What is your favorite Suns Era?

[TheBomb81]

Suns fans,what is your favorite Suns era you love and treasure the most?

[hsraffety]

I'd say that the Nash era was more entertaining consistently but the 92-96 era with Barkley and the finals in '93 was some of the most exciting basketball ever. Kind of two peas in a pod imo.

[Ryu]

Hard to decide really.

I fell in love with the Suns in 1993, playoffs first round vs. Lakers and my fellow countryman Vlade Divac. KJ and Thunder Dan were my fave childhood players.

On the other hand, Nash, Amare and Marion SSOL team were probably the most entertaining team I have ever watched.

[phrazbit]

I'd call the more recent run the "Nash era" and extend it from 2004-2010.

That said, the Barkley Suns were my favorite. They featured the favorite player of my youth (KJ), and its just hard for anything to eclipse those first favorite teams and players from your youth.

[Zelaznyrules]

Well, it was a short era but I'd go for the mid-70's team with Westy, Sobers, Van Arsdale, Erickson, Perry, Heard, AA and backups like Ronnie Lee and Dennis Awtrey. Nothing against Don Buse but that era ends when we trade Sobers for him. That move along with injuries brought it to a close although we were still a good team for several years. Following that would be the Chambers, KJ era up through the start of the Barkley run. That was a great time until we morphed into the Barkley Butt Offense which bored the hell out of me.

[bwgood77]

Suns fans,what is your favorite Suns era you love and treasure the most?

I think you are discrediting KJ, and when I saw the title thread I was all ready to come in and say 88-95 with KJ for 4 years with Hornacek, EJ, Chambers, etc, 32 WCF, sweeping Magic's Lakers in the playoffs and then Barkley coming and almost helping put us over the hump. Suns won just as many games the 4 years before Barkley as the four years with him and made the WCF twice as opposed to once. They had a brutal WCF loss to the Blazers in 90 that is kind of like the Suns loss to LA in 2010.

If you take those first four years out, and just include the Barkley era alone, I would vote for the 2nd era. So I will refrain from voting. But you have my answer.

I would also include the Nash/Amare era until 2010 since they made the WCF.

[DirtyDez]

The 06' season was a roller coaster especially in the playoffs. That was the pinnacle of being a Suns fan.

[NavLDO]

Suns fans,what is your favorite Suns era you love and treasure the most?

I think you are discrediting KJ, and when I saw the title thread I was all ready to come in and say 88-95 with KJ for 4 years with Hornacek, EJ, Chambers, etc, 32 WCF, sweeping Magic's Lakers in the playoffs and then Barkley coming and almost helping put us over the hump. Suns won just as many games the 4 years before Barkley as the four years with him and made the WCF twice as opposed to once. They had a brutal WCF loss to the Blazers in 90 that is kind of like the Suns loss to LA in 2010.

If you take those first four years out, and just include the Barkley era alone, I would vote for the 2nd era. So I will refrain from voting. But you have my answer.

I would also include the Nash/Amare era until 2010 since they made the WCF.

Agreed on the 1st paragraph...the late 80s/early 90s kinda roll into one era for me. I did vote for the Barkley era, but agree that it should have included the 3 years prior. Those were the years that got me to being a Suns fan, so of course, nostalgia and all, I had to vote for that era. The more recent Nash era was fun to watch, though, and don't discount the "greatness" of that era as well.

I just hope we can someday look back and vote on a Dragic/Len/Warren era some time in the future!

[jcsunsfan]

Well, it was a short era but I'd go for the mid-70's team with Westy, Sobers, Van Arsdale, Erickson, Perry, Heard, AA and backups like Ronnie Lee and Dennis Awtrey. Nothing against Don Buse but that era ends when we trade Sobers for him. That move along with injuries brought it to a close although we were still a good team for several years. Following that would be the Chambers, KJ era up through the start of the Barkley run. That was a great time until we morphed into the Barkley Butt Offense which bored the hell out of me.

You have to be an old Suns fan to remember what the "Floor Score" and "The Needle" are.

