The Phoenix Suns are not the Phoenix Suns of last year, and apparently the team is trying to emphasize that this postseason.
During Phoenix’s Game 2 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, the Suns’ official Twitter page had a notable request for the team’s fans.
“Suns fans, we love ya, but please no more Suns in 4 chants,” they wrote.
Suns fan please stop those dumb Suns in 4 chants pic.twitter.com/SCpIaciFfK
— Kurisutofa (@Kurisutofa22) May 5, 2022
The Suns eventually decided to delete the tweet and let their fans live a little. But it is still pretty easy to see where the team was coming from.
“Suns in 4” was the fanbase’s rallying cry last season and became an elite Internet meme. But Phoenix came up short in their pursuit of title, and you figure that they would like to wash away the memories of that failure. They also probably deserve a new chant since the Suns are an even better team this year and are gunning for a better playoff finish than they had last year.
While the “Suns in 4” movement (plus the viral moment that gave rise to it) was fun while it lasted, it also creates unrealistic expectations and opens the door to jokes whenever the Suns do not get a sweep. Phoenix does still have a chance to “Suns in 4” the Mavs since they are up 2-0 in the series now. But it may be time to retire the chant for good in favor of finding a new identity.
