Charley Rosen reviews the Suns

[devilalum]

If the playoffs started today, this would be the seedings.

1. SanAntonio
2. Phoenix
3. Minnesota
4. Dallas
5. Memphis
6. Clips
7. Golden State
8. Utah

Round 1: Spurs vs Jazz Spurs win, Suns vs Golden State Suns win, Minny vs Clips Clips win, Dallas vs Memphis Dallas wins.

Round 2: Spurs vs Dallas Spurs win, Suns vs Clips Suns win.

WC Finals: Suns vs Spurs.

My point. If the playoffs started today, we'd be in the finals even without Amare (we would pick up Barbosa by the 3nd game of the 1st round). Our biggest challenge would be Golden State.

The coolest part of this is that as long as we stay #2 we don't have to play SA AND Dallas. Last year we had to play the current 3 best teams other than ourselves in the west.

 

[jibikao]

It's amazing how the South West teams are so dominating... even the last place Rocket is not the last place in the west. Good god..

What happened to North West? LOL

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Uh. AZ I hate to break this to you (it does sound so condescending, does it not?) but my point is: if the playoffs started today, we would not face San Antonio or Dallas until the conference finals. The biggest test would be Golden State, but I believe we would win that series.

Then its either Minny or the Clips. I really don't think I'd be going out on a limb to say that we would be the favorite against either of those teams.

If the playoffs started today, with the seedings as they are, the Suns would be the favorites in the first two rounds, no matter who wins in the first. Of course that is no guarantee, (right USC fans?)--I'm sorry you took my prediction some sort of guarantee.

Oh, and this team, as it stands, is more prepared for the playoffs than the Suns were for the Dallas series last year--all things considered. JMO of course.

Adding Amare will help some.



(please note the use of understatement here).

Fair point but my feeling is this team is less prepared for the playoffs then last years team w/o Amare.....I am amazed how we have been able to do with out him but the regular season is one thing. I never doubted our ability to succeed in the playoffs last year becasue the league is a superstar game and we have one in Amare. Nash and Marion are great great players, but they cannot carry a team through two round by themselves....only STAT can (and that is my definition of a superstar) I think if we had to face some combo of memphis, denver or even utah in th first two rounds, they would beat us. I do not have long term confidence in this team without the kid. I love what they are doing and it has caused me to believe we most def. have the supporting cast to beat anybody over seven games, but Stoudamire is the lynch pin IMO......

I doubt i would change your mind on it but I just dont think with out a dominant low post guy (which we have) or wing guy (which we dont) who can put up 30 on any given night, the WCF are pipe dream......

 

[George O'Brien]

I've been away a while and have only caught a few games lately. I guess I must have missed something because I must have watched a different game than Rosen did.

1. The Suns held AI to 7 of 23 shooting, primarily with Steve Nash guarding him. Nash did get help at times, but it was the best I had seen Nash play D in quite a while.

2. I can't really feel that the Suns defense looked all that bad, considering the Sixers shot 38.4%, scored only 85 points and the Suns forced the Sixers into 18 turnovers.

3. As for how ineffective the Suns offense is supposed to be, they scored 105 points. Of course, they didn't have a quarter like the first against the Heat.

In watching the game, it seemed like the Sixers had more than 14 offensive rebounds, but their turnovers (18 to 8 ) made up for them.

It was an ugly win, but I wonder how many other teams could win at all without their best player and two other rotation players.