As in 2004/05, the Suns finished this year in first place in the Western Conference. This season, they even broke the record for regular season wins (64, compared to 62 in 2004/05). As in 2004/05, the Phoenix coach won Coach of the Year as Monty Williams succeeded Mike D’Antoni in franchise history.
On the field too, the two teams have some similarities, including a dominant 1-5 axis (Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire at the time, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton today), a reference scorer (Joe Johnson, Devin Booker) and complementary wingers (Quentin Richardson and Shawn Marion, the Bridges-Crowder pair).
To designate the best of these two teams, it is undoubtedly the course in the playoffs which will serve as the final judge. In 2004/05, the Suns failed in the conference final against the Spurs (4-1). And this year?
The difference between the two teams is him!
Asked about the subject, Amar’e Stoudemire has already decided. Inevitably, his heart swings in favor of his team, that of 2004/05, when he was considered a future superstar in power, the one who terrorized the whole league. The difference between the two teams may well be in her position.
“It’s a complicated opposition. It’s difficult. I think we would win. I think CP and Steve (Nash) would neutralize each other. It’s like playing chess, the two guys eliminate each other. Joe Johnson and Devin Booker would also do a bit of the same. I think the advantage we would have is at the pivot position. I don’t think they have a chance with the then Stoudemire. I don’t think Ayton would be able to handle this team’s five in this series.”he said with a smile.
Amar’e Stoudemire was indeed the Suns’ leading scorer, averaging nearly 30 points during this playoff epic (29.9 points, 53.9% marksmanship), far from the 18.8 points average scored by Deandre Ayton so far on this postseason. Even on rebounds and blocks, the Stoud’ is ahead of the Bahamian (10.7 rebounds and 2 blocks on one side, 8.9 and 0.9 on the other).
Before seeing the conference final to hope to do at least as well as the 2005 Suns, and potentially find the Finals, Chris Paul’s band will already have to go through a Game 7 at home this Sunday.
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Devin Booker | 68 | 34.5 | 46.6 | 38.3 | 86.8 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 26.8 |
| Deandre Ayton | 58 | 29.5 | 63.4 | 36.8 | 74.6 | 2.6 | 7.7 | 10.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 17.2 |
| Chris Paul | 65 | 32.9 | 49.3 | 31.7 | 83.7 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 10.8 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 14.7 |
| Mikal Bridges | 82 | 34.8 | 53.4 | 36.9 | 83.4 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 14.2 |
| Cameron Johnson | 66 | 26.2 | 46.0 | 42.5 | 86.0 | 0.6 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 12.5 |
| Cameron Payne | 58 | 22.0 | 40.9 | 33.6 | 84.3 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 4.9 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 10.8 |
| Frank Kaminsky | 9 | 20.1 | 54.5 | 33.3 | 90.0 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 10.6 |
| Jae Crowder | 67 | 28.1 | 39.9 | 34.8 | 78.9 | 0.4 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 9.4 |
| Javale Mcgee | 74 | 15.8 | 62.9 | 22.2 | 69.9 | 2.2 | 4.5 | 6.7 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 9.2 |
| Landry Shamet | 69 | 20.8 | 39.4 | 36.8 | 84.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 8.3 |
| Torrey Craig | 27 | 20.8 | 45.0 | 32.3 | 70.6 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 6.9 |
| Aaron Holiday | 22 | 16.3 | 41.1 | 44.4 | 93.9 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 6.8 |
| Jalen Smith | 29 | 13.2 | 46.0 | 23.1 | 76.9 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 6.0 |
| Bismack Biyombo | 36 | 14.1 | 59.3 | 0.0 | 53.5 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 5.8 |
| Gabriel Lundberg | 4 | 11.1 | 26.3 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 3.3 |
| Elfrid Payton | 50 | 11.0 | 38.3 | 22.2 | 37.5 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 3.0 |
| Paris Bass | 2 | 3.7 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Abdel Nader | 14 | 10.4 | 34.3 | 28.6 | 60.0 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 2.4 |
| Ishmail Wainright | 45 | 8.0 | 39.4 | 32.2 | 58.3 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.4 |
| justin jackson | 6 | 5.8 | 35.7 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.2 |
| Chandler Hutchison | 6 | 3.7 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Emmanuel Terry | 3 | 6.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 |
| MJ Walker | 2 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |