Watch: Suns fans show Kevin Durant love at introductory news conference

The Suns acquired Durant at the trade deadline and quickly became the favorite to win the Western Conference.

It's hard to argue the Suns didn't increase their chances of winning a title by acquiring Durant, but that didn't stop the Arizona Republic's Phil Boas from trying.

Boas was critical of the trade that sent Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and future draft picks away in exchange for Durant. He argued the trade's negative impact on Phoenix's depth and defense outweighs Durant's otherworldly talent, saying the trade has the chance to be "the worst in Arizona sports history."

We won't go that far. When an organization can cash in its chips for a generational star such as Durant, it should do so 100 percent of the time.

Even so, there's a lot the Suns have to prove before they're anointed champs. For Chris Paul, can he show up consistently on the biggest stage? For Durant, can he win the big games on a team without an established championship culture? 

For all the success the Suns had over the years, they've never won an NBA title.

The team came two wins short of a championship two seasons ago in a 4-2 series loss to the Bucks. Last year, Phoenix was embarrassed at home in Game 7 against the Mavericks in the second round.

Prior to that, the "Seven Seconds or Less" Suns of the mid-to-late 2000s were one of the best teams to never reach an NBA Finals. In the early 1990s, Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson led the organization to multiple great seasons but only one Finals appearance. The Suns lost the 1993 NBA Finals to Michael Jordan and the Bulls in six games.

Durant may very well be the missing piece that finally brings an NBA championship to Phoenix. If fans are going bonkers at a news conference, we can only imagine what will happen when the Suns win on the court with KD.