump, but in the episode we present you THREE reasons why you should remain confident and continue to believe in the basketball genius that is Devin Booker. We also talk about Kobe a lot during this segment.
- Book may be slumping, but Suns Mode Fan Favorite Jevon Carter is not. Details about JC's hot streak follow right after the DBook segment.
- Langston Galloway minutes are almost non-existent at this point, but he is still one of the most important pieces on the team.
- Jae Crowder injury.
- Suns have officially clinched a postseason spot after a win vs Bucks.
- The rest of the 5-headed schedule monster that we call this current road trip.

Remember to tune in next week on Thursday, April 29th as we publish our next installment of the Suns Mode Podcast. See you then!

Spread love, and embrace the values of our Valley!

"hey babe wake up sunna talking about d book !!!!"

Suns Mode Sunna brings you yet another week of fresh Phoenix Suns related content. In this week's episode, we talk about the continued greatness of Deandre Ayton, as well as the success that continues to plague the Phoenix Suns' season.

Topics:
- Wishing a speedy recovery for Jamal Murray
- Deandre Ayton (I mean, look at the title)
- Where the Suns stand in the playoff picture at the moment
- The Suns are now guaranteed to have a positive record in this year's regular season
- Upcoming games against the Kings and Spurs, as well as two important games to start an important road trip, games against the Bucks and 76ers
- Rhyme Time requirements for next week.

Remember to spread love, and facilitate #ValleyExcellence

STOP ASIAN HATE

BLACK LIVES MATTER

and remember to tune in next Thursday, April 22nd for our next installment of the Suns Mode podcast! Love you guys!

Suns Mode Sunna brings out a quick recap of the overtime thriller game against the Jazz! A short episode this week but we promise longer episodes to come!

In this episode, we also give a quick preview of the Western Conference playoff picture and talk about who the Suns may end up playing following the end of the regular season (which comes up in about 40 days or so. get ready...)

More from the show:

The Suns are not only one of the best teams in basketball, but easily the most improved team in the entire league.
They didn't know, but now they better.
Standout stats from the stars and select others vs the Jazz.
Quick look at upcoming games.

BEAT THE CLIPPERS! BEAT THE CLIPPERS! BEAT THE CLIPPERS! BEAT THE CLIPPERS!

Have a wonderful week, y'all!

ayo babe wake up its some brand new suns mode. follow sunna on twitter too @ValleySunna

Suns Mode Sunna covers the big debate topic this week: Is Deandre Ayton better than Amare Stoudemire? We acknowledged everybody's opinion (and respected them, cough cough other suns podcasters cough cough) and ended the show with Sunna's honest, most unbiased answer. It's a huge question, and Deandre Ayton is great at basketball. It should go to show how amazing DA is just by being put in the same conversation as Amare, because Amare was an amazing Phoenix Sun.

From those who are 10 years old and starting to fall in love with Suns basketball, to those that are the same age as I (20), to those that are 40, then beyond; this is an episode for you! There will be another fun episode for next week as we are dealing with some money-saving time constraints. I will make sure to keep you all posted.

Remember, spread #ValleyExcellence

BEAT THE JAZZ
BEAT THE JAZZ
BEAT THE JAZZ
BEAT THE JAZZ

Suns Mode Sunna is here to answer the question: Yes, we are talking about the Playoffs. We hardly talk about the current state of Suns basketball, because we're here to talk playoffs.

Also:
-The trade deadline.

Remember that the Suns Mode podcast releases new episodes every Thursday, Midnight AZ time, and that you could listen on all your favorite platforms.

Follow Sunna @ValleySunna on Twitter

Have fun, and stay safe so that you can enjoy playoff basketball this season. Always in my prayers.

"yo you see Sunna out here? quite the baller imo"

Suns Mode Sunna is back, and it's business as usual. In this episode, we let you know that we always KEEP IT REAL !! We also help push out some amazing Suns news that recently came out, including Deandre Ayton announcing the birth of his first born child, as well as the recent trade with Milwaukee for 30 y/o wing Torrey Craig.

