By: David Kay
2008-09 Season Summary:
With the possible exception of the Dallas Mavericks, perhaps no NBA franchise has had a recent wide open window for a championship utterly shut as fast as the Suns have. Phoenix finished 46-36 last season, good for 19 games behind the Pacific division champion Lakers. That record would have bought them a very nice seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but in the Wild West it wasn’t good enough to even grant them a post-season spot. Had Amare Stoudemire been healthy the whole season, Phoenix probably would have reached the playoffs.
It is too bad the Suns got hosed by some bad calls and arbitrary standards of discipline from the league during their post-season series with the Spurs in 2007. At the time, it appeared the winner of that instant-classic series would win the whole thing; as the Spurs later did. The next year, Phoenix then made a questionable “all-in” type wager in acquiring Shaq. After coming quite close to winning the first title in franchise history a couple years ago, the sun has set on their opportunity for a championship, and Phoenix is now in the lottery and could soon be looking to rebuild.
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