How the Suns squandered a championship-caliber squad through mismanagement and one awful nosebleed

The Seven Seconds Or Less Phoneix Suns changed the NBA forever. Behind Head Coach Mike D’antoni’s revolutionary offense that emphasized spacing the floor and running at a breakneck pace, the Suns trampled opponents en route to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances. With a roster led by MVP Steve Nash and young high flying forward Amar'e Stoudemire, Phoenix was poised to dominate the league for years to come. Except, nothing is ever that simple. Through mismanagement and the organization compromising the team's identity, this version of the Suns never won a title, let alone make an NBA Finals appearance. Having an influence on the NBA doesn’t earn you championships and when their time ran out they collapsed.
Written and produced by: Joe Ali
Edited by: Charlotte Atkinson & Michael Das
Motion graphics designed by: Michael Das
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[@MOCdude]

The 2006-07 Amare/Diaw suspension is one of the worst things that has ever happened to a team that should’ve been a championship team

[@timothygalvin3021]

Probably wouldn't have happened if Ron Artest wasn't a crazy person charging into the stands to fight people 2 years earlier.

[@Noctifern]

its a disgrace

[@bealgates8594]

Draymond green enters the chat

[@timothygalvin3021]

@@bealgates8594 I mean, he did kick that man square in the balls

[@mentok3027]

@@timothygalvin3021 To ad insult to injury Artest grabbed that Kobe airball and put it in to steal a game from them when they had their next best shot at a title in the WCF in 2010.

[@GrantH]

The Western Conference was simply on a different level during this era.

[@willh3972]

I think it was the nuggets around this time, they won 50 games and missed the playoffs. It was wild

[@simonhui5638]

West was so strong during these years even 8 seeds have a shoot to beat the any team on the east at the finally

[@chrisuncleahmad]

Nah. It was a 2 team conference: Lakers. Spurs, and not much else

[@IllMatic97]

Not really when the Spurs and Lakers were the main contenders for a championship from '99 to 2009. In terms of the western conference.

[@willh3972]

The only east teams to compete were a great pistons defense, the heat with Dwayne wade and pat riley, and the Celtics big three. Everyone else was showing up to get crushed. The spurs lakers and Mavs were the best but there was a ton of competition. The east was really bad for a long time

[@isaiahwill7874]

Steve Nash and the suns are the reason I became a basketball fan. Watching them on TV in the mid 2000s they were amazing and from there I started watching college ball and have been forever since. Secret Base is the best channel on KZbin.

[@dozhadeville444]

Facts

[@AlexRodriguez-ue1xc]

The matrix and stoudamire💥💯

[@marvshirk6302]

Na k.j from Cleveland mine

[@JonathanJVela]

Facrs

[@Alr1ghtyThen]

Nash was def my favorite player after the Jordan era even tho I didn't pay the NBA much attention during the early 2000s.

[@illWillienumber31]

Dantoni was a good regular season coach, but he never made the necessary adjustments that are needed to win deep playoff series. He sticks to that dantoni game plan no matter what. That won't beat a coach like Pop.

[@chrisuncleahmad]

Pop never made offensive adjustments. All he did was just dump the ball into the paint

[@jamesmarshall6619]

Mostly it was on the defensive end where Dantoni just never adjusted. In the playoffs the Suns offense was still top notch, still efficient, but the defense was always lacking or rebounding was lacking and part of what led to the issues between Kerr and Dantoni was Kerr pushing Dantoni to concentrate more on defense, Kerr was even willing to bring in a defensive assistant to help but Dantoni wouldn't budge. You would think after numerous failures in the playoffs he would be willing to adjust but he never was.

[@slicedbread5692]

@@chrisuncleahmad you're very, very wrong about that. You're saying he never adjusted to take advantage of having Kawhi? And he never adjusted by putting Ginobli in the lineup when they needed more offense cuz he could get points on just about anybody? And Tony Parker never went off for 55 points? He never put in guys like Diaw to stretch the floor and do the exact opposite of what you're suggesting? If you think Pop just let them dump the ball into the paint and sat in his chair twiddling his thumbs, you're insane. He is one of the greatest coaches of all time.

[@riccardoferrazzo8283]

You are right. During the off-season, he was never able to get back Joe Johnson from Atlanta, and fix Stoudemire's injury. He is not playoff material.

[@JG31392]

@@jamesmarshall6619 That is why Dantoni will never will the big one. His all offense, no defense approach is incredibly flawed. It’s the defense that wins championships, not offense.

[@pastorgainz7230]

These Suns didn't just influence the current suns play style but the Current NBA as a whole, high pace, lots of threes and undersized big-men.

