How Phoenix Can Win the NBA Title
Nash and the Suns Have the Talent to be the Champs
If the Suns ever had an opportunity to win the NBA title, this would be the year. Yet, there are still many holes in the team's set up that might hinder them.
Steve Nash may be on the verge of winning his third consecutive NBA MVP Award. The consensus is that it's between him and former teammate Dirk Nowitzki. It's no secret that the Suns need Nash to win. In the past three seasons, when Nash has not been in the lineup, the Suns are an abysmal 4-11. That with a lineup of Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa (recent winner of the NBA's Sixth Man Award), Kurt Thomas and others.
While there's no question that the Phoenix Suns are talented enough to win the NBA title this year, there is question about whether or not they have the appropriate design to do so. Former Coach of the Year, Mike D'Antoni, is overrated. He's never been one to show the ability to adjust in-game when necessary; he's rarely shown much defensive design in half court situations; and he has absolutely no back up plan for those times when the aging Steve Nash goes down with injury.
Though the Suns are a much improved defensive team this year (they are near the top of the league in terms of points allowed per possession), they still struggle in half court situations. For example, in recent years, when the Suns run into another elite team - one with more discipline that early round opponents that can better control the tempo of the game - they haven't been able to adjust to the slowed pace. The San Antonio Spurs might be the worst matchup the Suns can hope for, because of their excellent half court defense and their ability to control a game's pace. With excellent individual defenders, such as Shawn Marion, Kurt Thomas, Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, there is no excuse as to why the Suns can't be a better half court defensive team. Steve Nash and others have often used the excuse that they don't have a sufficient big man clogging the middle as the reason they're not a better half court team. Yet, other teams in the past have had success defensively without a shot blocker to speak of. Two examples that come to mind are the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle Supersonics in the 90s. Granted, that Bulls team had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but relied on Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley in the post. Neither of those centers are regarded as top-flight players. The Sonics, who featured a lineup that included Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf, relied on a 6-9 center named Sam Perkins, who was more comfortable shooting threes than protecting the paint.
If D'Antoni wants the Suns to excel defensively in half court scenerios, he should design more trap defense opportunities. With the quickness and length of the Suns perimeter, there's no reason why they can't force more turnovers and disrupt opponent's offensive sets. Steve Nash is not a sound defender, but he is at least quick enough to be able to funnel ballhandlers into a trapping teammate, like Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell or Boris Diaw.
Moreover, when Steve Nash isn't in the lineup, the Suns must work the ball inside to Amare Stoudemire more often than they do. Instead, D'Antoni seems compelled to run high screen and rolls over and over again. This would be OK if a player was rolling to the hoop, or if the ballhandler was attacking the basket, but it's not atypical for either the ballhandler or the screener to pop back out in hopes of knocking down a contested three pointer. Granted, the Suns are phenominal shooters from beyond the arc, but if they want to have a chance against a team like the San Antonio Spurs, they will need to attack the basket and make their opponent's big men play defense. This is why the Suns are so much better with Steve Nash. He is one of the leagues best ballhandlers and passers and is constantly drawing double teams through penetration. This frees up shooters and makes the offense flow.
Another area where coach Mike D'Antoni is lacking is his inability to manage his players' minutes. In his last three games of the regular season, Steve Nash averaged about 33 minutes per game and never played fewer than 32 minutes. His season average is 35 minutes per game. This at a time when none of the games mattered to the Suns, as their playoff position was already set. Last year, Nash was obviously fatigued late in the playoffs because he had to play so many minutes in earlier rounds. That being said, why D'Antoni wouldn't choose to give Nash more rest just before the playoffs makes absolutely no sense and is irresponsible as the team's coach.
For the first time in years, the Phoenix Suns are completely healthy. Two years ago, Amare Stoudemire dominated all opponents he faced in the playoffs, including Tim Duncan. The Suns have a lot to be excited about this year, especially with the Spurs getting older and the Mavericks struggling in their first round matchup against the Golden State Warriors. However, if D'Antoni can't guide them with more responsibility, they may be disappointed again this season.
