Does Anyone Still Believe the Phoenix Suns Are a Good Defensive Team?

I was recently asked if I hated the Phoenix Suns due to the negative nature of some of my recent articles, but my anger was not directed at the Suns, but rather on the concept they had transformed into a good defensive team nearly overnight.

The thing that really puzzled me was the people who were making this assumption, because it wasn't just Phoenix fans or the most casual observers of the game of basketball.

Three ESPN analysts picked the Suns to upset the Lakers, and all three said Phoenix' defense would be the difference in the series, while TNT analyst Charles Barkley said it wouldn't surprise him if the Suns' defense bothered the Lakers.

What's really crazy is these people get paid to make profound observations about the game of basketball, and many observers trust their opinion, but how much attention did they really pay to the Suns?

Phoenix was the NBA's second worst defensive team in the regular season, just ahead of the Golden State Warriors, but because of inspired defensive performances in the first two rounds of the postseason, opinions about the Suns' defense shifted.

Never mind that the Suns' first round win came at the expense of a Portland Trail Blazers' team which was riddled by injuries, or that their victory over the San Antonio Spurs was laced with emotional circumstances.

The Suns had become a good defensive team in the span of two weeks, and I was constantly ridiculed for my failure to notice Phoenix's drastic improvement in the area.

After the Los Angeles Lakers' thorough dismantling of the Suns in game one of their Western Conference Finals series, I wonder how many people still buy into the Suns' defensive logic?

Good defensive teams are not made simply because players decide to pay more attention on that end of the floor, it's more of an attitude and culture which must be embraced by an entire franchise.

Good defensive teams don't allow their opponents to shoot 58 percent from the field as the Lakers did in their victory, and the ease at which they got to the basket resembled a pre-game layup line, rather than an actual contest.

In reality, Phoenix is, and has been a superior offensive team and maybe they can grow from their own 50 percent shooting percentage from the field against the Los Angeles defense.

But keep in mind, it was the Lakers' superior defense which ruled the day, and for those of you who chose to trust the myth of an improved Phoenix defense, maybe you can learn a lesson from the Lakers' performance.

Despite Phoenix's shooting percentage, the Lakers had a plan on the defensive end which revolved around defending the three point line, and they did an admirable job.

Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest hounded Jason Richardson and Grant Hill as they fought through screens, and forced the perimeter loving Suns to start their offense closer to the basket.

You could also throw in Derek Fisher's defense against Steve Nash, and his ability to use his strength in disrupting the Suns' patented pick and roll on the high post.

Lamar Odom's close-out defense on Channing Frye was a thing of beauty, as he limited Frye to one made attempt from beyond the arc, and managed to dominate the boards as well.

This is how defense is supposed to be played, and the Lakers proved that unlike the Suns, their defensive reputation is based on sustained focus, which has been consistent all year on the defensive end of the floor.

Phoenix's inclusion in the NBA's version of the final four was strange to begin with, because defensively speaking, there is no way they can be mentioned in the same breath as the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, or the Lakers.

Those three teams were among the NBA's best defensive teams for the majority of the season, and each of them has thrived on their defensive performances in the postseason.

I'm sure there will be a period of side-stepping from all of the pundits who gave voice to this ridiculous notion of Phoenix as a good defensive team, and for the reader who asked me if I had been paying attention to the Suns lately, I respond, have you?