The Phoenix Suns had one of the most disappointing Game 7 performances in NBA history last night, as they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in an absolute blowout. It was a very poor performance from Phoenix, who were struggling to score.

Whereas the Mavericks were on a roll offensively. At the end of the first half, Luka Doncic alone had as many points as the Phoenix Suns, highlighting their struggles.

But one NBA legend doesn't think they need to be criticized. On Inside The NBA, Shaquille O'Neal spoke about the Phoenix Suns and their performance in Game 7. 

O'Neal chalked up the loss to nothing more than it is one of those nights for the Suns where their shots just won't go in. He noted that they played hard, but things just weren't clicking for them on the offensive end and that's why they lost (3:53 onwards):

“Phoenix is a professional team, they play well. I’m going to blame it on just one of those nights when it comes to the Phoenix Suns. I’m not going to bash them. They wanted to play, they were trying really hard. But every now and then, even for us great players, it just happens… For the Phoenix Suns, the shot just wasn’t going in.”

Not everyone has taken the approach that Shaq has toward the Suns. Many fans criticized and mocked Chris Paul and the Suns for the way they played against the Mavericks. Most people believe this is because of the reputation the Suns have generated for themselves, as they now come across as conceited.

Even LeBron James told them earlier this season that they needed to curtail their celebrations as they hadn't been good for a very long time and shouldn't get so braggadocious. 

Chris Paul has already promised the Suns will be back and he won't retire, so we will have to wait till next season to see what the Suns look like.

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