{"id":729355,"date":"2026-05-09T00:48:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T00:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/729355\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T00:48:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T00:48:23","slug":"suns-are-out-but-devin-booker-is-still-in-the-nba-playoff-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/729355\/","title":{"rendered":"Suns are out, but Devin Booker is still in the NBA playoff conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2014 Even with the Phoenix Suns eliminated from the playoffs, Devin Booker remains part of the NBA postseason conversation \u2014 and part of the debate surrounding officiating and the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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During the series against the reigning champions, Booker expressed rare frustration over how the games were being called, especially when discussing Thunder guard Alex Caruso<\/a> influencing a technical foul against him in Game 2. The comments drew mixed reactions from NBA fans, with some agreeing with the All-Star while others dismissed the remarks as frustration from a star player on a losing team.<\/p>\n

But as Oklahoma City takes a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>, some of those conversations have resurfaced.<\/p>\n

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Apr 27, 2026; Phoenix<\/a>, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort<\/a> (5) defends against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) in the first half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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NBA fans online have pointed to similarities between the Suns-Thunder series and the Lakers\u2019 current struggles, including physical defense, free-throw disparities and inconsistent foul calls. The renewed discussion has led many to revisit Booker\u2019s earlier comments, with some now saying the Suns guard \u201cdeserves an apology\u201d for being heavily criticized.<\/p>\n

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Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; NBA referee James Williams talks to Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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Booker\u2019s frustration became a flashpoint during Phoenix\u2019s elimination, but now, with the Lakers facing the same problems \u2014 that led to a meeting with officials on the court at the end of Game 2 \u2014 public sentiment has shifted. Phoenix being at the center of another series, especially one the club has no play in, reflects the level of frustration the overall fanbase is feeling with officials and the league \u2014 not just feelings in the Valley.<\/p>\n

Clips comparing possessions from the Phoenix-Oklahoma City series showcased questionable calls or \u201cno calls\u201d that have fueled arguments that the Suns may have identified issues others are only now beginning to acknowledge.<\/p>\n

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Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) and center Chet Holmgren<\/a> (7) in the first half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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Still, the discussion surrounding officiating has become impossible to ignore. Booker\u2019s comments, once pushed aside by fans, are now being viewed in a different light.<\/p>\n

*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*Wendy Lopez is a reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @wlopezde<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOENIX \u2014 Even with the Phoenix Suns eliminated from the playoffs, Devin Booker remains part of the NBA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[328,13456,7,366,919,329,2292,150,183,4164,6,11,310,475,179,2065,472,10834,3209],"class_list":["post-729355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-alex-caruso","tag-alonzo-adams-imagn","tag-basketball","tag-chet-holmgren","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-devin-booker","tag-los-angeles-lakers","tag-luguentz-dort","tag-mandatory-credit","tag-nba","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-oklahoma","tag-oklahoma-city","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-phoenix","tag-phoenix-suns","tag-united-center","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116541869800960680","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}