Suns Lose 2 Straight, Falling to Timberwolves & Heat
The Suns were doing great on a 5 game winning streak, but they're apparently starting to get tired, as evidenced by their last two games (both losses) to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat (at home). After a great streak, including a team-best assist record and night after high scoring night, Phoenix just hasn't been able to muster enough to handle the two teams they should easily beat.
It's hard to pinpoint one specific reason for the two losses, but their shooting percentages are down and their defense has been pretty horrible. Miami was simply on fire from the outside and Shaq played a pretty good inside game against the height challenged Suns. While you can excuse them for losing to the Heat, it's another matter completely to lose to the 2-win Timberwolves.
During the streak, Amare was extremely reliable and consistant w/ his shot. In the past two games, he's struggled a bit notching only 19 points in the Heat loss.
If you look at the player's minutes per game, it would appear (on paper) that coach D'Antoni is doing a fairly good job of keeping his star's minutes limited.
Amare - 30 min/game
Nash - 35 min/game
Barbosa - 31 min/game
Marion - 37 min/game
Hill - 35 min/game
Bell - 34 min/game
*All minutes are rounded.
I think Nash's minutes are pretty low, but it seems like he's always in the game when you're watching on TV. I'm surprised that the coaches are pushing Grant Hill this much so early in the season, especially considering his injury history and fragile knees. Cross your fingers and hope the minutes don't catch up to him later on down the season. He's been getting better as the season progresses, but it would be a shame to lose him due to being overworked. The minutes Amare is getting are decent since he's still in the process of coming back from knee surgery. The other player's minutes are acceptable considering their age and athleticism.
Next up for the Suns are four tough opponents:
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The Utah Jazz are playing like Western Conference contenders. Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams are playing as good (or better) than the old Stockton-Malone combination. The frontcourt will certainly put pressure on Amare and the other Suns' bigs.
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The New Orleans Hornets are playing well due to Chris Paul's greatness. They have a decent team on paper - they just need to stay healthy.
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San Antonio Spurs... I don't really need to explain this one.
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The Mavs are playing horrible right now, but it's early in the season and you know they're capable of beating any team in the NBA. Like the Suns, I think Dallas is getting a little complacent early in the season... both teams are just looking forward to the playoffs and preparing for the Spurs.