2006 Phoenix Suns: A High-Octane Run To The Conference Finals

Change had come to the desert in 2005. The Suns signed point guard Steve Nash as a free agent. They hired Mike D’Antoni as a head coach. The creative point guard and the coach who believed in a fast-tempo offense made a perfect match. Nash won the MVP award, and Phoenix reached the conference finals. The 2006 Phoenix Suns season was more of the same—a ton of points, an MVP trophy for Nash, and an appearance in the Western Conference Finals.

Nash’s per-game averages of 19 points/11 assists don’t tell the full story of how much his creative passing changed basketball. And he had a lot of weapons to move the ball to. Foremost among them was Shawn Marion, who averaged 22 points/12 rebounds per game. Boris Diaw, another creative passer at the forward spot, posted a line of 13 points/7 rebounds/6 assists. Leandro Barbosa and Raja Bell chipped in more scoring help and Kurt Thomas helped out on the boards.

The only downside—admittedly a significant one—is that the Suns were not a good defensive team, ranking 28^th in the league for defensive efficiency. With efficiency numbers adjusting for the pace of play, the rapid tempo can’t be cited as the reason. The flip side is that, even tempo-adjusted, their offense was still the NBA’s best.

Phoenix opened the season against a good Dallas Mavericks team they would see a lot more of and lost a double-overtime battle. The Suns lost to Detroit, where the Pistons were headed for the league’s best regular season record. And Phoenix lost to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. But the Suns beat the teams they were supposed to and got their record out to 19-10 by the end of the calendar year.

Over January, they knocked off this year’s eventual champ, the Miami Heat, 111-93 and beat the Spurs at home. Phoenix kept playing consistent basketball and by the end of February, their record was 38-17, trailing only Dallas and San Antonio in the West.

A win at Dallas got their record to a peak of 42-17. But a subsequent loss at San Antonio started a 5-7 stretch that took them out of any push at the top seed. Even so, Phoenix still closed it out with a 54-28 record and comfortably won the Pacific Division.

Moreover, because the NBA gave the top three seeding positions to division winners, and because Dallas and San Antonio were in the same division, Phoenix was able to get the 2-seed. While they would not enjoy homecourt advantage in any potential showdown with the Mavs or Spurs, the Suns were able to be in a bracket position that would avoid either heavyweight until the conference finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers were the first-round opponent. The Lakers were just two years removed from their run with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, where they made four NBA Finals trips and won three titles. But after Shaq left, the Lakers moved into rebuild mode. Kobe was the league’s best scorer, but Los Angeles was a 45-win team and an underdog in this series.

Phoenix started fast and took a ten-point lead after the first quarter of Game 1. L.A. got back into it and tied it up after three quarters, but the Suns ended as they had begun. With Nash going for 20 points/10 assists, and Tim Thomas going off for 22 points/15 rebounds, the Suns won 107-102.

But they weren’t ready to put their foot on the gas in Game 2, digging a 15-point deficit by halftime, only shooting 42 percent, and losing 99-93. Homecourt advantage needed to be reclaimed when the series shifted to Los Angeles.

Nash handed out 11 assists in Game 3, but the team overall did not shoot well, no one rebounded, and Phoenix lost 99-92. Sunday afternoon’s Game 4 was a riveting affair, tight throughout. Nash got his 22 points/11 assists line, but only shot 9-for-22. Diaw had a big day, going for 21 points/8 rebounds/7 assists. Marion’s 20 points/12 rebounds performance was his best of the postseason to date.

But Phoenix also turned the ball over 17 times. They only got to the free throw line 15 times, compared to 31 for Los Angeles. A devastating 99-98 overtime loss put the Suns in what looked like an insurmountable 3-1 series hole.

Back on their home floor, Phoenix regrouped. Diaw delivered an exquisite 25/10/9 line, while Nash and Marion combined for 43. The Suns pulled away in the third quarter and won 114-97.

Game 6 in L.A. was a thriller. Kobe dropped 50 points, as he looked to put a knife into Phoenix. But the Suns pushed back. Nash scored 32 and dished out 13 assists. Marion and Thomas combined for 41 points/22 rebounds. Barbosa scored 22. Diaw scored 19 and had seven assists. A back-and-forth game went to overtime. With everything on the line, Phoenix controlled the extra session and got a 126-118 win.

