The Phoenix Suns have a tried and tested defensive process, however, they also have a top-tier scorer in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that they’ll be matching up with.

How did SGA fair vs the Phoenix Suns in the regular season?

From knowing Shai’s spots, to being savvy with help, and wanting to force the Thunder into late clock shots on their terms or to take a ton of three’s — the Suns have clear-cut desires from their defensive process.

Gilgeous-Alexander did average 30 points on 50.9% from the field vs the Suns, and 16.3 drives with 19 points created on average via those.

Oklahoma City also showed a desire to test the Suns perimeter size with taking hits and bumps from their MVP, as he works methodically to create space.

Devin Booker and the Suns have to keep pace with scoring on their own merits, however, within the nuances they’ve shown, can they their defensive footing and sustain against the reigning MVP and reigning champions? What would it need to look like if they were able to do so?

It’ll take moments like those compiled by Goodwin and Ighodaro as a tandem to get to the Playoffs, to reach their ceiling in impact as a team on that end of the floor.

Help defense will also be an entity that is called to task, and will often either have consequences if late, or reward in execution if sharp. Their margin for error this series is as slim as it gets, and they’ll need to sustain threading that needle well as a unit, with activity, to get to where they desire to be.

Collin Gillespie is also someone to keep an eye on, as the Thunder have shown to find ways to bring him to action. Collin is not a bad defender, but his size looms as something teams feel they can poke at, at times, in space.

Sharpness with pick-up points, at points of attack, and with help, will be as key as anything after staying attached to the ball. Stephen PridGeon-Garner is back with a quick look at that process shown vs Shai and the Thunder in their regular season series.

The NBA runs on star power and friendly competition these days, but Dillon Brooks still operates from a different playbook. The Phoenix Suns defender built his reputation on what he calls the “dark arts” – a mix of physical defense and mental warfare designed to throw opponents off balance.

Brooks brought that energy into the spotlight again after the Suns locked up the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Phoenix dropped a game to Portland before bouncing back with a win over the Golden State Warriors.

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Dillon Brooks takes aim at OKC

That victory set up a first-round playoff clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and known for playing with an edge.

After the Suns rolled past the Warriors 111-96, Brooks sat down for an interview on “NBA on Prime” and didn’t hold back when the topic turned to OKC.

“There are a lot of foul baiters on that team,” Brooks said. “We gotta show our hands. I hope it’s the real playoffs. We can’t be calling too many calls but… Show your hand, we gotta follow the scout, follow them in the paint, and be able to have our rotations proper.”

Dirk Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, and Steve Nash laughed at the comment, but nobody challenged him on it.

Brooks made it clear Phoenix planned to match Oklahoma City’s intensity and wouldn’t get caught up in the whistle game. The Suns rank among the league’s top defensive units, so this confidence is earned.

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Brooks wasn’t just talking in general terms either. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 9.0 free throw attempts per game during the regular season, and the Thunder offense leaned heavily on drawing contact.

Brooks frustrates opponents because his defense goes beyond physicality. He crowds players constantly, takes away space, and stays attached to his assignment like glue. The pressure builds over time rather than in single moments.

Players lose their cool dealing with him because the contact never stops and the room to operate shrinks possession after possession. That style wears down even the most disciplined scorers, and Gilgeous-Alexander appears to be Brooks’ next target in a long line of stars who’ve dealt with his relentless approach.