Also:
-Brief recap of last week's victories against the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies.
-Brief recap of last week's loss against the Indiana Pacers, and why it is NOT OK to use Deandre Ayton (or any player on the team for that matter) as a scapegoat when our team loses.
-Previews for upcoming games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Orlando Magic. Some are lengthy, some are not.

Make sure to listen for our requirements to ensure that Sunna's Rhyme Time will happen on next week's show.

The next installment of the Suns Mode podcast will be released on Thursday, March 25th at 12AM Arizona time. Until then, catch the legend on Twitter, @ValleySunna

"ayo babe wake up new Suns Mode"

Suns Mode Sunna is the host, the Suns are the team, and the fans are the fans! Together, we make up the Suns Mode podcast, and in this episode, we provide all the information necessary for a smooth transition from the All-Star break to the second half of the NBA season.

Topics for this episode:
-Updated Western Conference playoff picture and who the Suns may face in the first round.
-Devin Booker injury update
-All-Star Weekend recap. (round of applause to our man CP3!)
-Where the Suns are projected to be after going 24-11 in the first half of the season
-Suns players who need to step up the most
-Previews of the upcoming games against the Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Grizzlies.
-Meyers Leonard is a clown
-Don't be a clown, spread #ValleyExcellence instead.

Follow Sunna on Twitter @ValleySunna

Suns Mode Sunna is back at it with another 40 minutes of #ValleyExcellence! This week's episode: Our Very Own All-Star Special! This week on Suns Mode, we briefly recap our current three game win streak vs the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Lakers. We also talk about Devin Booker's ejection vs the Lakers and how Monty willed the team to win. Following that is a brief preview for our final game of the first half of the season, Thursday March 4th vs the Golden State Warriors.

All-Star Topics:
- Sunna's predictions of how March 4th's NBA All-Star Draft will play out
- Preview/predictions for Chris Paul and the Skills Challenge
- Preview/Prediction for Devin Booker and the Three Point Contest
- How horrible these All-Star jerseys are (vomit-worthy)
- Preview/Prediction for the All-Star Game itself.

Next Episode: Thursday, March 11th at exactly 12AM Arizona time. See you then!

Suns Mode Sunna is back with yet ANOTHER new episode of the Suns Mode Podcast- a fan podcast following your Phoenix Suns. We may be fresh off a loss vs the Charlotte Hornets, but we are fresh off of 3 straight blowouts against New Orleans, Memphis, and Portland; we bring you the best and worst from those games. We are also coming off of another 2 wins: Our All-Stars representing the Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker and Chris Paul! The title of this episode is obviously dedicated to our All-Stars.

We also provided updates on the following:
-Finally losing with Frank Kaminsky in the starting lineup
-The current state of Jalen Smith's flex-assignment with the G-Leagues Agua Caliente Clippers.
-Team Health
-Jae Crowder
-More ranting about how Jevon Carter needs minutes
-How good LaMelo Ball really is
-How bad NBA Refs can truly be
-Upcoming games vs the Bulls, Timberwolves, and Lakers

Suns Mode Sunna is back at it again, and he's got some bold things to say about the recent loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Topics covered during this show:
Is Devin Booker going to become an NBA Hall-Of-Famer?
Jalen Smith's G-League flex-assignment with the Agua Caliente Clippers
Could Steve Nash coach the Suns one day?
Rotations: A Monty Williams crisis
More from victories vs 76ers, Magic.
Previewing games vs. Pelicans, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, and Hornets
Addressing the issue of racism on Suns twitter.

Check Out sunsmode.com !
Come back next Thursday for more Suns Mode content. Until then make sure to follow me @ValleySunna for everything Suns Mode

Suns Mode Sunna is back at it again with the best, worst (not that there really is too much of that) and everything in between. The Suns are currently scorching hot, with their most recent win being a nail-biting, 5-game-winning-streak snapping victory vs the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns have games coming up against the 76ers, Magic, and Nets that round out a 7 game home-stand in which all opponents are representing the Eastern Conference. Can our Suns make it 7-0?