[@jamesmarshall6619]

What's funny is their pace today would be something like in the bottom 5 of today's NBA as well as the number of threes they attempted would be in the bottom 5. They changed the game to the point that they would look like slow paced team.

[@jamesmarshall6619]

@Fries slowest then would probably look like a couple of grandpas on canes out there.

[@cactusjack2264]

Not to mention outside scoring big men with both Stoudemire and Diaw being shooters, which is a lot more common today.

[@TomCruz54321]

One of the most exciting teams in history along with the Showtime Lakers and Kerr's Golden State Warriors.

[@madeofcoconuts]

Throughout the nineties, I hated how many teams would play 4 skilled players… and a center. The Suns put their 5 best on the floor and turned every possession off a made basket into a 4-on-5 break. Teams had to pull the centers who either couldn’t keep up or punish the Suns at the other end. Stoudemire and Marion completely redefined who could excel in the PF and C spots.

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

Man, even after my blazers lost to the suns, I couldn't hate them. They deserved a ring so badly.

[@RudieObias]

Players don’t deserve championship rings in the NBA. They earn them.

[@luissamayoa8144]

Blazers lose to anyone

[@amr-bw4gf]

@@RudieObias so u think the spurs fairly “earned” that ring?

[@RudieObias]

@@amr-bw4gf Earning doesn’t always mean fair. Besides, it was Phoenix Suns players who left the bench in a melee. They broke the rules, got caught, and got punished. Now that’s fair.

[@abe2487]

Blazers are a very bad franchise

[@flapjackjack3800]

Man I'd love to see a collapse video on the Bad Boy Pistons. They went from a 59-23 championship winning team to a 20-62 team in only 4 seasons.

[@abnercorvera6568]

They made one already

[@FrankTheTankFitness]

@@abnercorvera6568 For the 03-04 Pistons not the Bad Boy Pistons

[@flapjackjack3800]

@@abnercorvera6568 Link?

[@VyPrezWolfpackMusic]

@@flapjackjack3800 It's literally an ESPN 30-for-30 documentary.

[@SimuLord]

Every player over 30 in NBA history to blow his Achilles was never the same afterward. Isiah blew out his and his career was over. The jury's still out on Kevin Durant, but he's only played 79 games in the last two seasons while posting the lowest WS/48 and VORP advanced stats since he was still on his rookie contract.

[@BlueSpiceSpace]

Speaking of sun's, realized you could do this series in reverse for teams that are awful then become good, call it "rise" or something like that

[@notmytruthTHEtruth]

Yeah the video ended so negatively considering how well these last two seasons have gone. Frankly this current team is by far the best.

[@sittinonthegodamcornerdoindope]

It was a lot of shitty years for the Suns in the 2010s

[@thetuesday]

The tanking years and signing 3 starting point guards were particularly painful to watch.

[@bendreier1593]

Damn that's a good idea

[@JWex-jy7sk]

Bucks fan here, I remember Terry Porter when he went 71-93 during his two years in Milwaukee as a head coach When he got hired by the Suns I immediately knew it was not going to end well. He was a guy who was just more better as an assistant, rather than running the system of an entire team.

[@jbj7599]

Oh man I do not miss the Terry years(porter n stotts) in Milwaukee

[@JWex-jy7sk]

@@jbj7599 Porter was terrible, but I mean 2005-06 was alright for Stotts in Milwaukee GM Larry Harris just badly constructed a team for him in 2006-07 and Stotts became the fall guy.

[@themilwaukeebrewerswillnev7545]

Was a pretty awful coach but gotta love Porter for the fact he played at UWSP and went on to become a well known and respected dude in the NBA

[@sittinonthegodamcornerdoindope]

TP was never a coach who put in 100%

[@kitschychris8910]

@secretbase Speaking of--I'd love to see a COLLAPSE video of the early 00s MKE Bucks. Such a missed opportunity and some good painful drama... Leading to a rebuild that took a lifetime after trudging through the 90s to get back to that spot.

[@jadenmolter-castiglioni8661]

For the next episode of Collapse we need to see one for the Legion of Boom. Pretty sure every player from the 2013 Seahawks roster is off the team now that Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner are out.

[@16ktsgamma]

Now it's just Pete the Cheat. And he is coaching a rebuilding team.

[@austinreed4565]

It’s only pete now.

[@jobieheiser443]

Im pretty sure They already did an episode on that, but, then again, I could be getting confused with an episode of "Rewinder".

