2012 NBA Playoffs: 6 Keys for the Phoenix Suns to Steal a Playoff Spot

The Phoenix Suns are pushing to be included in the playoffs, and with only nine games left in the regular season, it's time to step up.

These last nine games could very well be the final games Steve Nash plays in a Phoenix uniform and the end of an era. Why not swing for the fences and play like there's no tomorrow?

Aspects like defensive intensity and utilizing the bench will be key to this playoff run. Read on for these and four other keys for the Phoenix Suns to steal a playoff spot.

Keeping Grant Hill Healthy

Grant Hill had surgery in the offseason on his right knee and seemed fine until a couple weeks ago, when doctors found he tore his medial meniscus in the same knee and once again needed surgery.

Hill is the second oldest player in the league, but by no means does he play that way.

He's arguably the second most important Suns player and easily the best defender on the team. Phoenix needs him back and healthy if they intend on making a run for the playoffs.

Luckily for Phoenix, he has been cleared to play on Friday. Now the task is keeping him healthy and rested.

I fully expect Hill to play sparingly on Friday and continue to do so until at least late next week. Look for the Thursday, April 18th game against the Clippers as a breakout game for Hill.

Beat the Teams They're Battling

The Suns play the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz in their final nine games, all teams they're fighting with for the last couple playoff spots.

It's key to take these games seriously and make statements by beating these three opponents.

Not only would it send a message to the teams, it would greatly help Phoenix in the standings and give the team momentum going forward.

Increase the Defensive Pressure

The Phoenix Suns are seldom mentioned in the same sentence as the word defense, but Suns players better get used to hearing that more often.

The team flat out needs to perform better on the defensive side of the game. In the last 10 games alone they've given up 100 points in seven games.

Simply, that will not get the job done. The team has plenty of solid individual defenders, but they need to come together as one.

Defensive assistant coach Elston Turner will be key in ramping up the intensity and getting the team to buy in to shutting people down.

Steal a Game or Two

The Suns will play some tough games against quality opponents like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers, stealing one or more of these games would increase their chances of getting in the playoffs.

The Suns will need solid all-around games to do so, but it's not out of the question to surprise these teams. Especially when three of the four games will be at home in front of thousands of playoff hungry fans ready for an upset or two or three.

Continue to Utilize the Bench

The Phoenix bench has officially exploded after the win over the Los Angeles Lakers a couple days ago.

In the win, Michael Redd had 23 points and Sebastian Telfair and Markieff Morris each scored 13 points. In total, the bench was responsible for 58 of the Suns 125 points.

This is the kind of scoring punch that can carry a team during stretches and even pick up the team on a night the starters don't perform well.

If this performance level persists, coach Alvin Gentry will have no choice but to use the bench more. Which is not a bad thing considering Steve Nash and Grant Hill are two of the older players in the league.

Get Jared Dudley More Involved in the Offense

Jared Dudley has had back-to-back duds (pun fully intended) and seems to be out of sync lately. This can be attributed to the emergence of Shannon Brown and Michael Redd.

Defenses have been seeing Brown and Redd (once again, pun fully intended) after all the shots Brown and Redd have been attempting, and making. What hasn't been noticed is the lack of shots being attempted by Dudley. The last five games have seen Dudley attempt more than 10 shots only twice.

Dudley is an important part of the Phoenix offense and needs to be counted on more when he's in.