By: Dustin Chapman

Mike D’Antoni deserves a great deal of credit for coaching the highest-powered offense the NBA has seen in the past four years. His .650 winning percentage as the Phoenix Suns’ head coach is admirable, especially in the tough battlefield otherwise known as the Western Conference.

The postseason, however, is where teams are defined. It’s where weaknesses are exposed, mismatches are attacked, and where coaching is best evaluated in pressure situations. Phoenix’s flaws, mainly on the defensive end, have been exploited year after year in the playoffs, which is why D’Antoni has never managed to lead the Suns to the NBA Finals.

It is apparent that D’Antoni is a one-dimensional coach who is only successful when running a full-throttle system that predicates its gameplan on running and trying to outscore the opposition. Clearly, outscoring the opponent the name of the game. Obviously, whichever team has scored the most points at the end of the game will come out as winners. The problem with Mike D’Antoni’s philosophies is that his teams have annually been unable to stop the opposing team from scoring. This weakness has become more glaring during postseason play, due to the tempo of playoff games being more even-keeled and slowed down.

That brings me to my next point – D’Antoni does a poor job of making adjustments. Phoenix has had more than enough talent for D’Antoni to instruct halfcourt execution, especially considering the fact that his point guard Steve Nash will go down as one of the greatest playmakers in NBA history.
It is profoundly visible that D’Antoni is a one-dimensional head coach. He may be better suited as an offensive assistant or even the mastermind behind an Italian powerhouse, but a head coach that can lead a team to the promised land? That’s tough to see.

Recent reports suggest that Mike D’Antoni is on his way out of town, and has been given permission by the Phoenix Suns to discuss alternative options with other NBA franchises. The Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks, specifically, have been talked about has possible destinations.

Assuming all of that transpires and Mike D’Antoni’s days in Phoenix have come to a close, it is certain that Phoenix needs to retool their situation. First and foremost, Steve Kerr needs to replace D’Antoni with an established defensive mind that can help the Suns take a big step in the right direction before it’s too late. Tom Thibodeau could be an interesting alternative, as he has coached a top ten defense in 12 of his 15 years in the NBA.

In addition, Phoenix needs to improve their bench and make sure they enter the 2009 NBA playoffs with more depth to count on. In doing so, the players that are brought in need to make a steady impact on the defensive side of the ball. Phoenix has more than enough offensive firepower, but not nearly enough to count on defensively.

It’s time to bring in a no-nonsense defensive mind, fill out the roster, create a brand new identity, and make one last run at the ultimate goal – a championship.

Suns ought to make a comeback.  They are better team than the spurs. Here is the proof:

OFFIENSIVE stats: 
                 Rank – PPG          Rank – FGP%       Rank – 3pt%           Rank – FT%        Rank – APG(assists)
SUNS          3 - 110.07            1 -  50%            1  – 39.3%             4  - 78.3%            1 -  26.68%
SPURS       25 – 95.36           14  – 45.7%          9  - 36.9%            15  - 76.1%         21 -  20.95%
DIFENSIVE stats:
                    Rank/RPG         Rank/BPG(blocks)       Rank/SPG(steals)
SUNS            20 – 41.5             2 -  6.31                  22 – 6.48
SPURS          23 – 41.25           24 – 4.11                  26  – 6.35
They performed better than spurs in all categories.
But one can’t base it all on the records its about who wants it more, who is willing to give their all.  Everybody will have to step up in game 4.  Grant hill has been in the NBA for 14 yrs is looking to walk away in pride with a championship ring.  He will definitely have to work for it.  I definitely have high hope for suns.  It will be an interesting game 4.

So I was browsing the web and found something at sportsline.com which caught my attention.  A writer ranked the top 50 players in the NBA. So I looked at where Nash stood and he was 5TH.

5. Steve Nash, Phoenix: There’s no longer any question about whether he’s a Hall of Famer. Who cares that he’s a late bloomer? That doesn’t change the fact he plays the game at a genius level.

