I?ve never really gotten the opportunity to watch the Suns in action this season. The only time I really got the chance in seeing them is yesterday when they played my beloved Knicks. Anytime the Suns played it would be fun watching them but, my heart wasn?t really there because well, they aren?t the Knicks but, as a basketball player I make sure to watch every single basketball game that I can whether it?s NBA, WNBA, NCAA, HS basketball or even the elementary school students at the local YMCA! I don?t go that far, but you get my point. Man, there is tons of stuff that I noticed playing against the Phoenix Suns that I had no idea about. First of all I want to talk about Steve Nash. He really is the best point guard in the league hands down. I never realized how good he was, probably because he was always overshadowed by the likes of Michael Finley, and Dirk Nowitzki in the Big 3. He was a part of the big 3 however, because he didn?t necessarily embarrass people by ridiculous posterizations by Michael Finely, or maybe because he isn?t 7 feet and can shoot better than many guards in the league. I don?t know why few people noticed him but, the fact of the matter is he is the best point guard in the league. He wasn?t nearlyat his best with only nine points but, the and 7 assists but, those 7 assists and nine points came in a very orderly fashion. His assists weren?t a pass and some guy made a lucky shot. I can?t remember an assist that didn?t end up as a layup or a dunk or something like that. This guy is simply amazing! The thing which I like about him is he isn?t one dimensional and only gets his assists in transition. Steve Nash gets them in half court and fastbreak situations. He has very good court awareness which I was unaware he had. He?s very hard to stop on offense as well. To quote Bump J ?shake you out the man and shoot you out of the zone? pretty much sums up Steve Nash?s abilities. Great find by Bryan Colangelo best GM in the league? I think so. Another thing I had never noticed about the Suns players is Amare Stoudemire. He is developing into a real superstar in the NBA. Forget about LeBron James taking over the league in the next couple of years, let?s not forget about this guy Amare Stoudemire who is just as good, and capable of having more of an impact for the next generation. The man is pretty much unstoppable. How can someone that?s full of so much muscle and strength be so quick? The man is simply amazing. I will go and take the extra mile and say I feel that he will be the next? Shaquile O?Neal. Not in the way they play but the way they dominate. Forget about ever trying to take Amare on the post. Amare is one of the best postup players in the league right now. He also has developed a little jumper too. That is really remarkable so how are you going to stop him? For the next Einstein: once you find out the answer please tell me. The scariest part about Amare is that he is only 22! Sun fans have this guy in their midst as well. Another great find by Bryan Colangelo. Another thing I realized is how ugly Shawn Marion shot is. I mean he doesn?t fully extend his arm, it?s almost like a push shot and he brings hands back so quickly! That really is an ugly shot. I am still wondering how it can go in like that. I?ve seen Shawn Marion a number of times but every time I see him, it?s almost as if the shot gets uglier. No one can deny that the brother?s form is ugly! I do remember someone saying that Marion shot is uglier than watching Tim Thomas teach about the fundamentals of basketball. That is pretty ugly right there. That is how Shawn Marion?s form is but, I think the real mystery of the NBA is how does it go in? He still had a great game yesterday with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Quentin Richardson only shoots 3?s. It?s funny. All he does is just stand on the perimeter, and shoot three after three I was puzzled on why he shot so low at 37%. The thing is that he attempts 8 threes out of his 14 shots per game. His other six shots are probably long 2 pointers that he thought should have been 3?s lol. I also never knew Brandy and Q were engaged. I thought that they just started going out! I live a couple of hours away from Phoenix so I think I have an excuse not to have known about this. Btw, did I mention that these couple of miles were by plane? The whole Suns team is quick athletic with no defense so they let you have 100 points but, unless you have more than 108 you?re not wining. Now with Jim Jackson, they are better shooters, with Amare they are great at the post with Nash the floor general they are all glued together and are a great team. They are now legit title contenders and have the 2nd best record in the NBA right now. I knew this team was good, but I had no idea that the Suns were that good. They remind me of a better version of the Dallas Mavericks. What a future you have there Phoenix fans. Be grateful because you have something to cheer about for the whole season and the playoffs. I wish I could say the same thing about my Knicks. You are very fortunate to have this squad and you guys have no reason to ever complain!
Nice post and a lot of good points. I enjoyed reading it. I do have one comment about their defense though. Yeah it's not the greatest in the league but it's a lot better than some people credit. The main reason they give up so many points isn't a lack of defense, it's simply the pace of the game. When you're running up and down the court that much, there are more possessions and more points are going to be scored by both teams, period. Whereas teams that use almost the whole shotclock every possession are going to have much lower point games (which some people automatically equate to awesome defense). Whenever you look at that scoreboard it's critical to keep in mind the point differential, and what the average differential is for the team.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting unbeliever:</div><div class="quote_post">Nice post and a lot of good points. I enjoyed reading it. I do have one comment about their defense though. Yeah it's not the greatest in the league but it's a lot better than some people credit. The main reason they give up so many points isn't a lack of defense, it's simply the pace of the game. When you're running up and down the court that much, there are more possessions and more points are going to be scored by both teams, period. Whereas teams that use almost the whole shotclock every possession are going to have much lower point games (which some people automatically equate to awesome defense). Whenever you look at that scoreboard it's critical to keep in mind the point differential, and what the average differential is for the team. </div> You know what? I never realized that about the Suns either. They're defense isn't that bad. You're right unbeliever. My bad.
