| Suns Season Wrap-Up/Playoff Preview Authored by J.T. Magee - April 23, 2006 - 11:33 am
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Phoenix closed out an overachieving and under appreciated season and wound up as the #2 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. Phoenix played through injuries and proved they are a team to be reckoned with in the playoffs. Their style is hard to match and they have the easiest road to the Western Conference Finals.
They did what they’ve done since Steve Nash came over from Dallas: score, run, score and run. Along the way, they found a new addition to that formula this season: a bench.
With those two acquisitions, Phoenix focused on defense. They also had to make room for James Jones and Eddie House, two scorers who played considerably well on the defensive end of the floor. Jones came on strong at the end of the season, averaging 9.6 rebounds over the last five contests. House, usually undersized as a shooting guard, just played basic defense and rarely allowed his man by. Most of the
time, Phoenix would double-team in the post, so House never looked like a great defender. But he made sure that as long as he scored and kept his man in check, things would be all right. The Suns also added Brian Grant and Pat Burke for some size, but the guy they got in return for Joe Johnson has paid the most dividends on both ends of the floor.
Boris Diaw, a.k.a. Most Improved Player, came out of nowhere to become the guy Phoenix ran their offense through. Phoenix ran plays for everyone, but Diaw made play making tasks much easier for Nash and it paid off on both ends of the floor. On offense, Nash could have a play run for him and create an open space for himself or a teammate off the ball. Last year, with Leandro Barbosa still finding his way, Nash had to make everything happen on offense which led to him suffering on defense. This year, Nash has more energy to exert on D because Diaw makes things easier. Nash played the passing lanes just as well as anyone in the
league and his defense on the pick & roll improved. Diaw, perhaps the most versatile player in the NBA, showed that his athleticism cannot be matched by another power forward or center. And it helped the team become one that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
With Phoenix, it’s all about the team. Their philosophy about the game is simple: get everyone involved and the rewards will be reaped. Everyone is unselfish and can play off and on the ball. Everyone can play more than one position and they have. Diaw has played about all five positions this year. Almost every Suns player averaged a career-high in points per game. They were first in the NBA in assists per game at 26.6. And for the second consecutive season, the Suns proved that they can play at full-speed, even without Stoudemire.
If it wasn’t for Shawn Marion, they wouldn’t be where they are at. Nash could still lead this team into the playoffs, but the Clippers would be the ones hosting the Lakers. Marion makes plays everywhere on the court and can do so without the ball. He has the knack for finding a small crease in a defense and jumping above everyone for a rebound or alley-oop. There were a lot more plays run for him this season, but the way he plays, it rarely looks like it. He always goes unnoticed and it only makes his game stronger. Teams don’t know how to prepare for a guy like him because there is no way a team can. Because he can do almost everything, teams just let him be and it costs them.
If they put their best defender on him, he will still make plays. He will always beat them down the court and will always be one step ahead of his opponent.
With the addition of TIm Thomas, they shored up their front court temporarily by adding a versatile SF/PF who can put it on the floor or stretch out the defense with a 3-pointer. Many argue that he was a bad acquisition because they need a rebounder and a guy who can play tougher defense than what Thomas brings. Some of those points are valid, but there was no one worth adding. The Suns were reportedly going after Chris Wilcox, but they would’ve been better off going after James Singleton. Either way, Thomas has shown that Phoenix does not make mistakes when they add
players, whether it be through free agency or trades. And because of their unselfish play and quick hitting system, Thomas fit right in immediately.
As long as the Suns can score, which they did plenty of in the regular season, they have a chance to prove skeptics wrong about the Lakers upsetting them. L.A. was 1-3 against Phoenix in the regular season series between the two teams, with the Lakers winning the last one with Nash and Bell sitting out. Sure, Kobe has a chance to average 45, but when he puts up 33 shots per game, he takes away any chance his team has of winning. No one seems to realize that this Laker team is built around one man, yet this Suns team is
built around the team. Just like in the regular season, the Suns will run all over Bryant and the Lakers. |
