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“I remember we had 1 TV game a year”: Devin Booker remembers the Suns’ 2016-17 struggling days as 2021 NBA Finalists take 11th straight win

Advait Jajodia
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“I remember we had 1 TV game a year”: Devin Booker remembers the Suns’ 2016-17 struggling days as 2021 NBA Finalists take 11th straight win

The Suns played the Mavs yesterday with ESPN nationally televising the game. Amid a sensational winning streak, Devin Booker remembers Phoenix’s struggling days with only 1 ESPN TV game the entire season.

For an entire decade, the Phoenix Suns were one of the worst teams in the league. The team failed to advance to the playoffs in 10 seasons and finished with the worst record in the conference four times. However, ever since the Suns’ 8-0 run in the NBA Bubble, back in 2020, Devin Booker and co. have completely changed the narrative of the Suns being a lottery team.

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This past season, the team managed to acquire veteran point guard Chris Paul on the roster and instantly became one of the league’s best teams. Finishing the previous campaign with 51 wins, most since the 2009-2010 season, Phoenix not only made it to the postseason but also made their first NBA Finals appearance in almost three decades.

And after their historic run to the NBA Finals last year, Phoenix Suns were rewarded with 34 nationally televised games this season (more than the last 5 seasons combined). And before yesterday night’s ESPN Nationally televised clash against the Mavericks, DBook was reminiscing the old Phoenix’s 2016-2017 struggling days

 Devin Booker remembers how the Phoenix Suns had only 1 ESPN TV game back in 2016-2017

The Phoenix Suns are currently the hottest team in the league. After starting the season 1-3, CP3 and co. have now won 11 straight games. And before Friday night’s clash against the Mavericks, Booker took it to Twitter about how the Suns once had only 1 ESPN TV game during his sophomore season. Devin tweeted out:

“Back on ESPN tonight
I remember we had one TV game a year”

 

The Suns had only 3 nationally televised games – 2 TNT games, and only 1 ESPN game. This season, Phoenix has 34 nationally televised games – 11 ESPN games, 9 TNT games, 3 ABC games, and 11 NBATV games.

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The Phoenix Suns are currently sitting 2nd in the West with a 12-3 record. Behind Booker and Paul’s leadership, the Suns could very well find the successes they witnessed last season.

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, a seasoned NBA journalist, has had a passion for the game for over a decade. His journey from admiring Kobe Bryant's precision to being in awe of Stephen Curry's long-range mastery instilled a profound understanding of basketball. With a background as a two-time National-level player, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 21-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 3,350+ articles.

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