I’m one of those people who just have never liked sequels. Or remakes, for that matter. Once I’ve seen a movie, the sequel(s) usually turn out to be more of the same, and don’t live up to the hype. Sure, there are a few exceptions: Back To The Future II was pretty good, but that was planned from the get-go. Although the third installment, true to form, left something to be desired. All three Final Destination flicks were pretty good, too, if you like that genre. There are a few others-very few. But I stopped after the second Rocky, the first Rambo, and the first Lethal Weapon. I guess I just didn’t see the point. My kids did convince me to watch the remake of When A Stranger Calls about a year ago. Having seen the original, the second offering was a waste of time. Even they thought so, and they hadn’t seen the first one. But want to.
As the Phoenix Suns are once again flying high, though the recent back to back losses have them sitting at 11-4, (yawn), I can’t help but think that we’ve seen this all before. As usual, their big three of Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Amare Stoudemire will guarantee that they are one of the more formidable teams in the league, and a joy to watch. And again, their top seven players-add in Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Leandro Barbosa, and Boris Diaw-are probably as good as anybody’s. Throw in Brian Skinner, who has been a pleasant surprise in the middle with his athleticism, shot blocking, and ability to connect from mid-range AND the free throw line, and you have an eight man squad that I’d put money on against anyone. Just as I would have on last year’s eight. Problem is, NBA teams are allowed to dress 12. Which most nights are wasted wages to those who collect a paycheck for laundering the Suns’ jerseys.
That wasn’t the case in the preseason or the first couple weeks of the season. As head coach Mike D’Antoni does every year, he gave decent minutes to backup point guard Marcus Banks, frontliner Sean Marks, and sniper Eric Piatkowski. And the team’s two rookies, D.J. Strawberry and Alando Tucker, saw significant time in the preseason, adding an energy on both ends of the court that stuck out like a sore thumb. Tucker was recently sent to the developmental league, and Strawberry may be headed there too in the not-to-distant future. I have a hard time believing that another team as much in need of young, quick guard play as the Suns are wouldn’t be able to find a spot for these guys in the rotation.
It appears that D’Antoni’s main problem with Marcus Banks is that he’s not Steve Nash. But nobody is. And after some steady performances and a solid game against the Kings just over a week ago, in which he was leading the break, throwing some no-look passes, and playing solid defense, Banks hasn’t seen the floor. In the same time, Nash’s average minutes per game have risen slightly, from around 33 prior to just under 36 since. And while Nash is playing at an unbelievable level right now, there are still 60-plus games to go. This is not an indictment of Nash, but everyone knows that, while in excellent condition, he would be best served by scaling back on the playing time a bit. Common sense would say that an average of around 30-32 minutes per game, and 16-18 for Banks, would serve both players much better come May. But unfortunately, I’ve seen this before. It won’t happen.
Grant Hill was immediately anointed a starter upon his inking the contract, and I’m not sure why. Not that he doesn’t have a starter’s ability, but his current average of 35 minutes per game-we’re still in November-doesn’t bode well for the spring. The optimum situation would have been bringing Hill off the bench for 20-25 minutes, to keep him and everyone else relatively fresh throughout the season. But as we have seen, a definite pattern has been established. A prequel, if you will.
Today, D’Antoni lamented in the East Valley Tribune (www.eastvalleytribune.com) that his team doesn’t seem to be enjoying themselves much these days. While they’re still winning, they don’t have the enthusiasm of the team from three years ago. Which is somewhat understandable, since the pressure then was almost non-existent compared to now. But at the same time, a deeper rotation and an infusion from the bench, including the afore-mentioned rookies, could do nothing but help the overall attitude. He went on to say that his team was playing uptight and without the free flowing energy of years past. Hey coach, you think it’s bad now? Wait until the end of the season, when those top seven or eight guys on your roster have the off-season in the back of their mind so they can get some rest. You no longer have to defend yourself when it comes to your style of play. We saw last year you have no qualms about going head to head with Dallas or San Antonio. Nor do you have to explain your team’s lack of consistent defense. It has shown that, in a big game, it can play it when it has to-provided you have all yours weapons at your disposal. More on that to follow. But, as has been written by yours truly in this space in the past, you have yet to answer the shallow bench criticism. And therein lies the problem.
Three years ago, the revamped Suns sprinted to the best record in the league, but lost to the Spurs in the conference finals, even though Stoudemire was a beast, averaging 37 points per game. A healthy Joe Johnson, who broke his face against Dallas in the previous round, may have helped. But not to worry. This was a team on the rise. Two years ago, Stoudemire was on the shelf and two new starters were replacing Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson. But despite all the doom and gloom predictions, and thanks to Nash’s second MVP season and a season for the ages from Shawn Marion, the overachieving Suns once again slipped into the conference finals, where they lost to the Mavericks in six games. We could’ve done without Raja Bell pulling a calf muscle, though. Especially since the rotation was already stretched about as thin as could be. Last season, I was convinced that the Suns were getting over the hump. Their two long winning streaks, their late season erasure of a 15 point fourth quarter deficit at Dallas to win in overtime, and their victory at San Antonio in game four of their series after trailing by 11 midway through the fourth told me the Suns were tough, hungry, and ready. Well, at least eight of them were. But when the eight became six, they came up short yet again. Even in game five, without Stoudemire and Diaw, the Suns led throughout until late in the fourth. Then they ran out of gas. Kind of like a sequel that tries to thrive off the previous edition. It just never seems to work.