[@hbdragon88]

@@16ktsgamma ha, "Pete the Cheat." Because both my sisters attended UCLA, I'm obligated to boo on Pete Carroll and anyone else who was formerly a Trojan unless they're currently on my team. I know his tenure at USC was dogged by numerous NCAA violations (Reggie Bush forfeiting the Heisman), but has Carol done anything similar with the Seahawks?

[@briangriffith4574]

There already is an episode that basically covers that story.

[@JorgeGarcia-lr3vk]

Thank you for doing this video. As Suns fan, it hurt me deeply when they traded Shawn Marion and let Nash go. They were the players I grew up watching in the 2000s. After a whole decade of watching incompetant management and coaching, it feels good to finally have an amazing head coach, a talented GM, and a roster that balls out together as a team.

[@ciscoaz7129]

Lets go SUNS!!

[@4thgenrobot899]

Yes to all of this.

[@EduardoISF]

Ayton is gonna bounce for more money. Some team is gonna pay him max dollar this off season. The suns should’ve pulled out the checkbook on him last summer. He can go wherever he wants this year as he is an UFA

[@Rhapbus1]

Should have been happy for him that he finally had a chance to win a ring... Larry should have left too.

[@ciscoaz7129]

We taking it this year!!! Go Suns.

[@clevisbernier8973]

Imagine Nash in the current league. He'd be ridiculous.

[@simonhui5638]

True that but really depend the team build around him

[@_ericplace]

@Tristan Leah yeah, but he wouldn’t be able to switch everything on defense… not necessarily a dealbreaker, but limiting in the highest-upside defensive systems in 2022. Ideally you build a team that can play uptempo but can also switch everything. The Marcus Smarts of the world make a great net differential possible.

[@ghostballs1874]

Nash was is a top five shooter in my opinion and has a higher career 3PA than curry. If Nash was in todays game he would let it fly more rather than look to pass.

[@Madvillainy48]

@@ghostballs1874 his 3pt % was high partially because he didn't shoot enough. He even said himself that he regrets not being more aggressive of a scorer.

[@ghostballs1874]

@@Madvillainy48 he was money. If he shot more his percentage may have dropped but only marginally

[@cubillo4]

Nash’s last year was so tough with us. Him and him alone kept us in every game. It just was literally a coin toss since he had no help. I think we finished .500 that year. Az legend like Fitz, Gonzo, and Johnson for sure

[@Baegitte]

No Barkley?

[@tetrachromedreamcoat8292]

Don't forget Doan too

[@doddsino]

When a broken down Nash went to the Lakers...I couldn't even watch.

[@drewdrewski4188]

Barkley isn't on fhe same level as those guys he mentioned in terms of AZ sports royalty, probably since he was only here a few years. Gonzo and Johnson brought us our first (and only) championship, while Fitz and Nash were in AZ for many years. Even Shane Doan (Coyotes) would probably rank above Barkley.

[@dusk6159]

The phenomenon showing and carry job Nash did at the end of the 2000s and in 2010 was crazy. Especially for his age and tools.

[@infinitetorque1946]

Here after gm 7 vs Dallas

[@mexia23]

Quentin Richardson said they should've brought that 05 team back I agree . Joe Johnson was a great scorer and ball handler taking the pressure off Nash. They tried to play Spurs style instead of they game. Getting Shaq made no sense.

[@calebregondola1236]

That Shawn Marion trade ruined everything. Shawn Marion was my favorite Suns pkayer back then.

[@raymondsanchezjr.6708]

Me too. I was mad at the Suns for a while for this.

[@dusk6159]

And getting rid of that defensive problem-solver Thomas (the same Kurt Thomas who also was a veteran Spurs rival. Knicks 1999 Thomas).

[@razkable]

They traded marion in early 08 and didn't they make the 2010 west finals without him so

[@InTecknicolour]

d'antoni's system was an evolution of Don nelson and paul westhead's offenses. and all three would eventually influence Kerr's Warriors teams and Spolestra's Heatles teams

[@jlilian971]

Heat offense was not 7 seconds tho

[@EPIGIBSONPHONE]

@@jlilian971 i think he was referring to small ball

[@blowc1612]

Kerr offense is based on 2002 Kings

[@wolfdrayvus101]

@@blowc1612 2013-14 spurs

[@jlilian971]

@@EPIGIBSONPHONE was heat a small ball team?

[@Daniel-le3gl]

Very well done - a somewhat emotional trip down memory lane. I went to a brewery in flagstaff to watch game 4 of the 2010 WCF and after we won, I took the superstition all the way to the bank and went back and sat at the same table, same seat for game 5. Wild ass game and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around i was piss ass drunk and heartbroken because the game looked out of reach. When J-Rich banked in that 3 to tie the game, the entire restaurant exploded and I screamed so loud with excitement that I was legitimately worried i had damaged my vocal cords. The Ron artest putback was such an unreal heartbreak and it completely crushed our spirit- we lost the series right there. Such a painful decade after that of just the absolute worst teams, awful draft picks, no direction whatsoever; just a complete mess. I will say however that it’s all been worth it to have the team that we have now. GO SUNS!!!!!!

