Phoenix Suns: 10 Reasons They Have The Best Chance at The No. 8 Seed in The West
Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns have won nine out of their past 13 games to draw just one game behind the ninth seeded-Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings.
Phoenix, just 24-25 halfway through the season, plays four of its last five games before the All-Star break at home, where the Suns are 14-11 in 25 games.
Still, it is highly unlikely that the Suns will make up 2.5 games on the eighth seeded-Portland Trail Blazers in just five games. The key will be the post All-Star stretch that defined the Suns in 2009-2010, when they finished 23-6 to capture the West's No. 3 seed.
A similar performance this season seems out of the question given Phoenix's struggles and the constantly evolving-roster. However eight teams will make the playoffs from the Western Conference, and here are 10 reasons why the Suns will be one of them.
Winning Basketball
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As mentioned in the previous slide, the Suns have won nine out of 13 since losing to Denver on January 11th. During this stretch Phoenix has experienced two separate three-plus game-winning streaks and a three game losing streak.
The losing streak came at the end of an East Coast road trip that saw the Suns go 3-2, winning in New York, Cleveland and Washington.
Phoenix also has some impressive wins under its belt in the past month. The Suns have home wins over Portland, Boston and New Orleans since the Denver loss back in January.
Consider this; after the Denver loss, Phoenix was 4-12 in its past 16 games, putting them at 15-21 after beginning the season 11-9. Since, Phoenix has gone 9-4 and has likely saved its season.
Third Highest Scoring Team In NBA
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The Phoenix Suns scored 129 points in regulation during an MLK day win over the New York Knicks on the road at MSG.
Though they haven't consistently scored in the 110's this season, the Suns remain the third highest scoring team in the league, averaging just over 105 points per contest (105.1 PPG). Only Denver and New York score more than Phoenix.
The Suns offense has always been potent under Steve Nash. However the new Suns are finding different ways to score, which will ultimately take a load off Phoenix's long range-game.
New Found Defense
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In a dominating January 28th win over Boston at home, Phoenix held the defending Eastern Conference champions to just 71 points for the game. It was just one of three games in the past 13 in which the Suns have held their opponents under 78 points.
Check this out; for the season Phoenix allows a tad over 106 points per game (106.1 PPG), but over the past 13 games Phoenix is allowing just over 98 points per contest (98.2 PPG).
That's nearly an eight-point turn around.
Favorable Schedule
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The Suns don't have to win out to grab the eight seed, just play well and win more games than the rest of the West's borderline teams.
Think about this; 14 of Phoenix's final 33 games are against teams with losing records. That's not even counting teams that could have a losing record by the time they meet later in the season.
Almost half of Phoenix's games will be played at home in the U.S. Airways Center, 16 of its final 33 to be exact. This means the Suns will have to step up on the road during the season's final stretch. The Suns are just 10-14 on the road this season, having won four of their past six road games.
February is likely the Suns' best chance to make up ground on the West's eighth seed. Of their nine remaining February games, five are at home, and five are against losing teams.
Capable Bench
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The Phoenix Suns rode a talented bench all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season. And while names like Channing Frye, Jared Dudley and Goran Dragic still remain, something is clearly missing from the Phoenix reserves.
Phoenix mainstay Leandro Barbosa was traded to Toronto this past offseason. Barbosa was often overlooked by Suns fans that expected more production from the talented Brazilian. Rebounding machine Lou Amundson, who was also a pivotal player for Phoenix, left for Golden State this past offseason for a larger contract.
Both players have been sorely missed this season, however the Suns' bench still remains one of the league's best personnel wise. Hakim Warrick was a starter in the league once upon a time, as was Josh Childress.
If the Phoenix bench can ever figure it out, they could be a dangerous bunch of reserves, and that No. 8 seed wouldn't seem out of the question.
Steve Nash
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The last time anyone checked, the two-time MVP still resides in the desert. The 37-year-old point guard has made fools of basketball pundits and experts everywhere with his MVP-level play this season.
It's hard to say Nash was snubbed out of an All-Star selection because of the amount of talent that occupies the Western Conference.
But check out these numbers; Nash is averaging 16.7 PPG this season along with 11.1 APG. During his two MVP seasons, Nash averaged 17.2 PPG and 11.0 APG. Just remember also that Nash was 31 and 32 respectively during those seasons as opposed to 37.
The longer Nash defies age and expert opinion, the better Phoenix's chances of making the postseason become. Oh yeah, and Nash's rebounding numbers this season are his best since 2005-2006, his last MVP season.
Memphis' Inexperience
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The Memphis Grizzlies have not had a winning season since 2005-2006, when Pau Gasol was a member of the team.
Since that year the Grizzlies have averaged just 27 wins per season and have never finished better than fourth in the Southwest Division.
The current Memphis Grizzlies have yet to play a meaningful game late in the season, and they are also just one game above .500 after losing two in a row.
Portland's Injuries
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The Trail Blazers have been snake-bitten it seems the past two seasons. Portland has experienced more injuries to critical players than any other team, but still has rallied through the adversity to contend for the playoffs again this season.
Even with star player Brandon Roy battling knee issues, the Blazers continue to win games behind the steady hand of LaMarcus Aldridge. Portland, proud holders of the West's No. 8 seed at the moment, sports a 28-24 record with 30 games left to play.
Portland has won two games in a row, but has also lost four of its last seven. Much like Phoenix, Portland is chugging along nicely. However they aren't creating any separation between themselves and the other playoff hopefuls. The Western Conference is so competitive that even after a five-game winning streak by the Blazers in mid-January, Portland still only remains 1.5 games up on the No. 9 seeded Grizzlies.
Portland has the talent to qualify for the postseason no doubt, but will that talent remain healthy the rest of the way?
Phoenix's History
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Since the Nash era began back in 2004, the Suns have made the postseason in five out of six seasons, while averaging 55 wins per season during that time.
Phoenix never qualified lower than a No. 6 seed in any of those five playoff seasons. Even in the one season they missed the postseason, they finished just two games out of the No. 8 seed, at 46-36, 10 games above .500.
All-Star Alvin Gentry
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Alvin Gentry's post-All-Star break coaching resume in his short time in Phoenix is arguably one of history's best.
Gentry went 18-13 with the Suns following his replacement of Terry Porter as head coach back in February of 2009. The Suns strong finish came without the services of an injured Amar'e Stoudemire.
The next season Gentry's Suns surged to the finish with a 23-6 record following the February All-Star break. Phoenix would finish with the West's No. 3 seed and go on to advance all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
In total, Gentry is 41-19 following the All-Star break with Phoenix. If the Suns can get above .500 before mid-February, then they have an excellent chance to beat out Portland and Memphis with a hot finish this spring.
Patrick Clarke is a Featured Columnist for the Phoenix Suns and a student at Towson University.
