[bobbybParticipant]

Anyone give my Suns a chance to do some damage in the playoffs. I think the team is starting to come together. I hated to see JRich go but Turkoglu didnt fit , and they needed size. Gortat is playing great and it seems every night a different player comes up big. Channing Frye , 2 game winners in a row.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Weve seen time and time again Dallas gets knocked out annually by pretty much anybody. I think OKC, LA, and the Spurs would run right through them. They wont be getting a 4 seat, and unless OKC really takes some time to adjust to their trade I dont see anyone else getting that 4 seed. So Im going to say no noise at all but a playoff birth.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Weve seen time and time again Dallas gets knocked out annually by pretty much anybody. I think OKC, LA, and the Spurs would run right through them. They wont be getting a 4 seat, and unless OKC really takes some time to adjust to their trade I dont see anyone else getting that 4 seed. So Im going to say no noise at all but a playoff birth.

[HitsterParticipant]

The Suns are probably one of about 11 teams out East in with a chance of making the play offs right the way down to Houston who are just below .500 and on a good current run. I’d assume that Lakers, Dallas, Spurs and OKC are odds on for the top 4 seedings. After that it’s fairly open, can Utah regroup after Coach Sloan and D-Will’s departures, can Denver still continue their good run minus Melo, will the trade of hane Battier effect either Houston or Memphis, will the Aaron Brooks trade effect either Phoenix or Houston.

As a Suns fan, I want them to make the play offs and if we can avoid Spurs or Lakers then we could cause a shock in the first round but anything beyond that would be punching beyond their weight.

[HitsterParticipant]

The Suns are probably one of about 11 teams out East in with a chance of making the play offs right the way down to Houston who are just below .500 and on a good current run. I’d assume that Lakers, Dallas, Spurs and OKC are odds on for the top 4 seedings. After that it’s fairly open, can Utah regroup after Coach Sloan and D-Will’s departures, can Denver still continue their good run minus Melo, will the trade of hane Battier effect either Houston or Memphis, will the Aaron Brooks trade effect either Phoenix or Houston.

As a Suns fan, I want them to make the play offs and if we can avoid Spurs or Lakers then we could cause a shock in the first round but anything beyond that would be punching beyond their weight.

[flyboyParticipant]

The Thunder with their recent rough stretch certainly isn’t a lock for winning their division. They are only 3 1/2 games separating them from third place. As for Phoenix, they are a playoff team for sure, IMO. They are better situated to compete in the playoffs because they finally have size to go with their shooting, and they are playing better defensively. With Nash at the helm, they will be a tough out for anyone. Watch out for Houston as well. They have been doing very well and are now only a game from .500, and only five games behind the Hornets who are currently 5th in the Western Conference. With Brooks gone there should be much more togetherness in the lockerroom and it seems that team is starting to gel. Wouldn’t be surprised to see them take that 8th spot.

The standings in the Western Conference you see now almost assuredly won’t finish up as the actual standings.

[flyboyParticipant]

The Thunder with their recent rough stretch certainly isn’t a lock for winning their division. They are only 3 1/2 games separating them from third place. As for Phoenix, they are a playoff team for sure, IMO. They are better situated to compete in the playoffs because they finally have size to go with their shooting, and they are playing better defensively. With Nash at the helm, they will be a tough out for anyone. Watch out for Houston as well. They have been doing very well and are now only a game from .500, and only five games behind the Hornets who are currently 5th in the Western Conference. With Brooks gone there should be much more togetherness in the lockerroom and it seems that team is starting to gel. Wouldn’t be surprised to see them take that 8th spot.

The standings in the Western Conference you see now almost assuredly won’t finish up as the actual standings.

[mj23mj23besteverParticipant]

imo the suns could win any first round match up but the spurs or lakers as mentioned the mavs always seem to lose come play off time okc isnt a sure fire victor over the suns either

[mj23mj23besteverParticipant]

imo the suns could win any first round match up but the spurs or lakers as mentioned the mavs always seem to lose come play off time okc isnt a sure fire victor over the suns either

[MkadozaParticipant]

 Channing Frye has turned himself into Robert Horry. They have a point guard with elite offensive skills, and a surprising stable of versitile players 1 thru 5, but their success in the postseason will DEPEND on Hill and Carter. One of them will have to be a 20 point scorer or at least a consistant finisher.

[MkadozaParticipant]

 Channing Frye has turned himself into Robert Horry. They have a point guard with elite offensive skills, and a surprising stable of versitile players 1 thru 5, but their success in the postseason will DEPEND on Hill and Carter. One of them will have to be a 20 point scorer or at least a consistant finisher.

[MkadozaParticipant]

 The Suns and the Nuggets are incredibly deep teams, without too mich fall of in talent with the backups. That could be a huge advantage if they get their rotations set.

[MkadozaParticipant]

 The Suns and the Nuggets are incredibly deep teams, without too mich fall of in talent with the backups. That could be a huge advantage if they get their rotations set.