Also in the top 10 was Amare:

10. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix: He made up for a slight loss of explosion by improving in other areas. He didn’t necessarily reinvent himself, but you get the sense he’d be able to if that’s necessary down the road. He must to continue to improve as a leader and embrace Steve Nash as the perfect point guard to chase a championship with. 

If you’re wondering…Marion came in at 21.

The Suspension of the Suns players is a poor one. If
the players violated a rule then the penalty should be
imposed next season. There is being a blind  stickler
to rules without regard to the fairness of the
situation or to the NBA fans. As a fan I feel slighted
and you have ruined a great series. I have no interest
in the series at this point and will no longer watch
it. I hope other fans “vote” by not watching as well.
As a Suns fan, this series was a once in a lifetime
opportunity which you have taken away. I know you
don’t care but I am giving up on pro basketball. I
will buy no more tickets nor will I watch any further
televised games. Again, a decision with no brain or
fan concern just “following orders”.

Sincerely,

Seth Spotnitz MD

Congrats on your imbecile decision. You reward the criminal, punish the victims. That is what you’re there for, to control the league. We get that. But you had a chance to use commonsense. Stod did nothing, now he is out. You have made an stupid ruling, and should be ashamed of yourself.

Oh boy was that game painful or what? The Suns played like crap but were still in it until the end only to lose to another clutch performance by Dirk Nowitzki. Usually I find something good in close losses, but that game was pathetic. We were severely out-rebounded and their defense stopped our offense from doing much at all. Amare just couldn’t get it going and it was just really painful to watch.

The Suns did totally dominate the Knicks last night, but it means nothing. New York was on a role but they are still a sub-par team. It will also mean nothing if the Suns beat the Chauncey Billups-less Pistons. I personally am sick of getting all these breaks with injuries to other team’s players. Beating those teams means nothing and losing to them would be just brutal. The Suns need to start proving themselves against good competition. After the Mavericks game I just felt like they were on a whole other level than we are and that makes me feel sick. Especially since I thought this is the year that the Suns would be dominating. Oh well, still hoping for the best on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. At least we got a solid eight man rotation set now.

TNT 6PM AZ Time

Phoenix Suns (19-7)

PG Steve Nash SG Raja Bell SF Shawn Marion PF Boris Diaw C Amare Stoudemire

Dallas Mavericks (21-7)

PG Jason Terry SG Devin Harris SF Josh Howard PF Dirk Nowitzki C Erick Dampier

The two hottest teams in the Western Conference collide today(both have combined to win 39 of their last 45 games). The last two seasons these teams have had some great games against each other, especially in the playoffs. This game, for both teams, is a good measuring stick to see where they are at right now. This game should be an important one for Amare Stoudemire who thought that his presence in last year’s playoffs would have made a difference. And after coming off the bench in his last game against the Mavericks, right now as the starter he wants to prove to the TNT audience that he is back. He will face a tough challenge today against Desagana Diop. Two years ago when he destroyed the Mavs in the paint they didn’t have a more athletic big man like Diop who will have a much easier time than Dampier at staying with Amare.

Key Players

Boris Diaw

Diaw had a great playoffs last year, especially against the Mavericks. He was playing the best basketball of his career and after a slow start he’s gone back to that and has been more aggressive on offense like he was at the end of last season. In the playoffs, he was our Amare in the post, causing mismatches with big men using his quickness and great passing ability to get the team some easy points. Now that Amare is back that puts him in a better position. While the Dallas defense focuses on Amare, Diaw has to take advantage of the much slower Dampier or whoever else defends him. He should have a pretty good game.

Josh Howard

The Mavericks right now are averaging 13 points less per game than the Suns and they’ll need their 2nd option on offense to have a good game if they want to keep up. Howard is a very good all-around player and they’ll need him to score 20+ points in this game so Dirk doesn’t have to do everything. Shawn Marion needs to do a better job of containing him than he did in the playoffs last year. Howard also needs to do a good job defending Marion because the Suns have more than enough offensive weapons.