[BurningHeart]

If I was older, the early 90s definitely. I remember it and loved it and it gets a major nod because we weren't screwed out of titles via corruption and luck, but it doesn't mean as much to me as 2004-2010 because of my age.

[Jdiddy701]

I'm gonna go with best season instead of era.. 2009-2010. Amare had unbelievable dunks that season. Nash killin it. JRich clutch shots in the playoffs. GHill with flashbacks and defensive stops.. Dudley with passion.. Dragic vs the Spurs and the sweep. Just an amazing season except Frye not showing up vs LA.


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[Big NBA Fan]

Nash was absolutely spectacular in 2006. I didn't even think the Suns would make the playoffs in 2006 after losing Joe Johnson and Amare before the season.

Instead, he led them to the Conference Finals, and I think it's fair to say that the Suns would have won the whole thing if Amare hadn't missed the entire season.

But the best team during the Nash era was 2010, easily. That team had EVERYTHING.

They would have swept in the Celtics in the Finals if they beat the Lakers in the Conference Finals. Celtics did not match-up well with the Suns that year at all.

With that being said, I still feel Nash didn't deserve that 2005 MVP.

[BurningHeart]

You don't think a guy who precipitated a 30+ game turnaround, was the engine of a team that played a revolutionary style that made the sport visually attractive again, who put up 20, 10, 50/40/90 deserved the MVP?

*shrug* ok bro

[Big NBA Fan]

I said I agreed with the 2006 MVP, not the first one in 2005.

I still feel Shaq should have been MVP in 2005 for a variety of reasons.

- His former team, the Lakers, went from making the Finals in 2004 to not even making the playoffs in 2005 despite keeping Kobe in free-agency and getting two terrific young players in Odom and Butler from Miami.

The Mavericks DID NOT miss Nash at all. They were knocked out of the first round during his last year in Dallas and then advanced to the second round in 2005 with a rookie PG in Devin Harris replacing him.

- Nash had, in terms of starting line-ups, the best supporting cast in the NBA with Amare/JJ/Marion. Who did Shaq have other than second year Wade? Granted, Wade was great that year, but other than him, I think most people would agree that Nash had a more talented supporting cast.

The other starters on the 2005 Heat? Eddie Jones? Out of the league for several years now. Damon Jones? Same thing. Udonis Haslem? Solid, but unspectacular player.

- Shaq's individual numbers were more impressive; Nash only averaged 15 PPG in 2005. Shaq was at 23/10/3/2 on a league-leading 60% shooting from the field and a PER of 27, which was one of the highest in the NBA as well.

He was easily the best C in the NBA that year and only missed 5 games all year while being in the best shape of his life.

Put Jason Kidd on the 2005 Suns and they might have won the whole thing. I just don't think it's THAT difficult playing with Marion/Amare/JJ.

When the Shaq vs Nash debate was going on, people made it seem like JJ/Marion/Amare would be nothing without Nash which is a slap in the face to those guys because they've proven themselves without Nash.

Nash was NEVER a serious MVP candidate in Dallas and he was very average under Terry Porter.

Also, Amare missed over 20 games the year before Nash joined the Suns, let's not forget that. He averaged 26 PPG in 2005 which is incredible production.

I think Nash received too much credit. Put any decent PG with the players he had around him in 2005 and the Suns would have been great.

I still feel Shaq was the MVP of 2005...if he and Wade weren't hurt in the 2005 playoffs, they would have been in the Finals that year.

[bwgood77]

Nash was absolutely spectacular in 2006. I didn't even think the Suns would make the playoffs in 2006 after losing Joe Johnson and Amare before the season.

Instead, he led them to the Conference Finals, and I think it's fair to say that the Suns would have won the whole thing if Amare hadn't missed the entire season.

But the best team during the Nash era was 2010, easily. That team had EVERYTHING.

They would have swept in the Celtics in the Finals if they beat the Lakers in the Conference Finals. Celtics did not match-up well with the Suns that year at all.

With that being said, I still feel Nash didn't deserve that 2005 MVP.

