http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5222966
Suns still competitive despite changes
Last season, the Suns were the surprise team in the NBA. Under the firm hand of MVP Steve Nash, they raced to a league-high 62 wins before falling to San Antonio in the Western Conference finals.
With Joe Johnson forcing a trade to Atlanta, Quentin Richardson being dealt to New York, and Amare Stoudemire undergoing serious knee surgery, Phoenix's scoot-and-shoot game plan seemed to be defunct.
Yet prior to Wednesday's hosting of Philadelphia, the Suns' record of 19-11 had them perched atop the Pacific Division.
Let's dissect their 105-85 laugher over the shameful Sixers to discover exactly how the reconstructed Suns still reign as the NBA's most surprising ball club.
Steve Nash did what he always does: Monopolize the ball. Seek to create scoring opportunities for his teammates and himself, in that order. Anticipate opening lanes and cuts. Make pull-up jumpers and acrobatic fall-aways. Maximize the effectiveness of the numerous screens established for his use. Running clever give-and-gones. Play alert, but frail-bodied defense.
Against the Sixers, however, Nash incorporated a new wrinkle into his game: Setting a pair of back-screens on Andre Iguodala that allowed Shawn Marion to cut to the hoop and turn lob passes into dunks.
Even though he never stirred from the bench in the fourth quarter, Nash filled the stat sheet with 11-15 shooting, six assists, and a game-high 24 points. He remains the Suns' most important player.
Shawn Marion (6-12, 13 rebounds, five steals, 13 points) continued to demonstrate that he possesses the quickest first, second, and third step in the league. He doesn't just drive to the basket — he accelerates. Yet Marion's defense against Philly was a disappointment: He didn't bother to show on several screen/rolls, and allowed a couple of perimeter fakes to lift him off his feet. Nor did he make precise defensive rotations until the second half. Perhaps the Sixers' incredibly poor performance simply failed to inspire Marion to do his best.
Like Marion, Kurt Thomas also played on cruise control (3-6, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 8 points). For the most part, Thomas was the Suns' designated screener, with most of his work done above the foul line. Indeed, he tallied two of his field goals running screen/fades in tandem with Nash. From his station at the high-post, Thomas also made several ball-reversals and handoffs to cutting guards.
In the past, Thomas's forte has been post-defense. But with the offensively-challenged Samuel Dalembert manning the middle for the visitors, Thomas had little to do on defense except box out — a task that he failed to accomplish throughout the game. (The Sixers nabbed 14 offensive rebounds to the Suns' 4.) Moreover, Thomas failed to show on several S/Rs, and also in rotations to support a double-team. On two particular S/Rs, Thomas and Raja Bell both opted to ignore the screener in favor of trying to defend the ball-handler.
At 6-9, 230, Thomas has always been a natural power forward, but during his seven seasons in New York, he was forced to play center. Blame all of the resulting pounding against stronger and bigger bigs for the current diminishment of Thomas's mobility. Boris Diaw assumed a position in the low post on several occasions, but never looked to shoot from there. Passing was uppermost in his mind to the tune of registering ten assists (to go along with 1-4, 7 rebounds, and 2 points).
If he played a good floor game on the downhill end, his defense was most often careless and ineffective. Making cotton-soft rotations on S/Rs, and defending jump shots with his hands in his pockets. But the young man was unselfish and demonstrated an incredible degree of athleticism.
Raja Bell (7-11, 16 points) played a strong game at both ends. Running on the break and making the net dance with long-range jumpers. He also did a fine job of chasing Kyle Korver through a forest of screens and limiting Philly's bomber to only 10 shots (and 11 points). Besides Marion, Bell is the only Phoenix player who can play acceptable man-to-man defense.
Eddie House played as though he was auditioning for the part of a gunslinger in "Shootout at the OK Corral." He wound up with 19 points on 7-13 shooting and showed absolutely no conscience. Passing, coordinating the offense, and playing defense were facets of the game that did not hold his interest. However, after making back-to-back treys, House ran down the court announcing to one-and-all, "They can't stop me! They can't stop me!" Apparently, House has been listening to some of Rasheed Wallace's motivational tapes. James Jones (7-12, 19 points) showed the same eagerness to shoot from the hip as House, as well as the same disinclination to pass and defend.
Okay, so the Sixers had played (and won) the night before in Portland, and Chris Webber was out with a minor injury. Still, there was no excuse for their going belly-up at the start of the second half and initiating 24 minutes of garbage time.
Philly's defense was non-existent. Their offense was a hodge-podge of isolations, bad passes, and forced shot. The only aspect of their game that made the score slightly respectable was their offensive rebounding. The Sixers' dispirited performance made the Suns look better than they really are.
Yes, the home team's rotations were somewhat more lively after the intermission, and they did cluster around A.I.'s ball-penetrations. But the Suns' defense was downright ugly. All game long, the Suns were reluctant to throw a hand at shots. To do anything more than make desultory shows on S/Rs — in truth, their S/R defense was pitiful. To box out. And to rotate with any degree of consistency (with Marion being the most noticeable exception). Even though the Sixers tallied only 85 points, 29 of their 71 shots were either wide-open or minimally contested layups (they missed 13 of these).
On offense, the Suns set screens everywhere: High, low, and in between. Weak-side, strong-side, in transition, and in their half-court sets. Staggered and double screens. Plays that featured screening the screener (for House and Nash). Back-screens and brush-screens. They also featured screens in their perpetual two-man games. But the bulk of the Suns' offense consisted of quick shots taken on the run — in fast breaks and/or early offense situations. All told, of their team total of 80 shots, 34 were hoisted in a hurry. (Imagine what the grand total might have been had Phoenix not stepped on the brakes during the entire 4th quarter.) Had a 10-second shot clock been in operation, the Suns' game plan would have barely been compromised.
So where are these guys? Their defense is just as flimsy as it was last season. They still lack power, and they don't shoot enough free throws (6 to the Sixers' 23). Can the possible late-February return of Amare Stoudemire push the Suns over the top? If Stoudemire's knee is fully healed (a doubtful premise), then their already potent offense would certainly become much more flexible and explosive. Their current four-man fast break would become a virtually irresistible five-man break. Their defense will add a shot-blocker but will remain impotent.
Sans Stoudemire, Phoenix have little chance of surviving the second round of the playoffs. Even with a healthy Stoudemire, the Suns' returning to the conference finals would be the biggest surprise of all.
notworthy:notworthy
