The Suns fire Monty Williams after latest failure
Monty Williams leaves after four years at the helm with The Phoenix Suns after their poor showing in the playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns decided to fire coach Monty Williams on Saturday, following the team’s elimination to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semi-finals - a disaster which culminated in a humiliating home defeat (100-125) in the sixth game of the series. The 51-year-old coach led the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021, when his team lost the series 4-2 to the Milwaukee Bucks. His dismissal was advanced by ESPN and The Athletic and later confirmed by the franchise on social media.
Williams was at the helm for four years after taking the Suns’ post on a five-year deal in May 2019. Just last season, he was voted NBA Coach of the Year after guiding his team to 64–18 regular season finish - a franchise record. He ultimately was made to pay for the Suns’ latest failure - his team were eliminated in the West semi-finals despite the extravagant move of adding Kevin Durant to an already very competitive roster.
Devin Booker, Durant, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul, who missed the last four games of the series with injury, failed to find continuity and were humiliated at home Thursday by the Nuggets, who won by 25 points. The Suns are the franchise who have spent the longest time in the NBA without winning a ring.
“It is definitely frustrating, disappointing and embarrassing to lose. But defeats happen. It’s about how you can get up, keep pushing and find ways to be better,“ Durant said in the post-game press conference. “It was a bad feeling, embarassing. They came out and hit us in the mouth and we couldn’t recover. You gotta give them credit for being a disciplined team”.