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    22Feb/104:54 PM

    What Will It Take For the Phoenix Suns To Post Up In A Top Spot?

    By Keira-Anne
    Home / Fanster Originals, Feature Stories / ...

    As we’ve rounded the corner into the second half of the season, the find themselves in a unique position. Some may argue that, with 25 games left to play in the regular season, there’s still a lot of breathing room until the playoffs. The team has had an incredibly strong month, having won six of their last eight games in hopes of erasing the dismal performances that plagued January.

    Nothing invigorates the Suns like gathering solid wins under their belts, and with the dizzying trade talks behind them, now is the time the team can focus solely on finishing the season strong. Friday’s match-up against the Atlanta Hawks was yet another display of the ferocity that the bench team is slowly becoming famous for, with a particularly consistent effort from . After a day of rest the boys were back at it again last night, locking in another win against the Sacramento Kings, largely in part to an astonishing 26-point game for .

    While the Suns are better at winning games than losing games – and have the record this season to prove it – I find myself asking what it will take to push the Suns further and secure a playoff spot. As it stands now, each time they hit the court it’s anyone’s game. Some games belong to the starters, some to the bench team. Though I doubt that the element of surprise is anything more than a fluke strategy, it seems to be one that’s working for the time being.

    What do you think is key to the ’ success as the season starts to wind down? How can the team maintain their momentum to extend their winning streaks into consistent wins? Let me know where you think their strengths lie and what aspect of their game needs to be stepped up.

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    February 22nd, 2010 4:54 PM PST
    • B, Cray Z.
      Jess is half right.

      When Gentry, after finally winning the discussion with Dan Majerle, changed the starting line up in January, to improve the "D" and give bench guys a real shot (something Mike Dumb Antoni would have never done) and removed J-Rich and Frye from the starting line up in favor of Lopez and the Brazilian Blur, that changed the tempo of the game. It also resulted in more wins.

      Only half right? That is because of the operation to remove Barbosa's cyst. When Leandro is ready to play, sure to be any game now, I just hope Gentry goes back to his plan. LB will need to play with Nash. They know each other's every move. LB has always come up clutch in the 4th quarter and in over time and would not hot dog a dunk and cause us to lose a game. Suns will respond to the fast pace he will give the team. Nash and Barbosa, when they start the same game, like they did when Raja Bell was suspended for a head lock on Kobe, have been nearly unstoppable and we need to give this back court a fair shot. When we last played the Lakers, Lopez and the Brazilian Blur started and guess what? Suns not only beat the Lakers, but beat them four quarters out of four. Then they did the same (4 out of 4) to the previous year's champ Celtics. THAT is a statement of fact. When you ask what will take our team to the next level, the return of Barbosa to the starting line up (a move that also adds scoring and rebounding to our bench unit in J-Rich) will make the Suns the team to fear this year.

      MUST start and also finish with LB. Let's go SUNS!!!!
    • You know, when training camp and the preseason was going on, the coaching staff kept talking about how Robin Lopez' play was much improved and that he was gong to make an impact. I personally HATED the fact that the Suns drafted him. I thought that Phoenix would be competitive enough to fight for the playoffs, but I was worried. When the buzz is about a 7-foot scrub, exactly how good can the season be?

      Nevertheless, Lopez' play IS the key to the rest of the season. His play in the middle has led to some solid defense recently. The Suns' turnaround coincides with his entering the starting lineup and their success depends largely on his consistent play. Yes, we need Amar'e to play inspired and we need Nash to be healthy, and we need LB back to give us greater backcourt depth, but if Lopez is contributing, good things happen.

      All in all, if the team keeps playing like it is now, it will be in good shape. As Coach Gentry said, we just want to avoid the 8 seed. Other than the Lakers, I think the team can hang in a long series with anyone.
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