2. The lack of playoff experience for the Phoenix Suns
Even with the size mismatch it is a bit unrealistic to expect the Los Angeles Lakers to blow the Phoenix Suns out. They are still a gritty team that is going to stay in ballgames because of the scoring prowess of Booker as well as the veteran leadership of Paul.
Outside of Paul and Crowder, though, the Suns really do not have much playoff experience. So when the lights do shine brighter and a playoff game is coming down to its final seconds the Lakers are going to be the team that has a massive advantage.
The Lakers naturally are going to have that advantage over just about every team because of LeBron James and the fact that the team won the title last year (although there are several new faces). This is an example of a big difference, though.
This is a young basketball team that has not had a lick of success. If they would have at least made the playoffs and won one series before then you could make a case for them. They haven’t. The Lakers have legitimate title experience while the Suns have lottery experience.
Chris Paul is a legend, he really is, but even his experience isn’t all that positive. Paul has made it past the second round just once in his career and is a career 7-12 in playoff series.
That is less than ideal for a team that has not made the playoffs since Steve Nash was the best player on the team at 36… he is 47 now and is the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.