Widely regarded as the best reason to buy NBA League Pass, the Phoenix Suns know how to make the game exciting. An amazing thirty-three of their games will be on National TV this season. The Suns led the league in points per game, shooting percentage, and assists last season. And most of these points occur in transition. If you miss a shot versus the Suns you had better hustle back or your absence of transition defense will be exposed. Two words: DON’T BLINK! Steve Nash, the reigning MVP from the last two seasons, is the catalyst of the league’s best fast break. He helped voters understand the meaning of most valuable player because without the dominating presence of Amare Stoudamire, Nash still led the Suns to a 54 win season. Simply put, he makes everyone around him better. That is why Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa, and Boris Diow all had breakout seasons in 05-06.
If Amare is healthly, what will the return of the best pick and roll since Stockton and Malone mean for the Phoenix Suns? Well, all of those that say it will affect team chemistry need to step back and gain some perspective. Teams with two or more star players win NBA Championships. Think about it: Jordan/Pippen, Shaq/Kobe, Shaq/Wade, Parker/Duncan, and the list goes on and on. With Amare Stoudamire healthy they can challenge the Mavs and Spurs for a trip to the NBA Finals. And D’Antoni is just the coach that can get them to the Promised Land. In fact, with the departure of team architect Brian Colangelo, Mike D’Antoni has added to his franchise duties the job of executive vice-president of basketball operations. He is the perfect guy to take the reins from Colangelo. He will continue to choose the type of players he needs to run his gold-standard offense. The biggest question for the team’s 2006-07 NBA title hopes is health. Will Amare be 100 percent? Can Nash continue to endure the rigorous 82-game season and have enough left in the tank come playoff time? Tune in to find out!
