The Phoenix Suns won their sixth straight game Friday night, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 122-115.  The Suns had four players, Shawn Marion, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, and Leandro Barbosa,  score twenty points or more, and one more, Raja Bell, who just missed, finishing with 18. The Suns had actually been playing adequate defense during their winning streak, but that showed only in flashes,  at key times, against the Bucks. Stellar play from Buck guards Michael Redd and Mo Williams contributed to the offensive fireworks. The duo combined for 68 points and made 27 of 42 field goal attempts. Redd was also 12-15 from the free throw line.

Amare Stoudemire appears to be about 80-90% back from his knee ailments, which included microfracture surgery about a year ago. He can dominate at times, which makes me think he is 100% recovered, until I remember things like his average of 37 points versus the Spurs in the ’05 Conference Finals, when he was nearly unstoppable. At this point, he may not be all the way back physically, but he is a smarter and a better-rounded player than he was two years ago. Stoudemire will never be known as a defensive stopper, but he has picked up a knack for blocking shots. He moves better without the ball and understands the game more. He has also improved his outside shot and is getting back into the habit of going to the free throw line, a definite positive considering his free throw percentage. Ever since his little sit down with Mike D’Antoni in the pre-season, in which D’Antoni diplomatically informed him that the Suns were moving forward with or without him, Stoudemire has stepped up his progress and seems to be getting better gradually with each game. The bad news? He still has a tendency to get into foul trouble. And he’s already 24 with only about eight or ten good years left in him. Pretty scary. 

Steve Nash’s ability to see the floor and distribute the ball is surpassed only by his ball handling prowess and the ability to shoot with either hand around the rim, often finishing drives with playground-like moves. He has shown an uncanny knack to knock down a couple of big hoops, often three-pointers, when the Suns become stagnant and are in need of a clutch basket. There has been much debate over his worthiness of the two MVP awards bestowed on him, but few players are more valuable to their team than Nash.

Leandro Barbosa has been a pleasant surprise this season. Except perhaps to the Suns front office, who gave him a contract extension in the off-season. His game has improved dramatically the last couple of seasons. He has learned how to use his exceptional quickness, now confidently taking the ball to the hoop on a regular basis and finishing when he gets there. His three point shooting forces defenders to work hard when playing him, and his offensive arsenal continues to grow.

Raja Bell has proven to be a deadly marksman from the outside, which is a bonus considering he was signed to play tough D on Western Conference foes like Kobe Bryant and Manu Ginobili, players who have really hurt the Suns in the past.

Kurt Thomas was the subject of many trade rumors in the off-season, though I couldn’t figure out why. When Thomas is in the game, he give the Suns a defensive presence down low, and he’s got a very good mid-range jumper. He doesn’t have the size to be a big shot blocking threat, but he allows the Suns to play most big men straight up without double-teaming, a luxury the team hasn’t had in quite a while. (In fact, in light of the team’s long drought at the position, when America West Arena was changed to U.S. Airways Center after the merger of the two companies, one local radio personality quipped, “Finally, the Suns have a center.”)

Boris Diaw was also given an extension in the off-season. He is off to a slow start, perhaps in part because he hasn’t played alongside Stoudemire before, and spent much of the season playing without Kurt Thomas as well. Thomas was injured down the stretch and in the playoffs, so Diaw’s role has been changed a little, but he’s a solid player who can do a little bit of everything. His unselfishness sometimes lands him in D’Antoni’s doghouse though, as he regularly passes up open shots. Sounds like a dilemma a lot of coaches would like to have.

To a fan who’s seeing the Suns play for the first time or seldom sees them, the player who stands out consistently is Shawn Marion. Based on his versatility, The Matrix seems to be a perfect nickname for him. Marion does the little things, and some not-so-little things, that affect the outcome. Some don’t show up on the stat sheet, but one would be hard pressed to find a player in the league who does more things on both ends of the floor.

For those who are somewhat familiar with my writing, you’ll remember that this isn’t the first time I’ve extolled the virtues of Marion. You may have heard me mention the fact that Marion was in the top 20 last year in seven categories, including minutes played. I always think it’s going to catch up with him, but so far it hasn’t. The guy’s all over the place. Even though Nash is looked at as the leader of this team, it’s hard to imagine where they’d be without Marion. To go along with his 27 points, he had 14 rebounds, three blocks, four steals, and hit 11-11 free throws in the fourth quarter against the Bucks. Believe it or not, that was not an atypical game for The Matrix. Both Stoudemire and Marion have stated that they want to be the best at their positions in the game. That tandem is a handful for most teams to deal with. Incidentally, as a credit to the Suns drafting prowess,  both were picked ninth in the first round.

The Suns currently have a solid seven man rotation. By his own admission, Coach D’Antoni needs to find another player or two to fit in there and get regular minutes. The main candidates:

-         Marcus Banks, a backup point guard signed to spell Nash. Banks is getting more and more acclimated to the Suns style and players, and with continued improvement, should see his minutes increase.

-         James Jones, a small forward type in his second year with the team. Jones is a decent defender and a good fit to spell the big guard/small forward type spot. He would be getting a lot more playing time on most teams, but hasn’t seen a lot with the Suns yet.

-         Jalen Rose, recently signed as a free agent. His playing time has been limited so far, and Rose is perfectly fine with that. He’s stated that it will take some time for him to fit in, but the fact that he can play a few different positions and has invaluable experience only figures to help the team later in the season.

Of course, the Suns Achilles heel has been defense. Their best defenders are Marion, Bell, and Thomas. They actually have several players who are pretty good defenders, but the concept of team defense is one that needs to improve. During the winning streak, they have shown the ability to get stops at crucial times, as they did late against the Bucks. They’ll never be confused with the best defensive teams in the league, but with their offensive style, a marked improvement may be good enough. The Suns have also done something the last few games that they hadn’t shown before-pulling away in the fourth quarter. They still have a propensity to give up big leads, but apparently have learned to weather the storm and grab the momentum back. If they can stay away from major, long term injuries, they stand a good chance to make their third straight Western Conference Finals. And now they seem well-equipped to advance beyond that.

Thanks for taking the time to read.