- Slug: Sports-Suns pace, 525
By MATTHEW FAYE
Cronkite News
PHOENIX — How fast is too fast?
The Suns will cross that bridge when they get to it.
With an energetic coach in 37-year-old Earl Watson and a young core of players, the Suns are gaining a reputation as one of the NBA’s fastest-paced teams. As of Friday, Phoenix was averaging the third-most possessions per game in the league at 104. It’s reminiscent of the Suns’ “seven seconds or less” offense authored by Mike D’Antoni and Steve Nash.
“Every team is different because every team’s personnel is different,” Watson said. “For us, we have to be more precise, more determined to get into our plays quicker, be more aggressive.”
But as Phoenix resumes its three-game, Eastern Conference road trip Saturday in New York against the Knicks, a spirited Suns squad will go head-to-head once again with a style much more deliberate than what it usually sees in the West.
“It always takes a little adjustment early in the game when you’re playing Eastern Conference teams,” center Tyson Chandler said. “Especially (playing) in the East, it’s different when the Eastern teams come out west because they know they’ll have to pick up the pace.”
Chandler was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year with the Knicks five years ago. He has spent significant time in both conferences, and he said that the East has traditionally played a more physical, “pound-it-out” style, comparing it to somewhat of a boxing match.
“The West has always been the conference that likes to get up and down the floor a lot faster, take more shots,” he said. “The East has always been more of a slower pace, half-court pounding game.”
The Suns opened their Eastern swing with a 118-103 loss in Cleveland on Thursday night. But they’re 8-6 against the East compared to 5-23 against the West. After Saturday’s game at Madison Square Garden, Phoenix visits Toronto on Sunday to conclude this Eastern Conference foray.
Star guard Devin Booker attributed the success against the East to two factors: proper preparation against opponents not seen as often, and dictating the pace of play.
“It’s more of a coaching thing, looking at film and things like that,” Booker said. “But the way we’ve been playing lately, I don’t think we’re going to back down to anybody. We’ve been playing really aggressive and it’s worked out well for us.”
The Suns are certainly not alone when it comes to fast play in the West. Led by the flashy, lightning-quick Golden State Warriors, seven of the top eight teams in possessions per game reside in the Western Conference.
The Suns’ fast play has led to more shots. Phoenix attempts 88 per game, the second-most in the league. But the Suns have given up the second-most points per game in the NBA.
Watson said that to take advantage of its quicker pace of play, Phoenix must focus on the fast break against teams not used to playing in transition.
“Defense is everything, we know each other’s offenses,” Watson said. “But for us, we know if we play great defense, we can just play in transition, which no one can predict.”