Phoenix Suns Need Defense To Rise to the Promised Land

The Phoenix Suns are one of the most dominant offensive teams in the NBA, but also one of least dominant defensive teams.

Since the 2004-2005 NBA season, the Suns have averaged 109.5 points per game, but during the same time period they have given up 104.5. From the 2003-2008 the Suns were led by Mike D’Antoni, who instilled the famous seven-seconds-or-less offense, and they were constantly a contender in the talented Western Conference. They reached the playoffs almost every year and multiple conference championship series but always fell short.

There was one thing missing from the team: defense.

The Suns could score on anyone, but anyone could score on them. Something had to give. The Suns argued with D’Antoni about paying increased attention to the defensive end, and following the 2008-2009 season, D’Antoni was gone. His successor, Terry Porter, lasted half of the ensuing season and was replaced by Alvin Gentry.

Under Porter the Suns were supposed to have been a better defensive team with the addition of future-Hall of Fame big man Shaquille O’Neal and the presence of players such as Amar'e Stoudemire, Matt Barnes, Jason Richardson and Steve Nash. But they were no better than previous seasons, and Porter was fired. Porter instilled similar concepts as D’Antoni but with a few significant changes; the seven-seconds-or-less offense was gone, and the team ran more half-court offense.

Under Gentry the team has reverted to running more, but there has been an increase on defensive attention. The Suns gave up 107.5 points per game in the 2008-2009 season and 104.9 points per game in 2009-2010. That’s almost three less points given up per game, which could be the difference between a win and a loss in a close game.

During Gentry’s first full season (2009-2010), the Suns surprised the league with their offensive efficiency and improved defensive ability. They reached the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

The Lakers were much larger than the Suns and used their height to perfection. The Suns couldn’t contain the likes of the twin towers, 7-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. They exposed the Suns defense and stopped the Suns offense with superior defense. The Suns held strong the first four games, but the last two games showed how the Suns need a better defense to succeed at a high level.

This isn’t the first time they’ve lost to defensive-minded teams, either. They have also dealt with the San Antonio Spurs on multiple occasions, and until the second round matchup with the Spurs in last year’s playoff series, they hadn’t been able to get past them since the 1999-2000 NBA playoffs.

But the Suns once again faltered when matched with a dominant defensive team in the Lakers. They showed that no matter how explosive an offense is, there has to be at least an average defense behind it, or the team won’t win the title.

The worst points per game allowed by an NBA champion was 98.4 points per game by the 2008-2009 Los Angeles Laker squad. The 2008-2009 Suns allowed 107.5 points per game and missed the playoffs. This is testament to the fact that defense wins titles.

The Suns won’t be there anytime soon if they don’t focus on defense more.