Though the Portland Trail Blazers made the NBA's Western Conference play-in round, Twitter had a field day in response to Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns, who are on their way out of Orlando despite posting an immaculate 8-0 record inside the NBA bubble.
After two crucial wins tonight by both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Blazers, the Suns are effectively out of the playoff picture and finish their season at the tenth spot in the West. This, after the Suns' gargantuan effort in Orlando behind the MVP-worth bubble performance from their superstar guard.
Here are some of the cheeky tweets in reaction to the Suns' improbable journey:
Devin Booker talking in a 30 for 30 special 20 years later after his 8-0 Suns got eliminated in the #NBA bubble https://t.co/LJRcY1jDzf
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) August 14, 2020
Devin Booker learning the Suns went undefeated in the bubble but still didn't make the playoffs pic.twitter.com/ViHhCNbdkA
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) August 14, 2020
Devin Booker did all of that and he's still going home. From potential MVP to being told to run away and never return. Cold world.
— Zito (@_Zeets) August 14, 2020
Devin Booker leaving the bubble after going 8-0 and still missing the playoffs… https://t.co/MWP9aeyt6c
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) August 14, 2020
Some are choosing to play the blame game on Damian Lillard who will most likely be Booker's biggest competition for bubble MVP:
Devin booker ain’t make the playoffs all cuz Pat Bev and PG turned Dame up 😂😂😂
— Marcus Denmon (@MizzouMonster12) August 14, 2020




https://twitter.com/IamJovonW/status/1294116539940114432
But, it would seem that Booker is still going home as a winner with the Suns.
Poor Devin Booker. All that work to go undefeated in the bubble. Now he's forced to go home… to the highest paid super model in the world. Poor guy
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) August 14, 2020
Though the Suns are out of the playoffs, their incredible run the past few weeks in Orlando was truly something special. They've fought against all odds to win all of their games in the bubble and got huge wins over tough opponents in the western playoff picture like the Dallas Mavericks, the Oklahoma City Thunder and even the Los Angeles Clippers. This run is something the franchise can hold on to and work to build on in the coming years with Booker spearheading the squad.
Booker continued to impress on his fifth season for Phoenix and was undoubtedly one of the main reasons why the bubble Suns were this good. In eight games, the 23-year old averaged 30.5 points per game to cap off his first All-Star season.
Whether he decides to stay in Phoenix or not, his eight-game run in Orlando will remain special for years to come.
The Suns were shining brightly in Florida; Damian Lillard temporarily turned out the lights, but the future is now much more promising in the Valley of the Sun.