PHOENIX -- Fifteen minutes remain before tipoff inside Phoenix's Footprint Center, and Deandre Ayton is on all fours outside the locker room, barking like a dog.
"I'm the big dog," Ayton specifies. "Without the leash."
But before Ayton can complete his center-to-canine transformation, a chaotic yet beautifully orchestrated few minutes ensue inside the Suns' tunnel.
Mikal Bridges pretends he's slipping on Iron Man's armor -- complete with an imaginary Arc Reactor shoved into his chest and palm repulsors that levitate him from one side of the tunnel to the other -- where he's caught by a sea of Suns players before he smashes into the concrete wall.