Do you think thir time has finally come? Well personally I do, since 1987 (the year I was born) I have been patiently waiting and waiting for the Suns to win a championship, unfortunitly for my Grandfather he has been waiting since the beging back in the late 60's so I personally think it is about time that the suns win. We got beat up in '92 and now we have a team that can put us at the top. [rant]I can't believe that alot of poeple (outside of the forum...i hope) think that just because the Suns had their best year ever that they shouldnt win the championship. Whats up with that?[/rant]
Well, before JJ got injured, I thought that the Suns had an outstanding chance. But after the injury? It'll likely take some amazing performances by the Suns since Johnson was really their "X" factor, someone who could beat you in a few ways and who could step up. We'll just have to wait and see if the bench or the other starters can bring some help to win some games.
Just cross your fingers and pray, if for some far off chance the suns loss both games I am going to travel to dallas to kill Cuban.....j/k...but man that would suck
I agree that losing Johnson is a major blow to their chances. I just don't think Barbosa can even provide half of what Johnson could bring to the table. Playing Barbosa beside Nash also creates big defensive mismatches for Dallas. I still think that Phoenix can at least pull out this series from Dalllas but when they get to the WCF they better have Johnson available or else they will lose guranteed.
This is the best Suns team since Barkley was there. Their offense is the best in the league, but defense wins championships as proven by the Spurs, Lakers and Pistons in recent years. I like this Suns team and would root for them if my Mavs weren't in the playoffs too.
What sucks for me is that my two teams are Dallas and the Suns but if I had to choose it would be my Suns
When I knew Q and Nash were going phoenix to join jj amare and marion i knew they were going to be a force in the nba. They've had a solid run up to this point but now i think that if they can't manage til joe's back they won't be able to progress. But I'm still rooting for them all the way to the finals ... I hope
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtVision:</div><div class="quote_post">I agree that losing Johnson is a major blow to their chances. I just don't think Barbosa can even provide half of what Johnson could bring to the table. Playing Barbosa beside Nash also creates big defensive mismatches for Dallas. I still think that Phoenix can at least pull out this series from Dalllas but when they get to the WCF they better have Johnson available or else they will lose guranteed.</div> Jim Jackson will be picking up most of JJ's minutes. Barbosa will play more as well, but he won't be on the court too much.
I have a $300 bet on the table that the Suns will get eliminated by the Spurs, and I'm going to accept it. Barring a major injury, I don't see them beating San Antonio 4 out of 7 games.
JJ will be back next week. He will be wearing the Rip hamelton mask. For people who think the suns don't play defense, your silly... Amare had 5 blocks last game. The suns went on a 14 - 0 run....doesnt' that take defense to go on a run like that? The suns held the mavs to 1-18 beyond the arc.....was that defense? Anyway, the suns biggest challenge, in my opinion, are the spurs.....If we get past the spurs then the championship is ours.
Well, they are relying on their offense against Dallas. Dallas is relying on offense and their speed as well. GREAT SERIES! AMARE has been a monster
The Suns defense overall is average, and in stretches is very good. Even D'Antoni says that. Nobody will say that the Suns defense is bad. The question is emphasis. The most recent NBA champions have all placed their emphasis on defense, and have allowed their offense to come out of that defense. The Suns, on the other hand, will bank on the fact that they will be more efficient on offense than you and just wait for your mistakes. This philosophy is what got them to 60+ wins in the regular season. However, the playoffs are a different animal. Defense must be played consistently to force turnovers, rather than just wait for them to occur. The Suns play a more entertaining brand of basketball, but it's hard to argue with the success the Pistons, Spurs, Bulls and Lakers have had in the playoffs with their defense-first philosophy.
I'm still not set with the Suns...they've impressed me this round vs. Dallas (altho its 2-2) but I think their defense is still subpar and that their offense will eventually die out against a tougher team such as the Spurs, or even Seattle...and even if they were to make it to the Finals (the only way that will happen is if they play Seattle and not SA the next round) then I see them falling to either Detroit or Miami...
The Suns offense will never die out, It is too strong for that to happen. They will always score around 105-110+ in each game. The pace they play will allow that to keep happening. No matter how bad they shoot the ball and thats not often. It will be what they do defensively when they face a strong defensive team. Can they get key stops when the game is on the line in the final 5 minutes? that will be the difference from them winning a title or coming up short.
I think they need Joe Johnson to go far, against Dallas it is creating messed up mismatches when they bring in a reserve. When Jim Jackson or Nash or Q-rich goes to the bench Barbosa comes on and he usually has to guard Stackhouse or someone much stronger and bigger. Joe Johnson could easily guard Stackhouse without any mismatches. They also don't get much offense with Barbosa on the floor.
Don't forget Stackhouse is the one who put JJ out of commission...I believe when jj comes back Stackhouse will be in a world of pain.....lol.....also they do miss alot of shoots thats the reason we havent been wining its not missing JJ its how bad they are playin, Amare is getting about 40 points in each game but the others are not. Him and NAsh are the lead scorers and nothing is get done by anyone else. Also Dirk is a twanker because the last game I don't remember who it was but Dirk just stuck his foot out and blatenly triped a suns player
