Be honest: you didn't think that after eight games were played in this young NBA season that we'd be talking about the Phoenix Suns as one of the best teams in the league. But after Monday night's come-from-behind win in Philadelphia to finish a five-game road trip at 4-1, that's exactly where we find ourselves.Behind 21 points and 20 assists from Steve Nash -- his seventh 20-assist game in his career and his second of this season -- the Suns came from eight points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Sixers in Philadelphia, and claimed a share of the league's top spot in the standings in the process.
With under seven minutes to play and Philly leading by eight, it seemed as though the Suns might have run out of gas in this, the final night of a five-game road trip over the last seven days. But just when you thought the Sixers might put this one away, back-to-back three-pointers from Jared Dudley cut the lead to one in a heartbeat, and the Suns took their first lead since the first quarter on another three from Leandro Barbosa a few possessions later.
Dudley was fantastic late, scoring 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, while also contributing five rebounds and three steals to his team's winning effort.
Jason Richardson continued his torrid offensive production on this trip, and led the team in scoring with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, while also grabbing eight rebounds.
The Suns are one of four teams with just a single loss on the season, and two out of the other three -- the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat -- saw their loss come at the hands of these Suns.
The fourth team with only one loss? That would be the Los Angeles Lakers, who have gotten their 6-1 record without the services of Pau Gasol all season, who is out with a hamstring injury. Andrew Bynum has also missed the last two games with an injured elbow.
After hosting the Hornets in a nationally televised game this Wednesday, Phoenix will head to L.A. the next night to get a crack at the only other one-loss team that they haven't already beaten.
And judging by the way the Suns have handled the first eight games on the schedule, you have to like their chances.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-10-2009 @ 12:26AM
Giles said...
Looks like the Suns, which set, have risen again. If aging Grant Hill and turnovers leader, aging Steve Nash, can maintain the pace, and if Robin "Weak Sister" Lopez can come back and play at least as well as his brother, Brooke (Lynn?). That year with Shaq, for Amare to recover from his injuries and try to add 30 pounds of muscle, seems to have really helped the team.
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11-10-2009 @ 2:42AM
Damien said...
Actually Russell Westbrook is leading the league in turnovers at 5.2 a game. Nash is averaging 12.9 assists a game, and 18.3 points a game while shooting 53 percent. His team is 7-1 when no one expected them to do anything...
Queen James turns it over more than 4 times even though he's allowed to do his best Barry Sanders imitation when going to the rim. He could be called for a travel about 5 times a game.
Magic for his career averaged 3.9 turnovers a game(Nash is at 2.7) while Stockton led the league in turnovers before. You're probably a Laker fan who lives in Utah.
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11-10-2009 @ 3:08AM
Giles said...
Stats vary night to night in the season. Tonight Nash is second, with 4.6 turnovers, but had 7 last night. And yes, Earvin and other major ball handlers had lots of turnovers, too. Didn`t say Nash didn`t deserve the MVP awards he won, But 20 points and 20 assists wasn`t the whole story. And while I have enjoyed the Lakers since before they moved to Los Angeles, I have also enjoyed the Suns since the Erickson/Hazzard/Goodrich days, former Ucla Bruins, early in Suns history, who were also Lakers. And all the other teams in the league. I hope the Suns can keep the wins up, but we`ll see.
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11-10-2009 @ 4:43AM
Lakergregg said...
Yeah, the Denver Broncos started out 6-0 and are starting to look more like the team we expected them to be.
Alvin Gentry still coaches the Suns right?
Let me know how Steve Nash is doing in June, I'll bet he'll have been playing many weeks of soccer in the park by then.
C'mon man it isn't even December yet at least wait until the break to start proclaiming them contenders.
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11-10-2009 @ 6:39AM
thelonevoice said...
The Suns have to be pleased with their start after underachieving last year. Their interior defense is still awful, however, though their rebounding has improved. Over time weaknesses will be exploited, especially in the playoofs, as the Suns have learned time and again. The real story for the Suns is a vastly improved young bench. Dudley, Amundson and Dragic now join Barbosa to give the Suns good quality depth. This will help the aging starters over the course of a long season.
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