FanNation - The Republic of Sport

G.O.A.T. said 07/28, 05:18 PM
They may not win championships, but they are the best regular season team there is. They had a great season last year (Dallas just had a better one) and a good record the year before despite missing Amare Stoudemire. Three years ago they had the best record in the NBA. No reason why they won't have the best this year. Nash already said he is hungrier for a ring than ever since he has already hinted that he will be retiring after his remaining three years are up on his contract.

They have the perfect lineup: Nash, Bell/Barbosa, Diaw/Jones, Marion, and Amare. They also have pretty good rookie talent coming in with DJ Strawberry and Alando Tucker which gives them more depth. D'Antoni knows how to lead his team. He can get them a 60- or 65-win season next year.

I think Dallas (who is probably the next choice) will not get the best record for the reason that Golden State showed the blueprint for everyone on how to beat the Mavs, starting with shutting down Dirk. He was exposed in the postseason this past year.

Also, almost every year Phoenix has a breakout player or a player who provides an enormous spark off the bench. The Phoenix Suns will definitely have the best record.

G.O.A.T. said 07/28, 06:20 PM
The Mavericks were completely exposed by the Golden State Warriors. They have a 3-time returning MVP (for the record, Nash should have won it), Sixth Man of the Year, 2 First-Team All-NBAers, 1 First-Team All-Defense, and another (Marion) who finished 4th in Defender of the Year yet failed to make the first or second team. They also have a past Coach of the Year on the sidelines.

Dampier, Diop, Croshere, and George are NOT better than Bell, Barbosa, and Jones. They would blow them out of the gym.

I don't care how strong your point guard position is. The Suns have the best in the League right now. Starting with Nash, the reigning 3-time MVP (for those that missed the beginning, he should have won it this past year). He is the best point guard in the game right now without a doubt. Also, they have Boris Diaw who plays like a point guard out there. Also, Barbosa and Banks sometimes run the point. Terry and Harris are definitely not better than the Suns' point guards.

G.O.A.T. said 07/30, 07:53 AM
Half of what you just said pertains to the playoffs and we are talking about the best regular season team. They haven't run out of gas in the regular season yet, they only start to get tired in the playoffs.

The Mavericks didn't have a bad series, their flaws were exposed greatly. You can have a bad game, or even 2 bad games in a row. But a good team will bounce back in a long 7-game series. They didn't and that showed how they can be beat even if you don't have as much talent as they do.

It really is irrelevant to this topic that Dallas has gotten further in the playoffs than the Suns considering we are talking about the regular season. What do you mean, "he relates to his players best and helps them play to their fullest?" He yells more than most of the coaches in the NBA. He is a hard*ss coach and D'Antoni is a players' coach. If anything, D'Antoni would be the coach who relates to his players best.

The Suns have the players and coaching staff that is needed to win the regular season. There isn't a team that in the past three years has been in the top of the conference with their records. Their worst year was a year they were missing one of their best players.