When the Phoenix Suns are sitting at home this time next month, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves.
After losing Amar’e Stoudemire to free agency last summer, you had to expect a dropoff from last season’s Western Conference finalists, and there was, as Alvin Gentry’s club was under .500 into February.
However, Phoenix caught fire in February, winning eight of ten to move to a season-high four games over .500 heading into March, with time still on their side to make a serious run at one of the final playoff spots in the West.
But just as they played themselves into the hunt in February, they played themselves out in March, losing 11 of 16 games, and with yesterday’s 114-97 loss at San Antonio, Phoenix was officially eliminated from postseason contention.
So what’s the culprit behind their disappointing season?
There’s no doubt that Stoudemire’s departure left a massive hole, and given the fantastic individual season he’s having and the role he’s played in immediately helping the New York Knicks reach the postseason, it’s safe to assume that there are at least a few Suns fans out there who wish he hadn’t bolted for the big money and bright lights.
But even without Stoudemire, who led them in scoring each of the previous four seasons and created many second-chance opportunities on the offensive end with his offensive rebounding ability (last season’s average of 2.8 offensive rebounds per game is only bettered by the 3.1 and 2.9 averages he posted in his first two seasons), and even with many a down night and all of the changes that were made in the offseason and during the season, the Suns are still one of the league’s most potent offensive teams, at least statistically.
You certainly can’t point to Phoenix’s defensive issues, because it’s no secret that they haven’t exactly been a defensive juggernaut at any point during their recent success.
If anything, it comes down to running out of gas when it counts far too often this season. There are some players and teams who know how to feed off of the fumes and fight through any pain and adversity when the chips are down, but the Suns’ inability to do that as often as they should this season has proven to be quite costly.
When you look at the numbers, they’re pretty hard to look at, whether you’re a Suns fan or a sports bettor who’s been burned by them more than a few times.
- 11 times this season, the Suns have led going into the fourth quarter and lost.
- Three times this season, the Suns have led in the fourth or in overtime and failed to protect the lead.
- Two other times, the Suns have seen double-digit halftime leads evaporate on the way to defeat.
Some of the collapses have been especially disastrous. Against Chicago on November 24, Phoenix led by 12 going into the fourth, extended it to 13, and still led by 11 with a little less than nine minutes remaining, before the Bulls rallied to tie it in the final minute of regulation behind two Derrick Rose free throws, forced a second overtime with a buzzer-beating deuce from Rose, and took control in the second overtime to win 123-115.
On January 2, the Suns led 87-75 at Sacramento with less than six minutes left, but they went ice cold from there, managing only one basket the rest of the way. That opened the door for the Kings to finish with a flourish, and they did, outscoring Phoenix 19-2 in the final five and a half minutes in a 94-89 win.
The worst of the worst came on January 22, in an absolutely ugly game in Detroit. Phoenix produced a fantastic defensive effort in the first three quarters, holding the Pistons to only 47 points, but things came unglued in the fourth. The Suns led by 14 entering the last 12 minutes and extended the lead to as much as 15, and they led 68-58 more than halfway through the quarter and by eight with less than four minutes remaining. But Detroit went on an 11-0 run to turn a 70-62 deficit into a 73-70 lead, and Channing Frye missed a potential game-winning three in a 75-74 loss. It was the first time in franchise history that the Suns lost a game in which they gave up less than 80 points. Considering how rare it is for the Suns to give up less than 80 points, you’d have expected them to come out on top in that situation 9.5 times out of ten, which makes that defeat the worst of the lot.
While those were all embarrassing on one level or another, the real back-breaking losses came last month, most notably in a four-game losing skid late in the month. Overall in March, the Suns led five games (and were tied in another) in the fourth quarter or overtime and lost, including three in a row against New Orleans, Dallas, and at Sacramento, which all but stuck the fork in whatever postseason hopes they still harbored.
Every team, no matter how good they are, loses a game they should win at least once in a while, but having that many late losses is inexcusable, and it’s a real difference maker. Take away even five or six of those losses, and the Suns would be within striking distance of #6 Portland (45-32), #7 New Orleans (44-33), and #8 Memphis (44-33).
