Phoenix Suns 2010-11 Media Guide - NBA Media Central

Season Review 07-08
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Review07-08
Review07-08
Season
RECORD
The 2007-08 Phoenix Suns continued an era of unprecedented success in the
franchise’s history. Despite undergoing a 7-foot-1, 321-pound midseason makeover 55-27
with the addition of four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal, the Suns won 55
games to complete the winningest four-season stretch in team history with 232 victories from 2004-05
to 2007-08.
With the offseason announcement of five-time NBA Champion Steve Kerr as the team’s President
of Basketball Operations and General Manager, and the free-agent signing of seven-time All-Star
Grant Hill, the Suns won at least 54 games for the franchise-record fourth consecutive season.
Phoenix was once again among the league’s scoring leaders, averaging more than 110 points for the
third time in the last four seasons.
The Suns were led by the All-Star tandem of Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire, who earned
their sixth and third berths, respectively. Among the league’s greatest passers, Nash finished second
in the NBA in assists (11.1) and continued to establish himself as one of the game’s best shooters,
setting a career-high in three-pointers (179, 6th-NBA) for the second-straight season and shooting a
career-high three-point percentage (.470, 2nd-NBA). Stoudemire became the first NBA player since
Tim Duncan in 2001-02 to average 25 points (team-high 25.2, 5th-NBA), nine rebounds (team-best
9.1, 19th-NBA) and two blocks (career-high and team-best 2.06, 6th-NBA).
The Suns rocked the NBA on Feb. 6, 2008, when they acquired 14-time All-Star O’Neal in exchange
for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Shaq made his Suns debut on Feb. 20 at US Airways Center in a
nationally-televised tilt against the L.A. Lakers. The doubters grew loud after Phoenix went 3-6 in its
first nine games with The Big Cactus, but the trade energized the Suns and the city of Phoenix as the
club won 15 of its final 20 games to finish tied for the fourth-best record in the most competitive
Western Conference in NBA history. Unfortunately, because of tiebreakers, Phoenix wound up with
the West’s sixth playoff seed without homecourt advantage and drew a first-round matchup with the
San Antonio Spurs. The Suns came out on the wrong side of one of the most exciting games in NBA
playoff history as the Spurs made two improbable last-second three-pointers in Game 1 of the series,
one to send the game into overtime, one to force-double overtime. Phoenix won Game 3 in decisive
fashion but the Spurs went on to win the series, 4-1, and eliminate the Suns from the playoffs for the
third time in the last four seasons.
FRONT ROW: Athletic Trainer Aaron Nelson, Assistant Athletic Trainer Mike Elliot, Strength Coach/Assistant
Trainer Erik Phillips, Equipment Manager Jay Gaspar, Assistant Video Coordinator Amin Elhassan. MIDDLE ROW:
Video Coordinator Noel Gillespie, Assistant Coach Phil Weber, Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, D.J. Strawberry,
Leandro Barbosa, Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Gordan Giricek, Assistant Coach Alvin Gentry, Assistant Coach Dan
D’Antoni, Assistant Coach Jay Humphries. BACK ROW: Eric Piatkowski, Grant Hill, Amar’e Stoudemire, Shaquille
O’Neal, Brian Skinner, Sean Marks, Boris Diaw.