The Phoenix Suns, Shining At The Right Time

As the NBA season is winding to a close, and the playoffs are almost upon us, there are a few select teams that are moving in the right direction.

This elite group of excellent teams includes the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, even the Utah Jazz. But no team can match the hotness, literally, of the Suns. 

There's an old saying that applies in all sports and it is as follows: It's not how you start, it's how you finish". The Phoenix Suns couldn't be doing any better right now. Riding a seven game winning streak, the Suns have been excelling in all area's of the game, including defense, which they've lacked the in the past.

There are a few things that can attribute to the Suns excellence over the past couple months.

In the NBA, the 82 game season is a long grind for all players. Of course, this juncture of the season is currently the most important time to play well. This is also the hardest time to play well especially during back-to-backs.

The key to a good team is bench play and in my opinion, and no backup point guard in the NBA is more important to their team then Goran Dragic is to the Suns.Dragic has been hitting clutch shots during important stretches throughout. Of course this gives Steve Nash a much-needed break at times.

The Suns also currently have "spark plug" Leandro Barbosa coming off injury, plus they have a solid offensive performer in Channing Frye coming off the bench. Frye has surprised many with his exceptional three point shooting as he is the 4th best in the league in makes. Overall, with the bench play succeeding as much as we've witnessed in Phoenix, the Suns' starting five will be very rested come playoff time. 

As you examine all the best teams in the NBA, most of the high achieving teams have one or two excelling all-stars. For the Cavaliers, it's of course LeBron, and for Los Angeles, it's of course Kobe.

But I would even make the argument that Amare Stoudemire should be the MVP.

I took a minute and examined his stats over the past month and they are unreal. Since the All-Star Game, Stoudemire has been averaging 27 points per game, which is 4th best in the league. He has really been the anchor down low for the Suns, and with the way he's playing, you can tell that all the trade rumors of February are gone for good.

Of course I have to mention Steve Nash. A league leader in assists, Nash averages 11.1 per game. Nash also scores around 16 a game, which means he averages a double-double. Both Nash and Amare are playing their best ball when it counts and with out a doubt, these guys are the main reason for the Suns recent success. 

Other than the Oklahoma City Thunder, in my opinion, the Phoenix Suns, have been the surprise team in the NBA this season.

Better late than never, the Suns have been finding a way to win. That method is most likely relying on their stellar offense. They average the most points per game at 110, and when Phoenix scores over 100 points, no other team in the NBA has a better record then the Suns do.

As they improve their record, they are steadily climbing up the playoff seeding ladder, one game at a time. As long as Phoenix plays as a unit, they should go far into the playoffs. One thing we do know, the Suns are definitely shining at the perfect time.