Chris Paul's Suns Roasted by NBA Twitter for Loss to Craig Randall and 36ers

Tyler Conway @@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVOctober 3, 2022

PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 2: Craig Randall II #12 of the Adelaide 36ers handles the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns on October 8, 2022 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images)

Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images

Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson. Villanova over Georgetown. The United States over the Soviet Union.

...the Adelaide 36ers over the Phoenix Suns??

Fans in Phoenix were witness to a shocking upset Sunday night, as they watched the NBL's 36ers earn a 134-124 win over their Suns.

Craig Randall scored a game-high 35 points and Robert Franks added 32 as Adelaide saw a chance to give its team a huge public relations boost and earn one of the biggest wins in NBL history.

NBA TV @NBATV
The <a href="https://twitter.com/Adelaide36ers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Adelaide36ers</a> take down the Suns in Phoenix, 134-124 😮 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPreseason?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPreseason</a> Craig Randall II: 35 PTS, 9 3PM Robert Franks: 32 PTS, 6 3PM <a href="https://t.co/lsjV7m6MLm">pic.twitter.com/lsjV7m6MLm</a>

Olgun Uluc @OlgunUluc
The Adelaide 36ers just became the first NBL team to win an <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLxNBA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLxNBA</a> preseason game, beating the Phoenix Suns 134-124. The 36ers shot 24/43 (55.8%) from behind the 3pt line.

Sure, it was just a meaningless preseason game. Fine, the Suns hard-capped their starters at 22 minutes played while the 36ers were competing like it was the NBA Finals.

Still.

A group of players deemed not worthy of the NBA or any of Europe's top leagues—the NBL is a fringe top-10 league outside of the United States—went into an NBA arena and soundly defeated a group of players that included two All-NBA guards and a max-contract center.

Suffice it to say the Suns got roasted for this loss.

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Tomer Azarly @TomerAzarly
Congratulations to Luka Doncic, Craig Randall, and Robert Franks on becoming the new co-owners of the Phoenix Suns 👏🏽

NBA Memes @NBAMemes
Suns after losing to the NBL's 36ers <a href="https://t.co/7tlYAUqGe5">pic.twitter.com/7tlYAUqGe5</a>

Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Has anything remotely good happened to the Suns’ franchise since Luka said this? <a href="https://t.co/Cy1NJFIGrb">https://t.co/Cy1NJFIGrb</a> <a href="https://t.co/H3CTNGirn6">pic.twitter.com/H3CTNGirn6</a>

Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
with the Adelaide 36ers coming into this game as 28-point underdogs against the Phoenix Suns, im pretty sure we just witnessed one of if not the greatest NBA ATS upset ever?

StatMuse @statmuse
Career averages against the Suns: MJ — Craig Randall — 32.4 PPG 35.0 PPG 53.4 FG% 61.9 FG% 13.6 3P% 52.9 3P% <a href="https://t.co/ZVSEB945g0">pic.twitter.com/ZVSEB945g0</a>

Rcito 🇵🇷⚡️ @ramon_rican
The 36ers aren’t even one of the better teams in their league 😭😭😭😭😭 The Suns just lost to the Pistons of the NBL <a href="https://t.co/EiUgz6OIsw">pic.twitter.com/EiUgz6OIsw</a>

Dom2K (That Dom Guy) @Dom_2k
Suns getting lit up by a created team

Craig Rodgers @Craigrodgers1C
Discrepancies with pay between the teams <a href="https://t.co/7zVUQOA6MX">pic.twitter.com/7zVUQOA6MX</a>

NBA Memes @NBAMemes
Suns to Jae Crowder after losing to the 36ers <a href="https://t.co/3XRVkOLjxu">pic.twitter.com/3XRVkOLjxu</a>

Hoops @HoopMixOnly
The Suns after losing to the Adelaide 36ers <a href="https://t.co/bFCmDhLw4n">pic.twitter.com/bFCmDhLw4n</a>

Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
Genuinely hope that Adelaide beating the Suns helps make people realize how much talent there is worldwide playing hoops. So many players overseas are every bit as good as the last few guys on NBA rosters. So much a matter of timing, contract structure, etc.

It's again worth noting that this result will not count on any record books and is ultimately just a fun little preseason story we'll all forget about once the regular season begins.

But, again, still.

This has to be a slight cause for concern in Phoenix, given the team did not make any significant roster improvements this offseason after being upset by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2022 playoffs.

Chris Paul is a year older. Deandre Ayton had to languish out in restricted free agency for weeks just to the team could save a couple of bucks. Plus, the whole Robert Sarver saga continues to hang over the organization.

It's possible we'll look back on this moment in a couple of months as foreshadowing a disappointing 2022-23 Suns season.