We also addressed the starting lineup change, that being the decision to start Frank (the f***ing tank) Kaminsky in place of Cameron Johnson. In addition to that, we are looking into why guys like Jevon Carter and Jalen Smith are not really getting minutes right now. Finally, on the roster side of things, we talked about the return of Jae Crowder as well as the anticipated returns of Dario Saric and Cam Payne.

Follow @ValleySunna on twitter and make sure to check sunsmode.com periodically for brand new written content on the Suns Mode Blog.

Suns Mode Sunna is back again with a brand new episode of the Suns Mode podcast - a podcast ran by a fan, for fans. All fans can be heard on this show via the Mailbag, so tune in for details if you would like to submit any content for our show.
Throughout this episode, we recapped our recent bouts of high performance against the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks, as well as the disheartening blowout loss vs. the New Orleans Pelicans. We also previewed the start of a seven game home-stand for the Suns in which all the matchups are against Eastern Conference opponents. In this episode, we previewed the upcoming games vs the Pistons, Celtics, Cavaliers, and Bucks specifically.

For the hell of it, Suns Mode has Brady and the Bucs winning the Super Bowl, not like the game matters to us.

If you'd like to listen to the beat that I could not unfortunately import into the recording for my (surprise!) listen here https://soundcloud.com/soundsbyfrenk/freestyle-type-beat-simple-hella-free-knocking-hard-hitting-rap-instrumental-beat-fast-2021

Check out my recent blog post! https://sunsmode.com/?p=116
Spread Valley Excellence!

The Phoenix Suns are now on a three game losing streak following two heartbreaking overtime losses to the Denver Nuggets as well as possibly the worst loss of the season, an absolute choke job against the Oklahoma City Thunder. We are all in a not so great mood, but what we can't do is dwell on these losses. Every game provides the chance to learn, and the Suns have four games coming up. Before Sunna releases the next episode of the Suns Mode Podcast on Thursday, February 4th, the Suns will have played games against the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks (2 games), and New Orleans Pelicans. Here is to hoping the Suns go AT LEAST 3-1 over these 4 games.

To compensate for my lack of concentration during the recording of this show, I would like to give a HEAVY shout out to @tylercrowell52 and @T24Dubb for liking my tweet!

Show your #ValleyExcellence
@ValleySunna

Here we are! Blessed to bring you another episode of the Suns Mode Podcast. In this episode Sunna brings out his hottest and coldest takes from recent Suns performances against the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets. We also prepare for a nice stretch of home games that include a weekend back-to-back showing against the Denver Nuggets, followed by a game against the young Oklahoma City Thunder.

Deandre Ayton deserved to be the number 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Bear Down.

Remember to check out our website, sunsmode.com
Spread love, and positivity.
-Sunna (@ValleySunna)

COVID-19 may be able to postpone the Suns, but it will never be able to postpone the Suns Mode Podcast! This week, we will be recapping the Phoenix Suns rollercoaster road trip, as well as previewing the Suns upcoming games against the Pacers, Grizzlies, and Rockets.

The Suns had two games against the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors postponed, and it was definitely a good thing.

Tell your friends about a place where all Suns fans can be heard. The Suns Mode Podcast

-Sunna
sunsmode.com
@ValleySunna
valleysunna@gmail.com

Sunna brings you another fresh week of Suns Mode content right from The Valley. In this episode, we bring you reactions to the #1 Suns fan mailbag in all of the Valley, as well as recap our previous games against the Jazz, Nuggets, Clippers, and Raptors. Sunna also brings you the insight on what it will take for the Suns to win their upcoming games against the Pistons, Pacers, Wizards, and Hawks; alongside the final predictions for those games.
Make sure to stay tuned and bookmark our new website, sunsmode.com where Sunna will be uploading blog posts multiple times a week.

Dedicating this episode to the one and only Paul Westphal.

Spread love and embrace the values of our valley! Please return for a brand new episode on Thursday, January 14th.