[@Kennyisdarkvanilla]

When we getting a Seahawks-Legion of Boom collapse video? Appropriate after Russ got traded and Wagner was released recently.

[@pdotjdott]

Bet they’ll wait a season to see how they do.

[@DaRendogxtreme]

You Read My Mind I was Just About To Ask that

[@jamesbartee6184]

Bobby Wagner playing with Aaron Donald now

[@joesakic91]

Shawn Marion went on to win an NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, Boris Diaw won it all with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, Leandro Barbosa won an NBA title with the Golden State Warriors in 2015, and Steve Nash won a back-to-back title reign with the Dubs as a consultant in 2017 and 2018.

[@joesakic91]

Oh and Steve Kerr went on to win three NBA titles as a head coach with the Dubs in 2015, 2017, and 2018 along with Alvin Gentry as associate head coach in 2015.

[@alexanderguerrero347]

Nash himself said he would prefer to win as a player and the consultant rings don’t mean as much to him.

[@goldenstatewarriors9418]

@@alexanderguerrero347 He has a chance as the head coach of the Nets.

[@beezy22]

Boris Diaw also got a ring with the spurs in 2014…

[@Skinslyfe]

@@alexanderguerrero347 because they are nothing

[@aidanm624]

I feel like this collapse is just Steve Kerr fumbling with so many moves. I get why he’s great with the warriors now. Made all his mistakes with the Suns sadly

[@lucianotecuanapa9853]

He made a big mistake getting Shaq who was past his prime I like Shaq but he wasn't the same player

[@jaketerpening3284]

@@lucianotecuanapa9853 I mean, there is some hindsight bias with that. Big men had historically been more important in the playoffs where most of the teams struggles came from, and Marion wanted out. We can't say that keeping Marion would have gone any better for them.

[@Matt-cr4vv]

Shaq wasn’t prime Shaq for sure, but his production was similar to Marion’s at the time and he had a proven track record of playoffs success. And the suns major short point was big men. So in that context, without hindsight, you can understand the move for a team that is in “win now” mode. Helps to also consider Marion wanted out so it’s not like you’re trading a long term asset since he’s probably going to leave when he can anyways.

[@kevindang5260]

Loved watching Nash & the Suns play. That Ron Artest put back still kills me to this day. I know the Warriors gave him a ring as a consultant, but I’m hoping he wins one as a head coach someday. He deserves it

[@JayEm1325]

Steve Nash and these Suns are literally the reason I am a basketball fan

[@willhayes867]

These Suns made me fall in love with the NBA; it still hurts that they never won a championship. I still hate Robert Horry because of it.

[@sittinonthegodamcornerdoindope]

All my homies hate Robert horry

[@nickgonzalez676]

I still say If I ever see Horry in real life I'm throwing a brick at him

[@joshwonkim0895]

He's like Zaza Pachulia who's been hated by Spurs fans since the 2017 WCF!

[@drewdrewski4188]

Honestly that guy probably couldn't walk the streets of Phoenix by himself safely to this day.

[@interceptingfist5682]

Ever heard of Tim donaghy lol

[@Flow_Easy]

It's a shame that the style that D'Antoni revolutionized never won him a ring. Mainly because his teams didn't play consistent defense well. Now you see teams like GSW where they basically implemented that style (but added defense as an identity) and win it big.

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Steve Kerr (Suns GM at the time) begged Mike to hire a defensive/rebounding specialist coach. Mike refused. He deserves what he got.

[@artix003]

all they needed was a big to hold the paint defensively they already had good perimeter defenders still doesnt help when nash and stoudemire are not that good defensively

[@jamesmarshall6619]

@@SKa-tt9nm exactly. The offense, even against the Spurs, was still really good and efficient but Dantoni just would not adjust on defense. He stuck to being so stubborn and it's why he couldn't go any further.

[@riccardoferrazzo8283]

@@SKa-tt9nm oh yes, Steve Kerr. A lot of amazing decisions during his experience as a Suns' GM

[@JG31392]

Defense wins championships

[@huntertrum3658]

The fact that Steve Nash doesn't have a ring as a player really doesn't seem right.

[@BlinkXIII]

You just know Shaq's burner is here hating on Nash's two MVPs.