Yeah, they made a big deal about it in Phoenix when they signed Q. She was at the press conference and they interviewed her. She's at most Suns games cheering in her mink coat and diamond encrusted shades.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mrj18:</div><div class="quote_post">You know what? I never realized that about the Suns either. They're defense isn't that bad. You're right unbeliever. My bad.</div> I am glad someone pointed this out. The suns are a great team in terms of defence, I would say quite possibly in the top 5 in the league (Behind Indiana, Detroit, Spurs, Bulls [yes the Chicago Bulls!]). They run such a fast pace game, that it would be impossible to hold opponents below 80-90 points. If the Spurs had to deal with that many pocessions a game, than you would not see them holding opponents to such low scores. With the abundance of athletes on the starting line, along with the tenasious Jim Jackson, and lightening quick Leandro Barbosa on the perimeter, as well as Steven Hunter who is so quick and jumps so high that it is almost scary. Great post!
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Whereas teams that use almost the whole shotclock every possession are going to have much lower point games (which some people automatically equate to awesome defense). Whenever you look at that scoreboard it's critical to keep in mind the point differential, and what the average differential is for the team.</div>Ehhhh,not just point differential.Id say its a combination of point differential and FG% allowed.With the latter being the most crucial.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting mrj18:</div><div class="quote_post">You know what? I never realized that about the Suns either. They're defense isn't that bad. You're right unbeliever. My bad.</div> The Suns defense is very underrated, probably the most underrated in the league. Shawn Marion always seems to be a defensive force and he isn't disappointing this year, #5 in the league in steals. The Suns also have the league leader in blocks per 48 minutes in Steven Hunter, somebody who I think should be getting more playing time. Q-Rich's defense this year has also been over looked, he hasn't been known for his defense in prior years but this year he is really stepping it up, he ranks #14 in the league in total steals and he is averaging 1.4 steals a game. Steve Nash is probably the worst defensive player on the team though, sad to say.
The team defense is definitely underated. Lead by Marion and Hunter, they're not bad at all. Q doesn't know what defense is, and Nash isn't good at all, but they make up for it on offense...well Nash does, Q will give up just as many points as he scores. Steven Hunter has been a huge addition, he's able to be a presence down low, in terms of shot blocking, and he's a good weak side defender, from what I've seen. Amare is getting better, and Marion is Shawn Marion. 101 PPG isn't that much, considering how many points the Suns score, and the tempo they play.
They have a great mix of players, very athletic, and Joe Johnson improvement in his three point shoot helps a lot. Nash get's most of his assists on three pointers, and jumpshots, so Q, JJ and Marion help in that. I hear so many people say the Suns don't play defense, but they neglect the fact that the Suns opponents take 89.9 shots a game, 4 more than the next closest opponent PPG in the league. The only flaw in the Suns defense is defensive rebouding. This can be attributed to Amare who has been a little dissapointing on the boards. The Suns give up a league leading 15.4 offensive rebounds a game, and obviously since they take more shots, they should give up a little more, but not that much. If Amare improved his rebounding, and other teams had less second chance oppurtunities, they could keep opponents under 100 PPG. Suns opponents shoot 44.4% which is middle of the pack in the NBA, and 32.5% from three point range which is second best in the NBA. Their opponents also go to the line only 20.7 times a game which is first in the NBA, so they're actually playing some pretty good defense.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Suns defense is very underrated, probably the most underrated in the league.</div>Well said. It seems that both offense and defense for the Suns can be unstoppable. Good post KA BTW, praising are beloved Suns
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting The Hogg:</div><div class="quote_post">Well said. It seems that both offense and defense for the Suns can be unstoppable. Good post KA BTW, praising are beloved Suns</div> What does KA mean? I hope that doesn't mean Knicks Analyst because I wrote it! It's all good because I know he's a quality poster, so I guess I'm one too then.
Another thing to add about their opponents PPG, if their opponents were only shooting 41.2% which is the lowest in the league by an opponent [Bulls], they'd still be averaging 95.3 points a game. So really they play pretty good defense, with the only problem being defensive rebounding.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">What does KA mean? I hope that doesn't mean Knicks Analyst because I wrote it! </div> Oops haha sorry mrj18, I keep getting confused with you and KA...I think it`s the sigs...
Shawn Marion's jumper is as ugly as it is because he gets so much elevation on his set shot, that he finds it harder to shoot the regular way. And besides, his jumpshots are ugly, but the most important thing is that they go in. Although he gets recognized most for his shot and hops, he is a very underrated defender and rebounder.
The Suns are no doubt a talented team. But there is one team they resemble, and it's the previous Mavericks teams that have been so successful in the regular season these past few years. With Nash as the nucleus of a team, the team is bound to strive during the regular season. But as a team, the Suns lack defense and that's what is going to be their down fall in the post season. In my opinion they will be exactly like the Mavs success wise, they will be sent home every year in the playoffs until they become an above average defensive team. It?s basically proven and Suns fans are going to be hearing this a lot, (team) defense wins championships!
The Suns need to switch their game to more of a half-court offense. Their style right now is entertaining and able to win games, but it is wearing out their top caliber players, especially Nash, who without Nick Van Exel backing him up in Dallas, was wasted already at midseason. Phoenix needs more bench depth, and a way to counter real contenders like San Antonio and Detroit.
