This week on the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich finally return to break down the Phoenix Suns amazing Finals run, what it meant to the city of Phoenix, talk about some coaching and front office changes, and then look forward to pick #29 in the NBA Draft. The guys are more than happy with the season the Phoenix Suns put together, and take some time to appreciate that alongside talking about the Suns vs Bucks series as a whole. They talk about the great team basketball we saw coming from both teams, all the great coaching chess matches, and how competitive the series was. Congrats to the Bucks! After that, the guys talk about some changes in the coaching staff and front office. Willie Green has been hired as the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Suns have replaced him with Bryan Gates. Jeff Bower has also left the front office, and we talk about what he did in his time in Phoenix. The guys wrap things up by talking about the NBA Draft and the Suns 29th pick. Both Mitch and Charlie think the center and point guard positions should be what we target. A few names to watch out for: Day'Ron Sharpe, Joel Ayayi, Ayo Dosunmu, and Tre Mann. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll be back with another episode after the draft!

Sunny in PHX! A Phoenix Suns Podcast

Reflecting on the Finals, Looking Forward to the Draft

On this episode of the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich break down the decisive Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals, and then look forward to what is in store for Games 2 and 3. Chris Paul and Devin Booker combined for 59 points and 15 assists while big man Deandre Ayton held down the paint with a dominant 22 point, 19 rebound performance in the definitive Game 1 victory. The Suns big three all played excellent games while getting help from Cameron's Payne and Johnson off the bench to hand the Bucks a 13 point loss. The guys then talk about the upcoming Game 2 and Game 3 and predict what the Bucks will do to match up with the potent Phoenix Suns offense. The main takeaway from this is that the Bucks will HAVE to change up their pick and roll defense in order to prevent Chris Paul and Devin Booker from taking advantage of bigs like Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis. We'll be back with another episode after Game 3. Let's get this championship, Phoenix! Lets go Suns!

Suns Take Finals Game One with Statement Win

This week on the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich celebrate the Phoenix Suns returning to the NBA Finals for the first time in nearly 30 years. They briefly touch on the Game 5 loss, take a deep dive into the Game 6 series-clinching win, Chris Paul's amazing closing game, and who we would rather face in the Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks or the Atlanta Hawks. Listen in to the guys talk about Chris Paul's masterful performance in Game 6 to seal the series, with his 41 points and more specifically, the 31 that came in the 2nd half. The guys discuss if this may have been the most impressive game of Paul's career, which also leads to what his future in Phoenix may look like. Then the guys talk about who they would rather see in the Finals, the Hawks or the Bucks. They both agree the Hawks would be the more favorable matchup, but believe that both options are winnable. The differences in the styles of basketball played between these two teams makes for an interesting discussion. We'll be back after Game 1 of the Finals. Thanks for tuning in to the show, and GO SUNS!

Phoenix Suns are Western Conference Champions

This week on the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich break down the wildest week of Phoenix Suns basketball in YEARS. The guys talk about the Valley Oop, the disappointing Game 3 loss, and the ugly Game 4 win. They also talk about injury updates, preview Game 5, and revisit their 4 Keys to Beat the Clippers. Game 2 was decided by the Valley Oop, an incredible inbound alley-oop from Jae Crowder to Deandre Ayton, with less than a second left on the clock to propel the Suns to one of the most memorable moments in Suns history. And don't let Cameron Payne be forgotten in this game, with a huge 29 points. Then the guys discuss the disappointing Game 3, where no Sun scored 20 points and CP3 and Booker both struggled greatly. They then talk about Game 4, one of the ugliest basketball games of recent memory. The Suns pulled away with a win, which is all that matters, leaving the series at 3-1. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll be back once this series wraps up. Go Suns!

Gritty Suns Lead Clippers 3-1

On this week's episode of the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich talk about the Suns win against the Clippers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, updates on Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard, and James Jones' newest award, NBA Executive of the Year. They also give their four keys to beat the Clippers. The guys start off breaking down game 1 and the absolute masterclass performance from Devin Booker. Booker secured the first triple double of his career while scoring 40 points, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Listen in to see what the guys think needs to continue to happen for the Suns to win the series. After that, the guys discuss CP3's covid status, how the team looks without him, and when they expect him to be back on the court. Leonard is dealing with an ACL injury, and the guys discuss if Leonard will try to play at any point during the series. The Suns finally bring home some hardware with James Jones winning NBA Executive of the Year. The guys give James high praise and bring up some of the great moves he has made this season, as well as how quickly he has turned this team around. Thanks for tuning in, and we will see you after Game 3. Go Suns!

