Last Thursday, the 4-24 Phoenix Suns were set to play at home against the Dallas Mavericks. At the time, Phoenix was on a 10-game losing streak and hadn't won two games in a row all year.
TNT analyst and former Suns superstar Charles Barkley made a bold guarantee that Phoenix would rise victorious that evening and, of course, Barkley nailed his prediction:
The @Suns are undefeated since Chuck made his guarantee 😂 pic.twitter.com/P7FjrKxbyg
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 20, 2018
The Suns still haven't lost since that prediction.
Phoenix took care of Dallas that night, 99-89, behind 30 points from forward T.J. Warren. They went on to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves and then won in a blowout over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, a game which featured 38-year-old guard Jamal Crawford dishing out a career-high 14 assists.
Most recently, the Suns posted an impressive 111-103 win in Boston against the Celtics to make it four wins in a row.
Although the winning streak has to be a breath of fresh air for the players and coaches, it's not helping Phoenix in the long-run. Prior to their victory over the Mavs, the Suns had the worst record in the NBA. Phoenix is now tied for the third-worst record in the league with the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the changes to the lottery system, the teams with the three worst records will have the same chance of winning the first overall pick, but there's a chance that a win or two could make the difference between a franchise-altering star and a complementary player if the Suns wind up without one of the worst three records in the NBA.
Currently, there are a few building blocks in place for the Suns' future. Shooting guard Devin Booker is just 22 years old and is averaging 24.5 points and 6.6 assists per game as the team's go-to player on the perimeter. Phoenix selected center Deandre Ayton with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and the 20-year-old is averaging 16.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game on 58.9 percent shooting as a rookie.
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