We were fortunate though, in that we should have been the three seed that year (well, not based on the current rules at the time) but the Spurs and Mavs had BY FAR the best records, 63 and 60 wins respectively, but because they were in the same division, the Mavs got the 4 seed and we got the 2 seed. This meant they had to play in the 2nd round and game 7 went into OT and the game was decided on a crucial play.

The following year they changed the rules after realizing this was unfair and now winning your division only guarantees you a top 4 seed, not top 3.

Had the seeding gone by record, we would have played the Spurs in the 2nd round instead of avoiding them altogether.

Not taking anything away from that season, but the playoff rules did benefit us that year. It was an unbelievable season and an unbelievable playoffs, especially that Lakers comeback and Marion pass to Thomas for the game winner.

[bwgood77]

I think Nash received too much credit. Put any decent PG with the players he had around him in 2005 and the Suns would have been great.

Marbury had JJ, Marion and Amare and didn't do so well the year before.

[Jdiddy701]

Nash did not receive too much credit. Please pull up the Suns record without him. Nash made the team go. Not Amare, not Marion, not JJ, not D'Antoni.

I can't think of another PG that could have done what Nash did in Phoenix. Deserved every MVP he got and possibly more. True definition of the meaning of what an MVP is on the court and off.

Unfortunate events cost us ring(s).

Makes me want to go through YouTube and watch his greatness. Safe to say Nash is one of the best Suns ever and the clutchest (is this a word?). A lot of people don't talk about it but Nash was straight out clutch.

I had no doubt in my mind, if the Suns needed a bucket, Nash will get it regardless who was defending him.

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[DirtyDez]

I think Nash received too much credit. Put any decent PG with the players he had around him in 2005 and the Suns would have been great.

Marbury had JJ, Marion and Amare and didn't do so well the year before.

That season was so frustrating. The year before was pretty exciting though.

Nash was never the best player in the league but I didn't have a problem with him winning b2b MVP's cause he was the general. I thought Wade should've won it though.

[bwgood77]

Nash was obviously super valuable, but he wasn't the best player in the league by any measure. I'm not one that likes to debate it because it seems so subjective based on what the media decides, and they all seem to sway together. Sometimes it seems to be the best player and other times the best story, or the best player on the best team.

The way the media swayed though really irked me when it swayed so drastically in like the last few weeks of the NBA season when a poll said like 80% thought Hornacek was coach of the year, and then Simmons writes an article touting Pop's year (who took a NBA finals team to the best record in the league...no real surprise...obviously a great job of course) and then he takes it.

It kind of infuriates me how many people kind of seem to follow Simmons' lead on things (and Simmons has pretty good knowledge of all teams but he is like a fan and he will have an opinion and then write it like it's a fact and then people seem to take it as fact....I guess that is what we all would want when we put our opinions out there, but disagreement is normally natural). One funny thing though, is that Zach Lowe doesn't. Most of the advanced stats guys actually form their own opinions. Marc Stein is the absolute worst though. He will echo almost anything Simmons says and from previous discussions, articles, you can tell he badly wants to be in Simmons' circle.

[Big NBA Fan]

Their bad record without Nash is mainly about the complete lack of a good back-up PG. Marcus Banks? Give me a break.

D'Antoni's system is perfect for any PG who is good at running pick-and-rolls and in transition because that's what the offense is all about.

Kendall Marshall averaged 9 assists per game under D'Antoni playing on a terrible team. Ray Felton looked really good playing under MDA in New York during Amare's first season with the Knicks.

Nash was NEVER an MVP candidate in Dallas.

Marbury led the 2003 Suns to the playoffs where they pushed the eventual champions to 6 games...this is against Duncan at his VERY best.

That's with rookie Amare and Marion and no Joe Johnson.

Look at how mediocre Nash was under Porter...he made it no secret that he was frustrated.

I feel very strongly that Shaq deserved the 2005 MVP, still.

Nash finishing his career with more MVP's than the likes of Shaq, Wade, etc. just doesn't feel right.