Suns Win Statement Game One, Booker's Triple Double

On this week's episode of the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich celebrate the sweep of the Denver Nuggets, touch on some recent Suns headlines and NBA awards results, and talk about who they would rather match up against in the Western Conference Finals, the Utah Jazz or the Los Angeles Clippers. The Suns were firing on all cylinders throughout their two game stretch in Denver, handily beating the Nuggets in both games. Chris Paul was absolutely incredible throughout these two games, getting to his spots and knocking down jumpers at an insane clip. Devin Booker was right there with CP3 throughout the series, putting up big scoring numbers as well as doing great work on the glass. The guys highlight the Nikola Jokic flagrant 2 ejection, the "Suns in 4" guy, and the welcome home party at the airport. There has been a ton of hype around the organization, and the guys take a minute to enjoy what has happened this week while the Suns rest and prepare for the conference finals. To finish up the show, the guys talk about who they would rather match up against, the Jazz or the Clippers. Mitch chooses the Clippers, thinking the Suns will be able to match up well with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, while the rest of the squad will be able to take advantage of their matchups. Charlie opts for the Jazz, thinking that Gobert will be equalized by making him come out of the paint to cover the PnR, and looks at a few other favorable matchups.

Suns Sweep Nuggets, Look Towards WCF

On this episode of the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich break down the Suns' two huge wins against the Nuggets to start the series, preview games 3 and 4, and re-visit their 4 Keys to Beat the Nuggets. The Suns won their first two games of the Denver series by a combined 42 points, and displayed some fantastic basketball on both ends of the court. In the first matchup, four Suns scored 20+ points to propel the Suns to a victory. The second game was an entirely different story, where no Suns player scored over 20, while 6 scored in double figures. The guys look forward to games 3 and 4, and focus on what the Nuggets will need to do to combat the Suns dominant play. Aside from the MVP, Nikola Jokic, having a much bigger impact on the game, the guys agree that the Nuggets will have to switch up their lineup, and focus on getting into the paint and eventually to the free throw line. The Suns pick-and-roll has given them issues all series so far, so look for the Nuggets to make big defensive adjustments going forward. Thanks for tuning in, get out the brooms! Go Suns!

Suns Make Statement in First Two Games Against Nuggets

On this week's episode of the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich celebrate the Suns' series win against the Lakers, breaking down Game 6, the series as a whole, and then look forward to the series against the Nuggets, giving their 4 Keys to Beat the Nuggets. Devin Booker came out STRONG in Game 6 and took the life of out the Los Angeles Lakers early in the game. The guys talk about the struggles the Lakers had once losing Anthony Davis, while trying to match up with all the tools the Phoenix Suns were able to throw at them throughout the game. LeBron James ends up being discussed, and the guys are disappointed at how he showed poor sportsmanship throughout the series, especially in this game. The 4 Keys to Beat the Nuggets come up next, where the guys pick outa what they think will be most impactful in the series. #1 Slow down Jokic, #2 Abuse the Guard Matchups, #3 Take Advantage of our Defense, and #4 Start Strong, take FULL advantage of the home court. The three regular season matchups were decided by a total of 15 points and saw 3 overtime periods, so this will be a great series. Thanks for tuning in, lets see our Suns take another series! Go Suns!

Suns Dismantle Lakers, Prepare for Round 2 Against Nuggets

This week on the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich break down Games 2-4 of the Suns vs Lakers series, talk Chris Paul's injury, Deandre Ayton's emergence, and more. Since last recording, the Suns dropped games 2 and 3 against the Lakers, and came back strong to even the series at 2 games a piece in game 4. The guys break down the two tough losses, talking about what went wrong and the adjustments the Suns made to come back strong in Game 4. Injuries have been a big factor for both teams in this series, so the guys talk about Chris Paul's shoulder injury and Anthony Davis' knee and groin injuries. Paul looked to be back into form for Game 4, but with Davis going down with a strained groin right before halftime, the Lakers will definitely be concerned with his status for Game 5. The guys talk about the early struggles from Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges, and Cameron Johnson, but luckily in Game 4, all these guys started to (finally) hit some open shots, which made such a big difference in the game. Another guy who has been making a big difference is Deandre Ayton, with his consistent, and sometimes dominant play, has been a huge factor for the Suns in this opening series. We'll be back with another episode after Game 6, thanks for tuning in, and GO SUNS!

Suns Even Series 2-2, Control Own Destiny Against Lakers

On this week's episode of the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich break down the Suns opening playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers, and spend some time talking about Chris Paul's shoulder injury. The Phoenix Suns made their return to the playoffs after a 11 year drought, and played an extremely impressive opening game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton led the way for the Suns with extremely impressive and efficient play, propelling the rest of the team to a low-scoring 99-90 victory. The guys spend their time breaking down how the Suns were able to keep both LeBron James and Anthony Davis relatively quiet throughout this game, allowing the Suns to gain and hold the lead through the entire game. Shutting these two stars down was obviously a big factor of this game, and the Suns will have to continue to play this excellent defense to keep the series in their favor. Then Chris Paul becomes the topic of discussion, and the guys wonder how his shoulder injury may hamper his play moving forward in the series. The guys also mention how important Cameron Payne will be throughout the rest of this series and playoffs, and how he will need to keep a cooler head as we move into more intense and competitive games. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to check us out again after Game 3, we will be putting out another episode Friday morning. Go Suns!

