FanPost

The (Nearly) Halfway Report

I know we still have what, 3 games to go until we're officially halfway done with the (regular) season.  But, I had some spare time on my hands, and what better to do with spare time than look up statistics of your favorite basketball team?

I found a few things I expected, and a few things that I mostly expected, but was a little surprised at.  Allow me to explain: the Suns, for what they are, are a pretty impressive team.  The roster has flaws.  The team has begun to build up a penchant for giving up healthy leads to sub-.500 teams.  Before the season started, there were doubters that we'd even make the playoffs (or make it as an 8 seed and get trounced in the first round by the Lake show).  There were literally no expectations coming into the season, and our boys in purple and orange used that to ignite us to a fantastic start.

But...there were still weaknesses.  Rebounding.  Bench play.  Injuries.  I must admit, the bench play has been a stark improvement from last year's team, and I give major kudos to Mr. Goran Dragic for stepping up his play and playing with more swagger.  Our resident Junkyard Dog has been phenomenal.  He's leading the league in 3P% at 48.7%.  Lopez, after realizing that it was Steve Nash Internet Day, was so visibly upset that he didn't have the legacy to have an entire day of the sports blogosphere groveling at his feet, that he decided to break a door.  (Spoiler alert: I made that back story up.)  But even he has shown some major improvement from last year.

Now...are you ready?  Here's where I start to quote statistics.

Rebounding

The Suns, for all the doubters that touted them as a terrible rebounding team (and rightfully so...that preseason was painful to watch), have, for the most part, dispelled many of those doubts.  No one thought they were going to be a fantastic rebounding team, and that is exactly what they aren't.  But, looking at stats (and I know, stats don't tell the whole story, save your breath), this team is more than holding its own.  Even Amare has bumped his 

The team is bringing down 41.7 rebounds per game, which is good for 15th in the league. Fifteenth.  The big 1-5.  For the size we give up, the personnel we have, and the style in which we play, I'd say that's pretty darn impressive.  However, how many boards do we surrender each game?  (Hint: it starts with 43, and ends with .5)  That leaves the rebounding differential at....(carry the two, multiply by 4, account for x, divide by .759...) 1.7, in favor of our opponents.  Not bad for a team that many thought would be murdered on the glass every night, eh?  (Don't go and start quoting the offensive rebounding department...let me have this one.  Please.)

Scoring

The Suns (just like almost any Arizona based team), have always been about offense.  And rightfully so, over the past 4 years, the Suns have either been the leaders of, or very, very near the top of the offensive efficiency list.  I guess that's what you get when Steve Nash happens.  But, I'll give you the rundown, just for kicks and giggles.

The Suns once again lead the league in scoring, putting up points at a clip of 109.8 per game.  They lead in FG% (49.3%), 3P% (41.5% on 22.5 attempts, which isn't even most in the league.  Those honors belong to Orlando, hucking up 28.3 per game), and after a dismal free throw shooting start to the season, they have found their groove again, with the team shooting 76.2%, good for a four way tie for 13th.  That includes Mr. Nash, who is shooting an astounding 94.5% from the free throw line.  He's drained 120 of his 127 attempts.  Now that's amazing.

When all's said and done, everyone knows that Phoenix is an offensive juggernaut.  Defense, on the other hand...

Defense (...where?)

Our defense this season has been passable at times, and downright turrible at other times.  We're 29th (that's second to last, in case you had forgotten) in the league at points scored against us, with our opponents putting up 106.5 points on the scoreboard when they play us.  But, you can say that, "Hey, our style of play allows them to get more shot attempts up", among other things.

Here's where I think the better story of our defense lies: we're only allowing teams to shoot 45.6% from the field, which is good for 16th.  If we can fix our offensive rebounding (we're bringing in 10.7, while giving up 13.7 per game) and limit our opponents shot attempts, even by 3 per game, that will bring our defense up immensely.  We're not getting shot out of the water; we're holding teams to a semi-respectable percentage.  We're not Cleveland (43.4% opp. FG%), by any means, but we're also not Golden State (49.1%).

We're not a shot blocking team, nor do we rack up the steals in bunches, but we have the capabilities to be at least a middle of the pack defensive team, if we can just secure a few more defensive rebounds per game, limiting our opponents second chance points.

Summary

The Phoenix Suns are not a championship contender.  Let's not trick ourselves into getting fooled again ('cause we won't), but with a few minor adjustments, we could be a very solid playoff team.  Heck, if we even get a lucky break, we might give a few of the top tier teams some fits.  What I think we should do is simple: ride the chemistry, keep the expectations realistic, and see what happens.  We can figure out what changes we're going to make with the team (if any...this one's on you, Kerr) once the offseason comes.  Will Amare be a Sun next year?  What about Lou Amundson?  Is Barbosa expendable with JRich around?  Are we going to use Rich's massive expiring contract as a trade chip for the 2010-2011 trade deadline?  If so, is Barbosa really expendable?

There are, as always, a ton of questions that can be asked, but the main thing our teams right now is a jolt of confidence.  A jolt of confidence that can come with fan support.  I know we're all going to be there to the bitter end.  But I think everyone (including yours truly) needs to sit back and enjoy the ride (unless some Pau-like giveaway comes up, which I doubt it will).  This season has been wild so far.  It's been fantastic.  It's been frustrating.  We've seen our team beat some of the best teams in the league, only to lose to teams we should have beaten.  But all in all, it's been rewarding.

Here's to a solid second half of the season.  I'll drink to that.