The Phoenix Suns playoff history has been quite steady since the team started playing in 1968. The incredible success and the almost annual availability of Suns playoff tickets has made the seasons in Phoenix exciting for every basketball fan in the desert. Though the franchise has yet to win an NBA Championship, the team has been to two finals and always seems to be in contention. The Suns have been to eight conference finals in their short history and always seem to be a player or two away from their first championship.
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The latest close calls came in 2005 and 2006. Steve Nash was the risky free agent signing that gave the Suns a point guard in 30s with a long term contract. Where many thought his skills would erode, those skills seemed to get better. An offense based around his vision and his passing became a high octane 48 minute joy ride. Amare Stoudamire was a young athletic big man who became a force with the help of lobs and fast break opportunities. Players like Joe Johnson became potential stars, thriving in the offense heavy on ball movement and Nash penetrations that led to kick outs and Suns playoff tickets. In 2005 that incredible scoring machine was stopped by the San Antonio Spurs and in 2006 Steve Nash’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, took the Western Conference title from them.
This season the landscape in Phoenix has changed. Steve Nash is still a perennial MVP candidate, but his supporting cast has become remarkably slower. Shawn Marion was perfect for Mike D’Antoni’s system, but now Marion and D’Antoni are gone. Instead the fans at US Airways Center will see how Coach Terry Porter will change the team. A Shaq that is just a shadow of his former self will man the middle. Shaq did not become one with the offense last season, but now that injuries have had time to heal and he has a half a season with the Suns under his belt that may change. In the competitive Western Conference the Suns can only count on playoff tickets if he is able to work with the new system.
The starting lineup has Amare Stoudamire, but how he fits into the new construct is unknown. He is a player who ws born to run and with Shaq and Grant Hill in the starting lineup the game is bound to slow down. Raja Bell is projected to be the starter instead of Leandro Barbosa, which further signals a move toward defense over offense. Still Boris Diaw adds some range of the bench, Goran Dragic is an exciting European prospect, and Matt Barnes is an excellent athlete. Robin Lopez is the defensive oriented rookie who is bound to get his playing time given Shaq’s recent problems with his health and his age. This season the Suns are a wild card with all the new personnel. Suns playoff tickets are far from guaranteed, but it is hard to count out any offense run by Steve Nash.