Time is a flat circle. As much as it evokes dread, history does tend to repeat itself. And now, 360 days after the Phoenix Suns' inexplicable Game 7 collapse against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2022 NBA playoffs, which happened at home no less, they find themselves in familiar territory despite adding one of the greatest players of all time in Kevin Durant to their ranks.

The energy in Footprint Center in the first quarter was palpable. But as the Suns stars clanked one shot after another, the crowd became more and more hushed. And who could blame them? The Denver Nuggets, a team that needs to win just one more game to advance to the Western Conference Finals, ended the first quarter on fire, going on a 17-0 run to lead by 18, 44-26. And they have not looked back.

The Nuggets continued to force a ton of turnovers, force a ton of difficult shots from Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, and as a result, they headed into the halftime locker room leading by 30 points, 81-51 β€” the same halftime deficit the Suns faced in Game 7 against the Mavs.

Of course, Twitter never forgets, and they clowned the Suns for yet another lifeless display at home with their season on the line.

Beyond this expected reaction, others already went on to play the blame game. Some couldn't help but express their frustrations at Deandre Ayton, who failed to suit up in Game 6 due to a rib injury, while some hurled their concerns towards Suns head coach Monty Williams.

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Nikola Jokic saying "new year, new series..." Nuggets logo and the Lakers logo with a "vs." between the logos.

Rachel Strand Β·

Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Suns logo on one side. Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves logo on other side.

Bailey Bassett Β·

LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Lakers logo on one side. On other side is Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr.

Bailey Bassett Β·

Nevertheless, the onus to lift the Suns to great heights doesn't necessarily fall on either Williams or Ayton's shoulders. That falls on Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. But they were not at their best in Game 6, and it has cost them dearly. Durant shot just 2-8 in the first half, while Booker stunk it up, going 4-13 for just 12 points through the first three quarters.

It'll be a long offseason once again for the Suns as they process yet another defeat of this magnitude. Meanwhile, the Nuggets now await the winner of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers bloodbath.