How Good Are The Suns Really?
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by user Leslie Monteiro
The Phoenix Suns has been the media's and basketball purist's delight for the last two years. This year is no exception. They are so fun to watch. They can score. They can run and dunk. They can shoot threes at any direction. They are so intriguing that Sports Illustrated's Jack MacCullum decided to do a book about them by being around the team from preseason to the final playoff game against the Mavericks last year at America West Arena.
The Suns will be a contender for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. They have the players. They rarely ever lose. They have two double-digit winning streaks this season. They won 15 in a row early this season till the Washington Wizards defeated the Suns at Phoenix thanks to MVP Candidate Gilbert Arenas having a great night. They won 17 in a row recently, but that streak was snapped Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves of all teams. Cynics have this question though. Is this good enough come spring time?
It is cute that the Suns are performing an impressive feat right now, but it will not mean much once the playoffs start. No one is going to think about if the Suns fail to finish the job. This includes the resident of the Valley of the Suns.
There are so many reasons to question the Suns legitimacy of winning it all. For one thing, their winning streak comes against bad teams and the Eastern Conference. Second, their defense leaves a lot to be desired. Finally, their shot selection can drive people nuts at times.
It is not a big deal that they won that many games. Regular season winning streak should not really sway people. The Twins had a great run in baseball last year. Unfortunately, they stunk against the A's and as a result not only were they eliminated, but their meteoric rise from a bad start to an impressive finish did not mean much anymore to anyone. Twins fans might have enjoyed it, but the the three-game sweep has to be on their mind too.
What matters is the Suns record against great teams. They are 0-2 against the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and the Utah Jazz. They are 0-1 against the Lakers, who almost eliminated them last year in the first round of the playoffs. They need to know how to beat those teams who play defense and who are not afraid to get down and dirty with them. They tend to be afraid of contact which is something that has to be addressed.
Defense wins championships in sports. This will never ever change no matter how hard the Pacific Division leaders try to reinvent the wheel. They need to stop with this philosophy about outscoring the other team and giving the other team that many shots. They need to realize that as good as they are, the other teams will find a way to make a big block or a big stop through defense. They are not that unstoppable. The Mavericks finally got it couple of years ago that this type of gimmick will not work at all. They have decided that defense is essential which is something their head coach Avery Johnson preaches.
This Suns team needs to get dirty and find a way to force turnovers or block layups. They need to take charge. They need to not let a player be wide-open.
Suns have to stop with shooting threes. They have been successful that way, but they can not expect to work this all the time. In the Western Conference Finals couple of years ago, the Suns wer hoisting those shots from downtown and they were never close at all. They need to how to score from the paint. That's what Amare Stoudamire is useful. It seems their players want to one-up others. It is just not the way to go.
They will get a chance to show how real they are this week. They play the Spurs on TNT Thursday night at the Purple Palace. If they can beat them, it will go a long way for them. This would be more impressive than the 15-game winning streak or the 17-game winning streak. They have to believe in themselves that the Spurs are not a big hurdle for them. They also play the Jazz Saturday night at home.
The best team in the basketball is the Mavericks. They know how to run a great offense and a great defense. They are able to complement both at the same time thanks to Johnson's effort. It is remarkable how come no one talks about that team in the Metroplex. They have been as awesome as the Suns and probably more impressive when you compare the body of work from both teams.
Suns can learn from them about playing the right way.
They are going to have to if they want to be taken seriously.