[@chadmcvlad9794]

All I have to say is that as an Arizonan, I do not expect anything from our teams except the fact that they can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[@krambone]

ChadMcVlad hang in their man, the Diamondbacks have a Series in 01’ and Cardinals and Suns have been to a dance(shoutout Fitz, Barkley, CP) so it’s still possible. The Lions(NFL) and Kings(NBA) still worse off than yall lbs

[@TheIncredible2IC]

Cursed sports market. Nothing good ever happens here.

[@trailsoftrey]

The Santonio Holmes catch to beat us in the super bowl still haunts me.

[@drewdrewski4188]

Those are individual teams. Of the markets that have all 4 major pro sports, Phoenix has to be one of if not the most cursed. Just one ring total, albeit an extremely epic one.

[@amandaruttan1234]

Steve Nash was the only reason the sun's actually made the conference final

[@willmoon5320]

“If you enjoyed watching this suns collapse” No. No I did not.

[@Calvin.K.Langat]

Been waiting on this one! The 04-05 Suns are my go to team in 2K. Their chemistry was phenomenal

[@ridgethomas1998]

This is the team that got me into basketball when I was 9 years old. Loved steve nash as a kid

[@MetalGod999]

Outstanding video by Secret Base, as always. However, I also wanna say how sorry I felt for Steve Nash never being able to win an NBA title. Remember, before he starred with the Phoenix Suns, Steve was also great alongside Dirk Nowitzki with the Dallas Mavericks. Steve was a player who truly epitomized fast-paced, high-flying basketball, and I always loved watching him play.

[@razkable]

Dirk getting hurt in the 03 west finals plus amare getting hurt in 05 and the suspensions of amare and diaw in 07 really hurt his chances but he did get a ring with the warriors I believe as a consultant....

[@sdpuffy_]

the fact that steph could've been under steve kerr's management in a whole different situation is crazy

[@Bedangles]

Wake up babe New secret base video

[@meharinationsportspodcast2582]

You forget to mention why D'Antoni left Phoenix for New York. Kerr wanted to fix the Suns defensive problems by bringing in Tom Thibodeau to the coaching staff, but D'Antoni refused which led to his departure.

[@deathboy126]

You should do a collapse video of the Spurs after the 2014 championship whenever Pop retires

[@ZamirStills]

@Call Me, BLEGH Me, If You Wanna Reach Me Tripped is a good word.

[@godalbinothe]

spurs haven’t really had a collapse fwiw tbh lol

[@martinayala338]

After kawhi left and we got Derozan we were still decent but i wouldnt call it a full collapse. Just now we are rebuilding but the future looks bright. I like our young core

[@andrewstepanek8933]

The Spurs didn't collapse though. People retired, Kawhi demanded a trade. That's just a normal rebuild.

[@roadrunner1985]

Tell me you’re a Suns fan without telling me you’re a Suns fan

[@TomCruz54321]

Anybody who saw the Suns play know Steve Nash deserved the MVP. Kids today just parrot what Shaq says that he should have won it. Shaq has a huge platform and we only hear his side. Players and coaches should come out and defend Steve's MVP award.

[@mistaidgaf9166]

From Charles Barkley era, Maurberry/Kidd era, Nash & Amare era, now we enter the Booker CP3 and Ayton era

[@monsterzinc9423]

The Phoenix Suns team history is just amazing itself mainly their rosters throughout the years

[@burninmode]

I knew this day would come. This Suns team made me love basketball more, after discovering them in an NBA Live game with my HS bestfriend. Looking for the Suns to be NBA champs this year.

[@GodbodyRoku]

After watching this and even knowing what happened.. I'm kind of glad that the Suns are at where they're at now. I'm not a Suns fan, but would like to see these guys win their first ring.

[@starman1004]

There needs to be a sequel called 'How Luka Doncic humiliated the Suns back into irrelevancy'

[@KalmoK]

This Suns team is one of my all-time favorites. It's just crimally wrong that they didn't win a title, just bad luck alltogether...

[@LadyDuchess]

I swear the Phoenix Suns are cursed lol. All the way back from losing the infamous coin flip to today.

[@TjSamson]

Just here after the 2022 Phoenix Suns choking so hard in Game 7 against Dallas.

[@lanagorgeous9485]

my fav team in the mid 2000's and Nash was my fav player back then. I lived and died with the Suns and boy do I remember that nose bleed like it was yesterday!

[@BurritoKingdom]

Also Robert Sarver was cheap and didn't want to pay the luxury tax. Joe Johnson would have been the perfect complement to Nash in the half-court when games slowed down in the playoffs. But Racist Sarver didn't want to pay him and traded him away.

