I may be contradicting my point on another thread, but I think the Suns had a real chance this year. The Mavs and Heat were ideal matchups for the Suns.
The Suns are generally the most vulnerable against teams that are athletic, with a good low post game, good shooters, with strong ball movement.
The Mavs don't have exceptional guard play, tend to go one on one, and lack a serious low post threat. The Heat is a very slow team without exceptional outside shooting. With just a healthy Bell, the Suns would have had a chance.
Still, it is hard to imagine the Suns in the future getting by four tough opponents with no low post defense and no low post offense. It's not impossible, but it is very hard.