As we look back on the 2022 Playoffs for the Phoenix Suns, we have to look at the totality rather than just those last two games.
And the totality is this: the 2022 Suns were a completely different team than the 2021 Suns.
The 2021 playoff Suns were bad on offense (10th of 16 teams) and really good on defense (3rd of 16 teams). That defensive excellence helped get them through a gauntlet of opponents to get within two wins of an NBA title.
This year, with almost the same exact parts, the script flipped in the 2022 playoffs: 4th on offense and 11th on defense.