The Suns returned home riding high and looking to close out this series comeback. They came out blazing, put the Lakers in a 32-15 hole after the first quarter and never let up. Phoenix shot 61 percent and held Los Angeles to 35 percent shooting. Barbosa was on fire, hitting 10 of 12 shots and scoring 26. Seven players scored in double figures. A series that had come so close to ending in humiliation, instead ended with a 121-90 rout and a seven-game triumph.

Another foe from Los Angeles awaited in the second round. The Clippers had won 47 games and gotten a great year from power forward Elton Brand. They had a veteran point guard in Sam Cassell and had easily coasted through the Denver Nuggets in the first round.

Both teams were sharp offensively for Game 1 and it was close throughout. Nash would score 31 points and pass for 12 assists. Marion scored 20 and hauled in 15 rebounds. Bell added 22. It was enough to give the Suns a 130-123 win. But once again, Phoenix let their intensity slip in a home Game 2. They were down 16 by the end of the first quarter, got crushed on the boards and lost 122-97.

Determined not to let another Game 3-4 road sequence get away from them in Los Angeles, Phoenix brought their defensive intensity for Game 3. They held the Clippers to 37 percent shooting, got a monster 32 points/19 rebounds performance from Marion, 19/14 from Thomas, controlled the third quarter and won 94-91.

In Game 4, they again let their guard back down and got hammered on the boards. Even with Bell pouring in 33 points, there wasn’t enough to prevent a 114-107 loss. The series was tied. But Phoenix had regained homecourt advantage.

While the Suns were outrebounded again in Game 5, they did narrow the margins, and they played better defense, holding the Clippers to 41 percent shooting. Marion went off for 36 points/20 rebounds. Thomas and Bell combined for 47, while Nash handed out 13 assists. In a double-OT classic, Phoenix pulled out a 125-118 win.

This series had a familiar pattern—the Suns get a win, then take the next game off from rebounding. It happened again on the road for Game 6. They were outrebounded, 48-28, allowed 62 percent shooting and lost 118-106, wasting a 34-point night from Marion.

Once again, it was time for a home Game 7. And once again, Phoenix was ready for the moment. Marion scored 30. Nash poured in 29 and delivered 11 assists. The Suns again shot 60 percent from the floor in a seventh game, and they didn’t allow the Clips to make a single three-point shot. Monday night in the desert turned into a party, as the 127-107 win sent Phoenix to the conference finals.

Dallas had survived their own seven-game epic with San Antonio. The Mavericks were led by Dirk Nowitzki. They were looking for their first trip to the Finals, while the Suns were looking to get there for the first time since 1993.

On the road for Game 1, Nash scored 27 points and handed out 16 assists. Marion scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds. And Diaw completely went off, pouring in 34 points. The Suns stole the opener, 121-118. Even though they lost Game 2 with a familiar lack of rebounding and defense, Phoenix had still done what they needed to do in the opening sequence.

But they couldn’t hold their home floor in Game 3, struggling offensively and losing 95-88. They bounced back and kept it a series with a 106-86 blowout in Game 4, with Barbosa, Diaw and Nash all going for 20-plus. But they needed another road win.

It didn’t come in Game 5. The Suns were outrebounded decisively, Nash shot poorly, and the fourth quarter got away in a 117-101 loss. Back home for Game 6, Phoenix came out hungry and burst to a 15-point lead. But the defensive woes caught up to them for the final time. Dallas chipped away at the lead, and eventually dropped 40 points on the Suns in the fourth quarter. Even with Diaw’s 30 points/11 rebounds, the 102-93 loss ended the season.

This would be the high point of D’Antoni’s tenure. Over the next two years, Phoenix only won one more playoff series, even as they continued to pile up regular season wins. Nash would get to another conference finals in 2010 when Alvin Gentry was the coach. But the franchise as a whole would not make the NBA Finals until 2021. And the basketball fans of the desert are still waiting for their first championship.