The moment the Suns traded for Shaquille O'Neal, the talk shifted to whether Phoenix or Miami got the better end of the deal. While that debate was being waged in the desert and on Ocean Drive, in Denver, the Nuggets had to wonder whether their drive for a title might have just taken a hit.
The Suns' up-tempo offense was winning them games in the regular season, but come playoff time, their frenetic pace was a hindrance. Teams that could execute in the half court and play solid defense, especially San Antonio, were prevailing, while the Suns rather high-octane offense was flailing.
In addition to the half court issue, the Suns were almost constantly being reminded their lack of a true center was another reason why their regular season success wasn't translating to the postseason. Consider this: eight of the last nine NBA Championships have been won by teams featuring O'Neal and Tim Duncan.
Those two factors meant that even though Phoenix had the top mark in the Western Conference prior to the huge trade, the team's front office felt that the team, as currently constituted, could not win the NBA title.
Suns guard Steve Nash turned 34 years old yesterday and at some point, there has to be a point of diminishing returns. Nash, along with Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd, are defying their age on the court, but Suns General Manager Steve Kerr knew the window to win might rapidly be closing for his current core group of players. In the NBA, once that window closes, it rarely reopens with that same roster.
The Suns were fun to watch, though the trade becomes a tacit sort of admission that Phoenix was not going to win the NBA title without a tweak or two. Turns out they ended up getting a tweak or two or three...hundred pounds in O'Neal.
It remains to be seen whether the trade will pay off for Phoenix, but it does tell the Nuggets that they may want to make a change to their roster as well.
The Nuggets molded their offense after that of Phoenix and if the team they are modeling themselves after have given up their style of play, it can't be a good sign for the Nuggets. Phoenix ran their offense far more crisply than Denver ever could hope to duplicate. The Suns can at least take comfort in the fact that they were successful implemeting their style in the regular season. The Nuggets weren't even really doing that and if they don't do something soon to get themselves a force to counter the new arrival of O'Neal and the incredible steadiness Duncan, they may find themselves with something really familiar to them...yet another first round playoff downer.
"Z"
