Back to the Pitt Panthers Newsfeed

Phoenix Suns' James Jones, with close ties to LeBron James, braces for Lakers series

On the eve of opening weekend for the NBA playoffs, members of the Phoenix Suns organization gathered together to pop bottles of champagne. They might as well have been on ice for a decade.

For the first time since 2010, the Suns are back in the postseason, thanks in large part to a trio of leaders added in the past two years: General manager James Jones, head coach Monty Williams and point guard Chris Paul.

"It was more a celebration of the employees," Jones said of the champagne toast in a wide-ranging interview with ESPN.