[HitsterParticipant]

The Nuggets have added some depth but losing Billups and Melo was a big blow. Like the Suns they do have good depth but so to do Dallas, Spurs, OKC etc. The Lakers maybe aren’t as deep as they don’t need to be. The Suns do have loads of experience in the likes of Nash, Carter and Hill which is always useful at play off time. It makes me wonder how good they would have been if STAT had resigned probably nearer 40 wins than 30.

The team will evolve over the next few years as Nash, Hill and Carter probably retire or move on but they do have a decent core to look to rebuild around.

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

The Nuggets have added some depth but losing Billups and Melo was a big blow. Like the Suns they do have good depth but so to do Dallas, Spurs, OKC etc. The Lakers maybe aren’t as deep as they don’t need to be. The Suns do have loads of experience in the likes of Nash, Carter and Hill which is always useful at play off time. It makes me wonder how good they would have been if STAT had resigned probably nearer 40 wins than 30.

The team will evolve over the next few years as Nash, Hill and Carter probably retire or move on but they do have a decent core to look to rebuild around.

 

 

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 My playoff standings:

Spurs

Mavs

Lakers

OKC

Hornets

Blazers

Nuggets

Jazz/Suns

The 7-8th spots are up for grabs. Nuggets are playing quite well even without Melo. Suns are starting to come together and might push for that last spot, but if the Jazz finish the season like they played last night against the Celtics then that 8th spot is theirs. They played darn well and if it was for Ray Allen catching fire they would have won. We all know the Suns will fight for a spot but don’t count out the Jazz they will play there darndest (is that a word?) 7-8 will be a tight race.

Grizzlies will just miss because even though they might be able to recover from Gay’s injury, they just don’t know  how to handle late season situations when its time for the playoffs. That late season play will be key. And they also have a pretty hard schedule. 14 of their of 20 games are against playoff teams so that won’t be easy. The Suns also have a tough schedule with 14 of their 24 games against playoff teams so that will also makes a difference. The Jazz have the easiest schedule left of the three. (Warriors, Grizzlies, Suns) only 9 of their 21 games are against playoff teams. So I have the Jazz making it, Suns just barely missing, Grizzlies behind them and the Warriors have too many road games and they are not a great road team so they finish 11 just below the Grizzlies. 

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 My playoff standings:

Spurs

Mavs

Lakers

OKC

Hornets

Blazers

Nuggets

Jazz/Suns

The 7-8th spots are up for grabs. Nuggets are playing quite well even without Melo. Suns are starting to come together and might push for that last spot, but if the Jazz finish the season like they played last night against the Celtics then that 8th spot is theirs. They played darn well and if it was for Ray Allen catching fire they would have won. We all know the Suns will fight for a spot but don’t count out the Jazz they will play there darndest (is that a word?) 7-8 will be a tight race.

Grizzlies will just miss because even though they might be able to recover from Gay’s injury, they just don’t know  how to handle late season situations when its time for the playoffs. That late season play will be key. And they also have a pretty hard schedule. 14 of their of 20 games are against playoff teams so that won’t be easy. The Suns also have a tough schedule with 14 of their 24 games against playoff teams so that will also makes a difference. The Jazz have the easiest schedule left of the three. (Warriors, Grizzlies, Suns) only 9 of their 21 games are against playoff teams. So I have the Jazz making it, Suns just barely missing, Grizzlies behind them and the Warriors have too many road games and they are not a great road team so they finish 11 just below the Grizzlies. 

[HitsterParticipant]

A lot can depend as well if teams are still chasing seedings as the regular season winds down as the likes of the Lakers and the Spurs may start to ease off the minutes their main guys have with the play offs coming up. Rudy Gay being out will affect Memphis scoringwise so how soon he returns could have some say on how the later seedings out West pan out. If a team starts a good run around now the momentum could carry them into the play-offs as someone is bound to maybe go 15-7 or better over the closing 6 weeks of the regular season and someone else will have a bad run.

Also the head to head match ups will be crucial, its more important for the Suns to beat say Denver or the Rockets than the Spurs or T-Wolves for example and certainly more crucial than games against Eastern Conference Teams.

 

[HitsterParticipant]

A lot can depend as well if teams are still chasing seedings as the regular season winds down as the likes of the Lakers and the Spurs may start to ease off the minutes their main guys have with the play offs coming up. Rudy Gay being out will affect Memphis scoringwise so how soon he returns could have some say on how the later seedings out West pan out. If a team starts a good run around now the momentum could carry them into the play-offs as someone is bound to maybe go 15-7 or better over the closing 6 weeks of the regular season and someone else will have a bad run.

Also the head to head match ups will be crucial, its more important for the Suns to beat say Denver or the Rockets than the Spurs or T-Wolves for example and certainly more crucial than games against Eastern Conference Teams.

 

[Author]

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