Sunna brings yet another week of fresh Suns Mode content! This week's episode of the Suns Mode Podcast recaps our previous back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings as well as our nationally broadcasted blowout over the Pelicans. We also respond to the mailbag, and bring you some great predictions for our upcoming games against the Jazz, Nuggets, Clippers, and Raptors.
Check out Sunna's most recent blog post about the legendary Suns Bench on our brand new website, sunsmode.com
Follow on Twiter @ValleySunna

"hey babe get the apple jacks we got some brand new suns mode"

Sunna turns the heat back up with another episode of the Suns Mode Podcast: Part of the growing Suns Mode Network. In this episode we recap the exciting Opening night 106-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks, as well as preview the upcoming games against the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. Have a wonderful holiday and make sure you tune in for some new Suns Mode content within the next few days.

Tell your friends about our brand new website: https://sunsmode.com
Follow me on Twitter: @ValleySunna
valleysunna@gmail.com

Flex your #ValleyExcellence

Sunna is back again with fresh content. For this week's episode, we will be going over our highly glorified mailbag, as well as my reaction of our first preseason games against the Jazz and the Lakers. We will also preview our highly anticipated matchup for Opening Night Wednesday, December 23rd against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Make sure to leave any feedback you have as it is very important to the week-by-week operations of the Suns Mode Network. I hope you all enjoy this episode and remember to spread love and embrace the values of our Valley!

"I'm listening to Suns Mode because I feel it is my obligation and duty to the valley"

Sunna and the Suns Mode Podcast is back again. Thursday is now Suns Mode day so yeah! Happy Suns Mode Day! Enjoy a fresh new week of content as we preview our preseason matchups and answer the best mailbag in all of mailbags! Remember to catch me on twitter @ValleySunna just to make sure you're around for this season because I PROMISE YOU it is going to be wild!

Spread love and embrace the values of our valley!

ValleyExcellence #RisePHX #SunsMode

For this week's show, I bring you everything that's worth knowing regarding Phoenix Suns news and what we're looking like at the end of the offseason. It was a light news week, so this episode (just like every episode for EVER) I placed a heavy emphasis on each and every one of my listeners! The mailbag is by far my favorite part of making this show, I love each and every bit of what you guys would like featured on the show. This is a podcast by a big time fan, for all fans. Please submit anything you would like featured on our show next week through my twitter (@ValleySunna) or through my email: valleysunna@gmail.com. This show is released weekly, every Thursday at Midnight Arizona time. Hope you enjoy this one and come back to enjoy this journey with me in the coming weeks. Spread love, and embrace the values of our valley! Much love and More Life. #ValleyExcellence

"hey babe wake up Sunna posted the podcast"

Valley Sunna brings you yet another week of brand new Phoenix Suns content. In this show, we answered all the mailbag questions, and went over all the signings the Suns made in free agency, with Jae Crowder being at the centerpiece. Valley Sunna hopes you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and would love to see you again, back here next week on Thursday, December 3rd as we continue to bring you fresh Suns content throughout the season. For mailbag submissions, send questions through twitter @ValleySunna, or through our email valleysunna@gmail.com. Be sure to tune in on our Twitter for when we announce the Suns Mode Blog as well.

Fellas, I am back at it again with another drop of #ValleyExcellence this week as we talk about how the Suns are feeling after acquiring Chris Paul via trade and Jalen Smith via the draft. I am more than excited to continue bringing you guys this show, so make sure you catch me here every week. The Suns Mode Podcast is coming to your streaming services every Thursday as close as I can to midnight! Also, submit any content for the show to my twitter @ValleySunna or thru my email valleysunna@gmail.com. Remember, this show isn't about me, it's about The Valley. #RisePHX

I am welcoming you to my brand new show dedicated 100% to your Phoenix Suns. I am very excited to spend this season with you guys as we look to chase victory. I would love for the show to be very interactive (this show isn't about me, it's about the Valley), so please send your questions or reactions my way on Twitter @ValleySunna. Get ready for a fun season, and make sure to catch the show every week!