[@Goose21]

Never heard a good thing about ol rob. Only that he’s cheap n racist

[@fredbobberts5753]

After the Donaghy revelations from this period I was so convinced Stern had deliberately chosen the Spurs with that ridiculous and arbitrary ruling in that ‘06-07 semi series I did not watch the NBA again until Stern was gone. Am very much enjoying it with him out.

[@mandu6665]

Could say the same about the LAL vs SK series. There was a whole lot of ref and NBA front office fuckery in those days and it was always in favor of LAL or SAS.

[@fredbobberts5753]

@Mandu 666. You are not wrong.

[@papacinoooo]

im so happy, the fact that, stern dead!

[@Tyrunner0097]

Snake Stern did the same to the Bucks in 2001. I don't argue that game 7 suspension of Scott Williams, but the NBA had plenty of time to announce it and they CHOSE to wait until just before tip-off to announce the suspension, so the Bucks couldn't make any effective strategy to compensate

[@TimeofQwerty]

>spurs >getting calls rigged for them lol

[@jasonapplebaum9871]

History repeats itself

[@jamesmarshall6619]

This hurts. Being a Suns fan since the 80s when we had Walter Davis and Alvin Adams, the KJ-Chambers years, Barkley years, so many good teams only to fall short. This video doesn't really begin to describe how badly Sarver botched so many situations. With Joe Johnson it should have been easy but Sarver was being tight with the years and a few million that it angered Johnson and to make it worse, we didn't save any money as we spent it elsewhere so he would have been better off giving him the years and money. Almost same situation with Stoudemire, letting him go due to concerns about his knees wasn't dumb but they didn't save any money letting him walk as they signed a bunch of below average players over a few years that equated almost to what Stoudemire got and truthfully we would have been better off resigning Stoudemire even though his knees did eventually give. Then there are the numerous draft picks we gave up to save money where we could have drafted guys like Iguodala to add to our rotation so we had greater depth but Sarver was so cheap, money that he ended spending stupidly elsewhere, that we passed on a few opportunities to add good players. I hate Sarver, we finally got good after he decided to leave James Jones and Monty alone and just be a figurehead.

[@Supreme36074]

Yeah I agree, I remember the JJ move & thinking that was just crazy, then the Shaq for Marion move was a waste… Shaq did have his last productive time there. If you weren’t going to resign Stat, then he shouldn’t made the Curry move .

[@stayoffmygrasspodcast2445]

Watch my sports podcast channel for more suns content

[@FGPlus]

Being a fan of no rings lol

[@03bunnyhop]

patterned my game on nash, this was a very fun time to be a basketball player and a fan but watching this brings back all the hurt and pain as a suns fan :( but this is really really appreciated, i remember stuff differently but all the important highlights are there. 😭 GHill to Shaq on OpenCourt: No wonder we didnt win, you were mad at the point guard 🤣

[@ajw5691]

What upsets me the most about Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw being suspended is that the Spurs played dirty throughout the entire series until Nash got knocked down by Robert Horry. There was one game when Bruce Bowen constantly got away with fouling and Phoenix won anyway. I can't remember if it was the 2007 series when Bruce Bowen kneed Steve Nash in the groin and took cheap shots at Stoudemire that could've injured him. In game 3, there were a lot of lopsided calls that put the Suns in foul trouble and helped the Spurs produce turnovers.

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Video should be titled “How a 6’10 240lb PF decapitated a 175lb MVP and faced no consequences”. But according to ESPN, “the spurs play the right way”.

[@dangnabit9299]

Cope and seethe🤣

[@ryanakers2575]

You mean when the 175lb defensive liability flopped into the score table, getting two teammates suspended?

[@user-ib2kt4oo7i]

@@ryanakers2575 you're a hater

[@cupertinoish]

The fact that the talent Phoenix has seen in the past 35 years but hasn't found more playoffs success is pretty wild and unfortunate. I hope one day they will have a championship banner in their ceiling. Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Dan Marjerly, Ainge, Horry, Cassell, Danny Manning, Michael Finley, Kidd, Cliff Robinson, McDyess, Gugliotta, Penny, Shawn Marion, Stephon Marburry, Joe Johnson, Amare, Quentin Richardson, Tim Thomas, Kurt Thomas, Diaw, Jason Richardson, Shaq, Robin Lopez, Dragic, Channing Frye, Hedo, Vince Carter, Markieff and Marcus Morris, PJ Tucker, TJ Warren, Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler, Booker, Mikal Bridges, Ayton, Rubio, CP3, Shamet, McGee, Durant.

[@twood3118]

We need more Joe Johnson mentions. Literally one of my favorite players ever.