Playoffs in Phoenix: Suns Win Game One

This week on the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich discuss your number 2 seeded Phoenix Suns road to and through the playoffs, the most recent injury updates, potential playoff matchups around the league, and recent Suns games. The Suns did everything they could to get back into the number 1 spot heading into the playoffs, but the Utah Jazz came away with a win on the last day of the season as well to lock in the positions. The Suns will be facing the winner of the Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers play-in game once the playoffs start, and the guys talk about who they would rather match up against. The Suns were lucky enough to sit a few starters like Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Jae Crowder during the final game of the regular season and still came away with a win. This bodes well for veteran players like Paul and Crowder, but also allows our young guys to get plenty of time off before the playoffs. Mikal Bridges played just 5 mins to keep the ironman streak alive. The guys then take a look around the league and predict the outcomes of all the series. The matchup we need to keep our eye on is the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, as if we make it through the first round, we'll be matching up with the winner of this series. The West is packed with great matchups, and we can finally say the same about the East. These playoffs will be a blast to watch, and we are so excited that the Suns will be taking part.

Suns Secure Second Seed, Prepare for Playoffs

This week on the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich discuss your #2 Phoenix Suns road to and through the playoffs, the most recent injury updates, potential playoff matchups around the league, and recent Suns games. The Suns did everything they could to get back into the #1 spot heading into the playoffs, but the Utah Jazz came away with a win on the last day of the season as well to lock in the positions. The Suns will be facing the winner of the Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers play-in game once the playoffs start, and the guys talk about who they would rather match up against. The Suns were lucky enough to sit a few starters like Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Jae Crowder during the final game of the regular season and still came away with a win. This bodes well for veteran players like Paul and Crowder, but also allows our young guys to get plenty of time off before the playoffs. Mikal Bridges played just 5 mins to keep the ironman streak alive. The guys then take a look around the league and predict the outcomes of all the series. The matchup we need to keep our eye on is the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, as if we make it through the first round, we'll be matching up with the winner of this series. The West is packed with great matchups, and we can finally say the same about the East. These playoffs will be a blast to watch, and we are so excited that the Suns will be taking part.

On this week's episode of the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich talk about the return of Jae Crowder and his impact on the team, the Suns' potential matchups for the playoffs, and recent Suns games. Suns fans have been waiting for Jae Crowder to get back into the lineup for over a week, and he made his return against the New York Knicks, scoring 18 points on six three pointers. Crowder coming back was essential for the Suns, who just lost Cameron Johnson to a wrist injury. Then the guys talk about the potential playoff matchups for the Suns, and dive in on the teams they may match up against. With just four games left in the regular season, the Suns are likely going to be sitting at the #1 or #2 seed, and will be playing one of the teams to make it out of the play-in tournament. The guys talk about who they would like to see most in the first round, the Lakers, Warriors, Grizzlies, or Spurs. The show gets wrapped up by the guys talking about last week's wins against the Thunder, Cavaliers, and Knicks, as well as the ugly loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The team has been playing solid basketball while missing key pieces, and surviving nights where guys like Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton are having off nights. The Suns finish the regular season this week with games against the Warriors, Blazers, and the Spurs twice. All these teams are trying to finish the season strong, heading in to the play-in or playoffs, so we can expect a great last week to the season. Thanks for tuning in!

Suns Prepare for Playoffs, One Regular Season Week Remains

On this week's episode of the Sunny in PHX Podcast, Charlie Erling and Mitch Krmpotich celebrate the Suns new spot at the top of the standings, injury updates on Jae Crowder and Dario Saric, and recent Suns games. The first 20 minutes or so of this episode revolves around the guys celebrating the Suns obtaining the #1 spot in both the Western Conference and the entire league. After an easy win over the injured Jazz, the Suns ended up with the same record as Utah, but the Suns hold the tiebreaker. The Suns played great basketball over a tough eastern roadtrip, while battling through injuries, to get to this point and it has been a joy to watch. The Suns are dealing with a slight injury bug, but the depth created by James Jones has allowed the Suns to trudge through these games and still pick up Ws. Jae Crowder is yet to return from his ankle sprain last week, and despite the recent success, the Suns are still missing his veteran presence. On the flip side, Dario Saric has made his way back onto the court and has been sharing minutes at PF/C with Frank Kaminsky. After that, the guys talk the Suns' 3-0 streak with wins against the streaking Knicks, the Clippers minus Kawhi, and the beaten up Jazz team. After that they briefly look into next week's games against the Cavs, Hawks, and Knicks.

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Sunny in PHX! A Phoenix Suns Podcast

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