29 up and 53 down.
That was the record a season ago for the Phoenix Suns. The one-time darling franchise for the entire state of Arizona had been reduced to a non-competitive laughing stock of the NBA. When Amare Stoudamire went down early in the year, the Suns' postseason hopes went along for the ride. The Suns shipped out, if not there most popular player at least their best player, Stephon Marbury. Marbury took the aging wonder Penny Hardaway with him to the Garden.
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the purple and orange, and rebuilt they have. The have constructed the most enjoyable team to watch play the game of basketball since at least the mid-'80s.
It seems improbable that one player, one piece could make such a difference with the tide of the franchise. Yet alone a player that is only six-feet tall and 30-years-old. That player is Steve Nash, or in acronym form: MVP.
Nash (15.5 ppg, 11.1 apg) has rejuvenated a franchise that desperately needed a savior. A point guard in the purest sense of the term, everyone on the team has improved as a result of his unselfishness and competitive fury.
The mark on the Suns franchise has always been that they have never possessed a big man that could lead them to the Promised Land. At 6-10, Amare Stoudamire would not be considered your prototypical center. However, Stoudamire has become the best power forward this side of Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.
The man-child known as Stat boasts the most apropos moniker since Rocky was dubbed the Italian Stallion. He ranks fourth in points per outing (26.4), second in field goal percentage (.591), and is averaging almost two blocks and 9 rebounds per contest. While watching your favorite sports highlight program, you may only see the viscous dunks thrown down by number 32, but you don't score over 30 points 12 times (including a 50 point outburst vs. Portland) through 32 games by just cramming the basketball.
Amare has improved his free throw percentage by two points over his career average, and is also averaging two more attempts per game. The only stat that has dropped is the number of turnovers he commits a game (from 3.2 to 2.6).
Nash and Stoudamire are two pieces to a lineup that flies up and down the floor, frustrating the opposition by never letting up. Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, and Quentin Richardson all average better than 15 points per game, for a starting lineup and offense that is the most potent in the league (109.3 ppg). They do not boast the best defense in the league by any stretch, but when you're beating opponents by almost 11 points on a nightly basis, defense becomes minimal, at least in the regular season.
If it were not for the acquisition of Nash, the Suns' most prized offseason move would be the addition of Stephen Hunter. Hunter (5.4 ppg.) was not brought in to score. He was brought to the desert to block shots (almost 2 bpg.) and clog up the lane. Hunter has been a valuable asset to the Suns while only averaging 13 minutes a game, an average that will increase as the season rolls along.
Headed into the weekend, the Suns have avenged two of their only four losses, by beating the T-Wolves in Minnesota, and the Cavs in Phoenix. The Spurs and Kings still loom later in the schedule, with contests both home and away.
Facing reality, the Suns are not the front-runners to win the Larry O'Brien trophy. Come playoff time, Phoenix will be vulnerable because of their run-and-gun style. Similar to the way the Dallas Mavericks attempted to outscore everyone, but ended up on the losing end.
All of that can be scrutinized as the season progresses. For now, in a season marred by fistfights, childish bickering, and abhorrent play, the Suns have provided the excitement and energy the league has lacked for years. It has been their fast-faced, high-scoring, intense style that has boosted ratings, ticket sales, and fan interest.
The Phoenix Suns personify what the game of basketball should be: fun. Fun to play, and fun to watch. Hopefully, the Suns prove to be a needle that points the league in the right direction, and restores the hopes of fans across the country. The hope of enjoying the game of basketball and the NBA again.
January 11, 2005
William K.:
I’m a Suns fan so I guess I’m biased but there is one more minor reason the Suns are fun to watch. They usually don’t take timeouts to set up plays at the end of close games.
If they’re down a point or 2 with time running out on the game clock, they’ll run straight up the court with Nash being the QB as they did against the Nuggets. This doesn’t work every time of course (the loss to Kings for example) but it is certainly more exciting.
Watching the last seconds of a close NBA game can sometimes be as enjoyable as pulling out teeth at the dentist. Offensive team takes timeout to set up shot. Defensive teams waits for the offensive team to set up then takes timeout before the inbound pass is thrown to set up the defense, etc, etc.