Prediction
I don’t really see either team with a huge advantage. These teams are evenly matched and it will be an awesome game on TNT. The Mavericks are on a 7-game win streak right now and they are at home so I will go with them, doing so has almost always given the Suns the win so why ruin a good thing , but if both Diaw and Amare have good games and the Suns stay close in rebounding then they will take it.

Mavericks 110 Suns 105

The TrailBlazers must hate coming to Phoenix. They had lost their last five games at U.S. Airways by an average of 23.5 points per game and this one sure wasn’t pretty. The Blazers starting five outscored the Suns’ bench by only one point. The Suns had a lot of energy last night and their defense was pretty good. They held Portland to 32 first half points and the Blazers needed the Suns to empty out their bench to get some offense going to reach 87 points by the end of the game.

Jumaine Jones was impressive. He gave a lot of effort on D and got some rebounds. He also made 3-5 three pointers. I think he solidified his spot in the rotation with that performance. Most of the bench players had a chance to play. Marks looked pretty bad, but with the Suns’ last possession he threw down a monster dunk. Banks looked better than usual with three assists and making his only 3-point attempt, but only played three minutes.

Marion was definitely the player of the game last night. He was 10-16 from the field for 23 points and got two steals and blocks. He also got 8 rebounds and he had some amazing fastbreak dunks.

After losing to Washington and ending their winning streak, the Suns enjoyed their break and came back on fire. They seem very ready to start a new and even longer one to take control of the West.

The Suns have been playing great, but I still think they really need to find an 8th man. Jalen Rose has just been okay at times and neither James Jones nor Marcus Banks has done much at all. During the off-season I was really excited about this Jumaine Jones signing. The man is a proven player who can play good defense and score a little bit for us. Even though he had only one good 3-point shooting season he definitely should be able to do better than what James Jones has done so far, especially in an offense like this were scoring is a little easier for everyone. The Suns need someone like that to round out the rotation. Yesterday in his short time on the court he played some solid defense, knocked down a shot and I just think it would be in the Suns’ best interest to be playing him. Early in the season he had an ankle injury, but he is healthy now and should be playing more now. I can see him being a big time contributor off the bench for this team. I don’t think Phoenix can win it all this year without getting an 8th man. Injuries have hurt them in the playoffs so we need another guy to come in who could match the defense played by Raja Bell or Marion if they get hurt and we need someone else who can shoot the three. Last night’s poor performance behind the line showed that we need a fourth shooter because a big part of this team is the shooting. Hopefully D’Antoni gives JJ2 more opportunities to play.

After traveling for six hours straight the Suns just weren’t the same yesterday. They couldn’t run or shoot the way they usually do, but it really impressed me how they came back after two large deficits throughout the game and took control briefly in the 4th quarter. The Wizards were just the better team tonight though. Arenas got his revenge against D’Antoni with 54 points and some huge shots that just killed the Suns. Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison also combined for 49 in a pretty good game by their outstanding trio.

For the Suns, Amare Stoudemire was not a factor early but then came in the game in the 4th and played great. His unbelievable dunk near the end of regulation should have finished the Wizards off if not for some more heroics by Arenas. Stoudemire, Diaw and Marion played great D down the stretch to bring the Suns back and give them the lead. They had 5 blocks together and it looked like they all came in that quarter. A great effort by all of them. Marion really helped the team with a few shots while they were struggling and Diaw had a great all-around game. Nash put up yet another MVP performance shooting 56% from the floor for 42 points and he also got 12 assists. I don’t see how he won’t win three MVP’s in a row with performances like that.

Kurt Thomas and Barbosa were great off the bench as usual. Even with the great play from most of these guys the Suns only shot 30% from 3-point land and took 43 3-pointers, while Washington took 19 and shot them at over 50%. That was the difference in the game. The Wizards just scored more efficiently. This was one of the better games to watch this year. It had me excited like I was watching a playoff game. It’s unfortunate the outcome was what it was. I’m sure that the Suns will be ready to start another winning streak Tuesday at home vs. the Blazers.