5 Teams the Phoenix Suns Must Sweep in 2012-13

Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

The Phoenix Suns have a ton of new faces in town, but not enough talent to be serious contenders for anything other than a lower playoff spot.

This means the team will need all the wins they can get this year. Specifically, a couple teams stand out as teams the Suns need to beat.

Getting these wins could be the difference between finishing in the lower third of the league and contending for a playoff spot.

Read on for five teams who the Phoenix Suns must sweep this season in order to keep competitive in the Western Conference.

Charlotte Bobcats

Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats had the worst winning percentage in NBA history last season with their 7-59 record and became what many view as the single worst team in NBA history.

The Bobcats have added talent in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Ben Gordon, but still are the worst team in the league.

Therefore, sweeping the Bobcats is self-explanatory. You never want to lose to the worst team in the NBA.

Houston Rockets

Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

The Houston Rockets will have a completely different roster from last year and a couple now-former Rockets are on the Phoenix roster.

Luis Scola and Goran Dragic both make their way from Houston to Phoenix to become starters for the Suns, and both will be counted upon to make serious contributions.

As for sweeping the Rockets, it's more a matter of when they play. The two teams play each other four times in the final month or so of the regular season.

That's a pretty significant amount of games against one team down the stretch, and Phoenix could use any and all wins toward the end of the regular season.

Sacramento Kings

Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

The Sacramento Kings are the worst out of the other four members of the Pacific Division, but should be a team on the rise after the additions of Thomas Robinson and Aaron Brooks.

Division games are always more important and it's vital for the Phoenix Suns to win the games they can within the division.

This holds especially true when the other three teams in the division are the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and the much-improved Golden State Warriors.

Denver Nuggets

Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

The Denver Nuggets are one of, if not the deepest team in the league and will be a major factor this season in the Western Conference.

The Nuggets are clearly better than the Phoenix Suns, but that doesn't mean they can't be beaten.

The two teams only play three times, but two of the three are in the last two months of the season. The key here is they will match up in the final regular-season game for Phoenix.

Even if things don't go well this season, it helps to end the season with a win and head into the offseason on a positive note.

Milwaukee Bucks

Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The Milwaukee Bucks are not headed in the right direction but still have a couple electrifying players in Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. That alone makes them dangerous on any given night.

The Phoenix Suns will play the Bucks only twice this season, but both games fall within the month of January.

This is key because 11 of the 14 games that month will be against teams that made the playoffs last season.

The only three games against non-playoff teams are the two Milwaukee games and a game against the Sacramento Kings (who are incidentally also on this must-sweep list).

Winning these games against lesser competition is very important because playing the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, among others, will be tough.