Suns at it again

Before the All Star break I compare the Phoenix Suns to a man afraid of commitment. I stated that the fans would begin to grow impatient with a team that was content with being mediocre. Something had to be done; a sign of good faith had to be made. Maybe the trade deadline would be where they would show us they loved us. Trading Dragic, who had taken a huge step backwards this year, for Aaron Brooks was a good trade, however, it isn’t exactly popping that long over due question.

Nash is hoping to ride the likes of Frye to last playoff run

Yet, like a man feeling the pressure from his girlfriend, the Suns have begun to step up their game and drop subtle hints that they may be ready to commit. They have made reservations at our favorite restaurant. Due to a depleting Western Conference, the Suns chances of making the playoffs have increased dramatically. We found a jewelry store receipt in their pocket. Coming off the All Star break the Suns have rattled off four wins in a row. But before we starting picking wedding venues or planning ticker tape parades, we might want to look a little deeper to see if anything has really changed.

Sure they’ve won four in a row. Let’s examine those four wins that have only got them four games over .500. Atlanta is the only playoff team of the four. To beat Indiana and New Jersey, who are a combined 43-75, it took overtime buzzer beaters from Channing Frye. Despite making a trade for a better back up point guard, Alvin Gentry had to play Steve Nash 40 minutes on the back end of a back to back to squeak out a win against New Jersey. Beating a bad Toronto team on the road by 18 is the only sign that the Suns may have turned a corner.

With that being said, like the girlfriend who can’t break up with the commitaphobe boyfriend, the Suns play has made the fans fall back in love and forget past transgressions.  As stated earlier the changes at the trade deadline have depleted some of the teams in the West. Currently, Phoenix sits on the outside looking in on the playoffs as the ninth best team. However, with these four consecutive wins, the Suns are just two and half games out of the fifth seed. Just four wins and fans are playing out potential playoff match ups.

Depending on the Mav’s final position, the Suns should vie for the sixth or seventh seed to secure a first round match up. Why the Mavs? Why not? These Mavs are still lead by Dirk Nowitzki. The same Dirk who has been the leader of a Mavs team that blew a 2-0 lead in the Finals, lead the Mavs to a first round exit against an eighth seed and also lead the Mavs to a first round exit against a seventh seed. Dirk is slowly becoming the Dan Marino of basketball. He’ll undoubtedly be a Hall of Famer and wins a lot of regular season games, yet for some reason can’t get over the hump in the playoffs. Need another reason why the Mavs would work? With only a few years left, you think Nash wouldn’t play other worldly to try to stick it to Cuban and the Mavs one last time?

Assuming the Suns shock their first round opponent and make it to the second round, depending on their seeding they will be destined for a match up with a hated rival, either the Spurs or Lakers. Either series would be great. The Suns got the black and silver monkey off their back last year and would certainly have confidence headed into a series with the Spurs. If the Lakers are the team to face, keep this stat in mind; Steve Nash is the only player to have lead a team to multiple series wins against a Phil Jackson coached team. The Zen Master has been bounced from the playoffs just 8 times in the last 20 years. Steve Nash lead teams have accounted for a quarter of those 8 series losses. Does that stat make the Suns chances better or that much harder? Hopefully, Suns fans will get a chance to find out.

Beating these three won't be an easy task

Four wins. Three bad teams. Two overtime buzzer beaters. One rejuvenated fan base. These last two games have been fun; who doesn’t love one buzzer beater let alone two on back to back nights. The next three games for the Suns will tell a lot about what we should expect from them this season. Road games against Boston, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City are next on tap for the Suns. Going 0-3 brings us back home to that mediocre team capable of playing well. 1-2 shows we’re ready to make a legit push for the playoffs. 2-1 tells everyone that we just might be a wild card in the playoffs. 3-0 would put them at 7 in a row after the break, give them a 6-0 road trip and provide fans with the most questions. Beating those three teams consecutively on the road would thrust most teams into title talks; however, these are the Suns. They step up their game when you put the pressure on them, but ultimately they are just going to take you out to a nice dinner and give you a necklace. To afraid to commit, but you can’t stop loving them.