Perhaps next off-season, the trade rumors regarding Shawn Marion will be replaced by the search for a new coach. Which would make a lot more sense. Without Marion, the Suns are no better than a five seed. After all, the Suns have won with a ####ed-up-Nash. They’ve won without Stoudemire. But without the ever-durable and supremely consistent Marion, they would be at a loss. And without D’Antoni? Who knows. But his window, if not the Suns', is about to be closed for maintenance. I know. I've already seen this movie.
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Phoenix Suns tonight, 116-103, the Suns’ first loss by more than ten points all season in 51 games, which is a record. But records and winning streaks aren’t what the Suns are after. As their ad campaign says, they have their “Eyes on the Prize.” And if the prize is indeed to come to fruition, Head Coach Mike D’Antoni will need to prove his mettle.
The Suns played without starters Steve Nash and Boris Diaw, and of course have been without backup big man Kurt Thomas for a few weeks now. But the glaring weakness in the Suns games recently has been their lack of defense and their propensity to give up too many uncontested baskets, whether they be in the paint or outside jumpers. The Suns also shoot a significantly higher percentage from the field when Nash is in the lineup, as he gets players the ball when they are open and ready to fire. Any team would miss a point guard of Nash’s caliber, but in addition to the lower field goal percentage, they have a tendency to get out of control on the fast break without Nash running the show for any length of time. And with or without Nash, the fast break isn’t always there, especially now that the Suns have a bit of a league-wide presence, with teams now gearing up to play them and aware of their fast break potency. Stoudemire, and the Suns as a whole, have improved their half-court game since the season started, but it’s not enough. Not yet. There is still work to be done. As is the case on defense, there are too many times when the Suns don’t make the most of a possession. They must overcome the tendency of getting off a poor shot late in the shot clock when the fast break isn’t there.
Defensively, their play as a unit isn’t the problem-when they have all their players available. They usually are pretty adept at weakside help, deflecting or intercepting passes into the paint, and making teams work and use up much of the shot clock. The problem with the Suns lies in the individual defense they play. Other than Shawn Marion and Raja Bell, and sometimes Amare Stoudemire, who has picked up his interior defense noticeably, the Suns’ players aren’t focused enough on individual defensive play. Which makes it difficult to win when a few players are missing, as they have been lately. As a result, their lack of individual defense forces them into thinking they have to double-team a big man in the low post. Whether that mindset is real or imagined, it allows open jumpers, many of which are threes that can greatly affect the outcome o####ame. I’m not sure why the Suns feel they have to do this, as big men on the low block rarely give the Suns a lot of trouble-or any team for that matter, as the NBA has become more and more a perimeter game in recent years. Even a healthy Shaquille O’Neal has been steamrolled by the Suns' style in recent meetings, as he and players with similar styles don’t last too long in the up-tempo proceedings.
To the Bulls’ credit in tonight’s game, Luol Deng stepped up big time, finishing with 29 points and proving to be a handful the entire game. Ben Gordon had 27, but shot poorly. The dagger for Chicago was Kirk Hinrich, who is well on his way to becoming one of the better point guards in the league, and who scorched the Suns during a decisive fourth quarter run with one crucial shot after another. Regarding my earlier point about the individual defense that the Suns are lacking when they put a slightly different lineup on the floor, Deng and Hinrich shot a combined 22-36, with Hinrich going 5-7 from beyond the arc. Every stat in the game was relatively close, save field goal percentage. The Suns shot 40.7%, the Bulls 50.6%. Thus, a thirteen point Chicago victory. It came as no surprise that the Bulls were especially hungry for this win, given the fact that they gave up a 16 point, second half lead in a loss at home to the Suns in Chicago in early January. Not to mention the fact that Bulls coach Scott Skiles coached the Suns a few years back, and no doubt found a little extra satisfaction in the win.
As for the Suns, the effort was there. It always is. And with some players missing, it’s understandable that their play has suffered as of late. But a little more attention to the finer points of winning basketball games against good teams would go a long way. The good news for them is that with a few players ailing, bench players like James Jones, Marcus Banks, and Pat Burke are getting to see significant minutes. Banks especially has elevated his play as of late. And in tonight’s game, even Jalen Rose saw some playing time, hopefully a sign of things to come. This can only help them in the long run. If they focus defensively as well. Of course the bad news is that, while the Suns play adequate team defense when fully healthy, the necessary influx of new players and minutes may make their individual defensive deficiencies even more glaring. No, the Suns don’t have to be a great defensive team to win a title, but stretches of solid “D” are a necessity. And a championship team knows almost instinctively when the “D” needs to be stepped up. I can’t help but think of the Bulls-Suns NBA Finals of ’93, when the Bulls always seemed to have an 8-0 lurking just around the corner, often when you least expected it. An 8-0 run doesn’t sound all that devastating on the surface, but in a game between two fairly evenly matched teams, it is enough to be the difference. A championship team knows that at any moment, a game-altering play or sequence can occur.
Nothing in this writing is to imply that the Suns can’t win a title with their style of play. They can. It’s been done before, and will be done again. The point is this-with their top seven or eight players under contract for a few more seasons, the time is now. This team is on the precipice of winning not one title, but possibly more than one with their lineup. Throw in the fact that they have two first round picks next year, including Atlanta’s, provided that it’s not in the top three, and the future is very bright for Suns fans. Granted, lots of things have to fall into place for any team in any sport to win multiple championships, so to imply that this Suns team is capable of doing so is putting the cart miles in front of the horse. But the Suns management, run superbly from top to bottom by Robert Sarver, one of the best owners in the league, has given Mike D’Antoni the reign to build the team as he has seen fit. And no championship this season does not necessarily constitute a failure. But as we all know, the window of opportunity in sports can close quickly, so for the Suns, the time is now. It’s time to see if Mike D’Antoni can really coach with the big picture in mind.
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.
The preseason prognostications for this team hovered around .500. With three starters from last year's 62-20 team that advanced to the Western Conference Finals gone, and roughly half their roster changed, the Phoenix Suns appeared headed for a low playoff seed at best. Lottery-ville was certainly a possibility. But head coach Mike D'Antoni boldly, perhaps defiantly, predicted his team would win 50 games. Little did we know he was establishing the mentality of his team by saying that.
A Pacific Division title and two playoff series victories later, the Suns took an early upper hand Wednesday night in Dallas. Late in the fourth quarter, with Shawn Marion hobbling on a re-injured left ankle and Raja Bell having been carted off with a leg injury, the Suns found themselves trailing the Mavs by nine points and on the ropes. And I allowed the thought to creep into my mind. The one that said the Suns had achieved far more than anyone thought they would this season. And I was okay with that. I'm a realist. They have had a great ride and it was a pleasure to watch. Bell's injury looked serious, Marion's looked like it would hinder him until he could get a week or so off, which woudn't be any time soon. Kurt Thomas was back in uniform, (he didn't play), but it appeared that would be too little, too late to help the Suns.
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to what looked like a certain Mavs victory. Steve Nash hit a lay-up from what seemed like an impossible location, then drained two threes. Marion then took a perfect feed from Nash and jammed it home. But that's not the unusual part-the Suns played some timely defense, got the rebounds they needed, forced a couple turnovers, and went up by one on Boris Diaw's short jumper with less than a second to play. After another Dallas turnover and two Tim Thomas free throws, the Suns had game one of the series, 121-118. Diaw, a player the Hawks looked at as a throw-in in the Joe Johnson deal, but whom D'Antoni and then-Suns GM Brian Colangelo wanted, finished with 34 points and made 8 of 10 free throws. Marion, an electrifying lunch-pail guy if ever there was one, finished with 24 on 10-15 shooting and 13 rebounds. He was also 4-4 from the line. And Nash? 27 points and 16 assists, as well as the aforementioned three point daggers.
In the lone pre-series scouting report I read, the coaching edge went to Dallas. I guess we'll see now. Avery Johnson has a huge task ahead of him, with Phoenix snatching a perceived certain victory from the Mavericks. Admittedly, if Bell and Marion are less than full speed the rest of the way, D'Antoni will have his work cut for him as well. But he gets large kudos here. He has proven time and time again that his team will play their rears off for him, and that is certainly no small feat in today's NBA. This season, Johnson wrested coach of the year honors away from D'Antoni, last year's winner. I have a question regarding that-If the Suns win the series, will Scottie Pippen call for Johnson to give the award back?
I mentioned in an earlier story that the Suns were playing with house money, and realistically, they probably still are. But considering they were down 3-1 to the Lakers, were on the brink of being sent home by the Clippers on more than one occasion, and in the Western Conference Finals opener put a roadblock on Dallas' momentum in the fourth quarter to pull out a win, I won't admit that they're dead until '0:00' shows on the clock in an elimination game and the Suns have less points. Game one was an amazing finish by an amazing team, the amazing Suns.
Spent half my life in North Dakota. The other half, so far, in the Valley of the Sun. As a kid, I was always playing, watching, reading, or writing about sports. I lost most of the "playing" along the way, but the rest remains the same. I pledge to refrain from commenting on a blog unless I've read it in its entirety. If I have time, of course.
Carry on.
Email address: rickoblog@ear thlink.net
