In a pivotal Game 5 in the friendly confines of the Footprint Center, the Phoenix Suns reminded everyone just which entity of the game is their backbone. Even though Game 6 went south, what we saw in Tuesday’s contest will be key in taking the series tonight.
By the masses, the allure and gravity that the Suns have offensively can oftentimes serve as a distraction in a sense to the true identity of this team. Shiny pieces of the elite stratosphere like Chris Paul and Devin Booker at the helm understandably garner attention for their offensive exploits and pyrotechnics.
If you add to that the way their pieces fit together as a whole offensively, and include the symphonic orchestration of their sets within the half court and their top tier numbers to match on that end, it’s completely understandable. Offense sells tickets.
However, defense is where it all starts for this group. Games 3 and 4 in Dallas where their defense came undone represent prime examples. The offense, however, lacked rhythm and flow due in large-part to them not dictating much defensively, and subsequently taking the ball out of the net and being forced to run against a set defense.
Garnering stops allows for the Suns to dictate pace, then free-flow into their offense with the assortment of tactics they have in initiating sets, or even free flow in read-and-react offense.
Game 5 presented a prime example of just that, as the Suns strung together big-time runs to end the second, and even more-so for the duration of the third. The third being where they forced 12 turnovers, of which, seven came via steals.
In that quarter, they also allowed just four points in the first six minutes and 14 total for the period, ending it a +19 on the scoreboard as they put up a resounding 33 points in the frame. That completely shifted the game’s momentum, tilting the scale heavily in their favor stop after stop.
They did so via a “heightened level of awareness” as Monty Williams coined it, in a few specific…
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