After watching tonight's game what do u think the chances are that Phoenix may win the championship this year? I think they have a pretty decent shot at it because it seems that you can't really leave anybody open at all on their team, they are disciplined enough to run you to death, and their defense is pretty tough as well. I just couldn't believe it. It wasn't that we played bad. We were even playing decent on offense for awhile, but, we just couldn't keep it going.
like it or not, Spurs owned them. personally i think kings n mavs match up well with them as well. the suns will probably have the best records for the season but championships??? they are one BIG center away from it..... just my 2 cents
I just dont see them getting past the Spurs. I think a Kings team with a healthy Webber and a Mavs team that is even deeper than the Suns could beat them. Additionally if the Wolves ever got their act together then they too are proabably better than the Suns. Dont forget the Suns other than Nash are a very young and untested team. Lets see how they react when they hit a slump. As a Rockets fan I would actually rather play the Suns in the first round than the Spurs, Mavs, Wolves, and maybe even the Kings. (my number 1 choice of opponent would be the Sonics. Yao would kill their frontline and Tmac couls slow down R. Lewis)
Rockets vs Sonics???? I will rather play against Suns in the first round, at least i think Suns really dont have anyone to stop yao. Whereas sonics, they have Jerome 'the yao stopper' james which will frustrate yao all games plus now they got danny 'the thug' fortson who will probably clothsline yao...
Also, Nash has a tendency to get worn out towards the end of the season, and he's continually logging a ton of minutes. Without Nash running the point, the team falls apart.
The Suns could win a championship, I suppose, but I'd hesitate to call them the favorites. They run. They score in transition. And they jack up threes. Once you get to the playoffs I'm not sure how far that type of play can get you. They have no low post presence. Amare is a monster, and is aggressive under the basket, but much - a lot, in fact - of his scoring comes from the break and drives/slashing to the basket. There's a reason the Spurs played them so well. If they are hitting 15/30 threes throughout the playoffs, then yes, they could be considered early favorites. But I don't see that happening.
Phoenix is built for the regular season. They will not do anything in the playoffs because... 1. The playoffs is about halfcourt basketball and tough defense. 2. In the playoffs every possession counts 10 times more, so all of a sudden those quick back-to-back 3-point jacks are alot harder to take, and alot harder to stomach (as a coach). Kinda like the difference between playing poker when there's no money on the line and playing when there's $1,000,000 in the pot. When there's no money in the pot, you'll play any hand and bluff all night. But when there's money on the line, you're alot more cautious and you pick and choose carefully the hands you play. 3. Nash always folds under playoff pressure. His fans like to say he gets "worn out." They're way overrated. Nothing pisses me of more than hearing the so-called analysts compare them to the Lakers and old Bulls teams. That's crazy.
The Spurs are the favorites right now. They have been to the Finals and won. They are playoff tested. They are the best Defense in the league. I would say right now: 1. Spurs 2. Sonics 3. Heat 4. Dallas 5. Suns
Man, The Spurs beat them at home, which they should, but Phoenix will have home court. I would put the Suns as the clear early favorites, with Seattle and San Antonio right behind them. The times have changes, with the new rules emphasis on hands checking, it will allow perimeter oriented teams to win in the playoffs too. DD
Their bench is horrible. They're not deep enough, and it's hard to see them shoot the 3 ball so effectively all season let alone in the playoffs when the pressure is truly on. Also, once Nash left the game, the whole offense shut down and the Rox were able to cut the lead.
IMHO, the Suns have an Achilles heel that will keep them from winning the WC title. They have no depth. Bringing Jacobsen or Hunter or Voskuhl or Barbosa off of the bench is not like bringing Horry, or Barry, or Rose or Udrih off of the bench.
I dunno... When you live and die by the jump shot... sometimes you live, other times you die. This team is no different from that Dallas team that won 20 in a row or something.
This team will only go as far as Nash can take them. If he can hold up they will go deep into the play-offs but he hasn't proven to be able to hold up the whole season going 100 mph. A weak bench doesn't help them much either...
No, the Spurs are the clear cut favorite to win it. Until the Suns prove that they can play a half court game, they are not gonna win the whole damn thing unless Spurs have a key injury in the playoff. But the Suns are a great regular season team. They fully deployed the famous Kansas running offense in 2001-2002 which made them the most watchable team in college bball. They are awesome baby, at least in the regular season.
People always say that the playoffs are about the halfcourt game, as if everybody just decides to stop running in the playoffs. Why? Why can't the running teams keep on running and have the same success as in regular season? If you are really good, you should be able to dictate the pace of the game, playoffs or not, right? It seems to me, it's not the style of play that matters in the playoffs. The only difference between playoffs and regular season is that your opponents have better preparation defensively. In the regular season, you play one team and move on to face another opponent the next day. There is not much time to adjust your game from opponent to opponent. In the playoffs, you study your opponent. You make adjustment after each game. Opponents will exploit all your weaknesses. That's why weaknesses become more glaring in the playoffs. You can't hide them. And that's why the best all around teams with fewest weaknesses (defense-offense, inside-outside, halfcourt-transition, starters-bench, etc.) win in the playoffs. So the question is not whether a certain style is good for playoffs or not, but whether your opponents can find a way to stop you if they know you well enough. Do the Suns have glaring weaknesses where they can be exploited in the playoffs? What about the other teams (Spurs, Sonics, Mavs, Kings, Wolves, Heat) that are mentioned?
This is exactly what I've been thinking about the Suns -- that they are just like the Mavs of recent years (and not just because of the Nash connection). They put up gaudy stats and win a lot of games in the season. But, what did Dallas do in the playoffs? Nada. That doesn't mean the Suns are doomed to fail in the playoffs, but I'm definitely not convinced that they're favorites for a title. Not even close. But, that's why they play the games... Also, Easy makes very good points about what works/doesn't work in the playoffs... it is very much about how you prepare and adjust. The Suns offense is surprising a lot of teams, but in a 7 game series, a defense can adapt and slow them down.
