The Phoenix Suns play their last game of the season Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings — but for all intents and purposes, their season really ended Monday night, when the Suns lost to the Memphis Grizzlies and were eliminated from the playoffs.

It’s probably fair to say Suns fans have mixed emotions as they prepare for another post-season that their team will not be a part of. On the one hand, before the season, the pundits predicted Phoenix’s win total would be lower than the legal drinking age, but on the other, the Suns missed the playoffs basically by a game.

To sort this all out, we welcome Arizona Republic sports columnist Paola Boivin.