azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Davis' addition may end playoff drought in '06
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 8, 2005 12:00 AM
The Suns may have recognized the hints of Golden State's revival first.
When the Suns nearly lost in Oakland two months ago, they survived against a Warriors team beginning to play the sort of freewheeling, fun-filled basketball the Suns embraced late last season.
If that look in the mirror was not familiar, the home loss to Golden State on March 18 should have said it all. The Suns don't lose to bad teams. Other than that loss, Phoenix's only other loss to a team with a losing record came on an unfocused night in January at Utah. Golden State, despite its overall record of 30-45, is no longer a bad team.
Since acquiring Baron Davis in late February, the Warriors are 14-7 (9-4 on the road). They are as hot as any team in the NBA with seven straight wins and victories in 10 of their past 11 games.
"They made a big change and they're doing well with it," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Baron Davis has been the catalyst. They had a lot of offensive weapons and Davis can be unguardable. They're taking advantage of it and doing a great job."
Bringing back the fun of his "Run TMC" era with the Warriors, Golden State Vice President Chris Mullin has assembled a nine-man rotation of versatile, athletic scorers with several shooters. Sound familiar?
Golden State is one of several teams that have opened up the offense in light of Phoenix's success.
"Especially young teams, they have nothing to lose," Suns guard Steve Nash said. "It's good for the development of their players to learn on the fly."
The Warriors have made at least 10 three-pointers in their past four games and are averaging 28 three-point attempts per game since picking up Davis. He came in a swap with New Orleans for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis.
Now, Golden State matters again. There is a team dynamic for the first time since Chris Webber and Latrell Sprewell were there. They could break the NBA's longest playoff drought (11 seasons) next year. Phoenix's turnaround began humbly, too, with a 7-6 mark in its final 13 games last season.
"We finished up strong, not as strong as these guys, and then you make a couple tweaks in the summertime," D'Antoni said. "Well, we made more than a tweak. They're pretty close to having a really good team."
The Davis trade was Golden State's "Nash move." It puts the Warriors' payroll at about $55 million for next season, limiting what they can add in the off-season.
Davis, who turns 26 next week, is the third-oldest player in a nine-player Golden State core.
If he stays healthy, Davis could give Golden State a guard who was playing the best basketball of any player in the league early last season. And if it does not work, at least Golden State will look better for having tried.
"Everybody's trying to figure out how to match up with us," Shawn Marion said. "Nobody has succeeded yet."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0407suns0408.html
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 8, 2005 12:00 AM
The Suns may have recognized the hints of Golden State's revival first.
When the Suns nearly lost in Oakland two months ago, they survived against a Warriors team beginning to play the sort of freewheeling, fun-filled basketball the Suns embraced late last season.
If that look in the mirror was not familiar, the home loss to Golden State on March 18 should have said it all. The Suns don't lose to bad teams. Other than that loss, Phoenix's only other loss to a team with a losing record came on an unfocused night in January at Utah. Golden State, despite its overall record of 30-45, is no longer a bad team.
Since acquiring Baron Davis in late February, the Warriors are 14-7 (9-4 on the road). They are as hot as any team in the NBA with seven straight wins and victories in 10 of their past 11 games.
"They made a big change and they're doing well with it," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Baron Davis has been the catalyst. They had a lot of offensive weapons and Davis can be unguardable. They're taking advantage of it and doing a great job."
Bringing back the fun of his "Run TMC" era with the Warriors, Golden State Vice President Chris Mullin has assembled a nine-man rotation of versatile, athletic scorers with several shooters. Sound familiar?
Golden State is one of several teams that have opened up the offense in light of Phoenix's success.
"Especially young teams, they have nothing to lose," Suns guard Steve Nash said. "It's good for the development of their players to learn on the fly."
The Warriors have made at least 10 three-pointers in their past four games and are averaging 28 three-point attempts per game since picking up Davis. He came in a swap with New Orleans for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis.
Now, Golden State matters again. There is a team dynamic for the first time since Chris Webber and Latrell Sprewell were there. They could break the NBA's longest playoff drought (11 seasons) next year. Phoenix's turnaround began humbly, too, with a 7-6 mark in its final 13 games last season.
"We finished up strong, not as strong as these guys, and then you make a couple tweaks in the summertime," D'Antoni said. "Well, we made more than a tweak. They're pretty close to having a really good team."
The Davis trade was Golden State's "Nash move." It puts the Warriors' payroll at about $55 million for next season, limiting what they can add in the off-season.
Davis, who turns 26 next week, is the third-oldest player in a nine-player Golden State core.
If he stays healthy, Davis could give Golden State a guard who was playing the best basketball of any player in the league early last season. And if it does not work, at least Golden State will look better for having tried.
"Everybody's trying to figure out how to match up with us," Shawn Marion said. "Nobody has succeeded yet."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0407suns0408.html