[@ramnsesallen4375]

Nash is my favorite player, partially because he never won, but it always does hurt a little when I relive how he got so close and failed.

[@AsDfler12]

Can't wait for part two

[@ReconciledByFaith]

This team, and Steve Nash in particular, got me into the NBA. That said, thanks for the PTSD trip down memory lane. The media always doubted them and said their system couldn't win it all, but if you watched them play enough you knew they had a chance to win against anyone if things fell their way. Several years they only just barely lost. Their best teams would still have a chance to win today with their combination of team chemistry, perfect personnel/playstyle fit, and leadership under Nash.

[@starcarter531]

I’m still waiting for y’all to do a video on the 2015 KC Royals. It still hurts as a lifelong fan to see them fall out of contention.

[@andrewstepanek8933]

Please no, I can't handle it

[@brucedillon8358]

you got one, more than the tigers can say

[@djtrankilo231]

Y'all still got Salvy

[@enthusiastofcute]

Considering your teams status as a small market franchise (which is especially crippling in MLB) your contention window shut at a natural time. I recommend watching UrinatingTree’s vid on small market MLB franchises for the details

[@stevencooke6451]

You got your title. Here in Toronto we can still enjoy Joe Carter's World Series home run and smile, even though it preceded the team's rapid fall into the basement. I'm also a Canadiens fan in hockey, and I connect their decline beginning in the early 80s to the end of my childhood. During the 70s and into the 80s the Royals were consistently one of the top teams who went out with that surprise World Series in 1985.

[@user-ic7gl9nz1m]

Marion, Duncan and Raja talked about why the spurs always won. Pop outcoached D'antoni basically. He gave Stoudemire everything he wanted and D'antoni played right into it. Basically the spurs played for "Amar'e can get 40, Nash can get 18 assists...and nobody else gets anything"...worked every year.

[@ceebee312]

Facts even when D’Antoni was in Houston, he couldn’t get over the hump still while encountering Pop and Kerr, who are clones or share similar coaching methods

[@Doommaster677]

Ironic how this comes out when the Suns are CRUSHING everyone in the Western Conference right now. If my Bulls don't have a deep playoff run, I'm rooting for Phoenix. Those fans deserve a damn chip

[@samssportsshop]

Steve Nash was very underrated

[@Mrgiftedsoul]

Being a pistons fan but have moved to phx in 04 summer witnessed a 17 game win streak is greatly appreciated

[@michaelbarnes2126]

This team was my 1st love when I was NBA Live 2005. It was sad that Nash never won a title he was soooooo good and very entertaining to watch Stat & Marion too. Grant Hill had a renaissance year with them, J Rich was their 2nd best player during certain games, this Suns team will always be beloved by me.

[@XxSunset17x]

You guys should do the 2010-2011 Texas Rangers, a back-to-back AL pennant, lead by a great manager Ron Washington and incredible stars like Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Vladimir Guerrero, Ian Kinsler, C.J. Wilson, Cliff Lee, and more. Also, the World Series against St Louis Cardinals was a tragic loss for them especially in game 6. After that, it all begins downhill

[@righttocensorvalvenis]

Too soon man. My heart still hurts lol

[@suprcrzy]

NO!! 🤬

[@fredbobberts5753]

Man I’ll tell ya as a Tiger fan I still quake when I hear the name “Nelson Cruz”.

[@Criminalpresident45]

Damn that rangers team was loaded still can't believe they lost to stl in 2011 being a out away from a championship

[@16maze]

This one hurts. 😭 I remember watching every game and got inspired to join basketball because of this run.

[@hi5ghost27]

The pick and roll with Steve and amiri was unstoppable.

[@christophersuswal9544]

Joe Johnson was a sign and trade with Atlanta. Phoenix tried to re sign him in 05 but it wasnt meant to be. Was heartbreaking but Diaw was nice compensation

[@EdmacZ]

Collapses: The Legion of Boom: How an poorly timed pass ruined a repeat attempt and caused a collapse. The 2016 Falcons: How the worst collapse in Super Bowl history led to an equally fast collapse. The Killer B's Steelers: How the Steelers turned a star-studded trio into drama, then collapsed. Andrew McCutchen's Pirates: How a team ended a losing streak in spectacular fashion, then lost again. Gary Payton's Sonics: How the second greatest team of all time underwent a collapse so bad they left the state.

[@manzac112]

1992-1993 Blue Jays: Back-to-back World Series champions to never making the playoffs for 23 years.

[@andresfajardo4535]

Great video. Brought back a lot of heartbreak and tears...but also a lot of great great memories

[@Washanuga]

I just wanna say, the nose smash on Parker shows how damn tough Nash was. He's the one who got his nose smashed and broken, Parker only got hit on his skull yet he crumples, Nash looks barely affected and even comes to Parker's aid.

[@Squaredot01]

That Phoenix team wasn't bad... those other western conference teams were just a tiny bit better. I was always confused when the office started making huge changes to this team when they missed the finals by such a small margin. All they needed was a small tweak or two and they were right there.

[@lucianotecuanapa9853]

The sun ran into Kobe and Tim who were just in a other level Lakers and Spurs won the chip

[@Kinlui1022]

tldr: Kerr took all the lessons from the "7 seconds or less" Suns, even though he didn't trust it enough and brought in Shaq to slow down the pace, then realized how horrible a GM he is and dodged out of town after royally F'd up the team.

[@tuxegirls]

man these were all the players of my childhood. i was obsessed with them. i remember when everyone went to school with bandaids on their nose in solidarity with nash. i remember feeling so crushed every time we did not make it. as others have said, our sports teams are cursed…

[@richmahogany1710]

man i was so pissed when that bodycheck happened on nash. i had been watching them get so close for so long and when that happened i knew it was never going to happen. they invented the offense of today.

[@bigdaddytrichardson4994]

The 06-07 Suns were so fun to watch... that team was way ahead of it's time. It would have fit in Todays game perfectly with everyone and their momma shooting the 3 ball.

[@razkable]

Now imagine they kept joe johnson and tim thomas...that team would of been the 2018 warriors

[@bigdaddytrichardson4994]

@@razkable I know man that would have been smart if they had done that

[@davecourt2037]

I was happy for Nash and especially Grant Hill for making the Conference finals in 2010. Hill never made a deep playoff run before that due to injuries.

[@thekingofkingsrp]

I always wonder what would have been with Hill had he never been injured, considering everything he still accomplished considering.

[@asecretone]

The best sports series on KZbin is *BACK*

[@thibdelaf2808]

The genious of Nash can be summarised in the fact that he made Gortat a true offensive threat

[@amazingusername2174]

Baffles me every time that the Suns were at the top of the conference when they ditched Marion. Deranged trade.

[@nluna75]

Well at the time they were getting beating by duncan and when the lakers got pau they overreacted and got shaq but the bynum/pau/odom fromtcourt really scared them which led to 3 straight final appearances by the lakers.

[@spicy_xinger]

Just shows how blue steve kerr was. He made a reactionary trade. Sometimes the best trade is the one you dont make

[@johngittings4673]

The 2007 Phoenix vs. San Antonio series made me absolutely hate the Spurs. I never really had anything against their big three of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili (and Robinson in the early years). It was players like Horry, Bowen and Oberto that I despised. This series made me dislike Horry so much that you’d think he did something personal to me lol.

[@joeybernal1729]

Whats funny is Spurs fans hate Horry and he hates the Spurs probably as much as you do

[@hugeiftrue4224]

I have been waiting for this vid for so long ❤️❤️ thank U

[@ricmolina28]

Man. I’ve been waiting since 1993 for my Suns to win a championship. I really do believe this is the year. This team is well balanced and deep. Go Suns!

[@paulgili5843]

Nash was one of my favorite players to watch. He could make seemingly anyone a double digit scoring threat.

[@zackbudgen5333]

Love this series! Suggestion for a future video. You could do the Anaheim ducks 2012-2013 season to the 2018-20-19 season. They won the pacific division every season but the last. And if I remember right scored the second most point over this time span. They never made it to the Stanley cups finals in this time. Their peak was the 2015 Wester Conference Final where the Duck faced the Blackhawks. It was almost a guarantee who ever won this game would win the cup. Would love to see you guys cover this one.

[@co81385]

Great choice for this series! I like that you acknowledged that, even though the team didn't end up winning a championship, they still had a significant, memorable impact on the sport and the league.

[@IamJamesWade]

Collapse series videos are the best. I always get hyped to see one come out. Keep them coming!!!

[@Jaykerz]

Mann the mid 2000s suns team is what made me love basketball, so awesome to see them doing good again, it was a rough couple of years🥲

[@TheIncredible2IC]

I'll never forgive Steve Kerr for ruining Phoenix and then leaving and turning a division rival into a dynasty. Oh, and being a UA grad doesn't help him either. Supervillain type stuff.

[@jonathanpedroza1814]

As a suns fan for 20 years , I can’t express the joy a championship would bring to me 😭😭😭

[@razkable]

How did this team screw up having marion amare nash and iso joe smdh...should of kept them 4 together

[@bigboi301slg]

Man this was so nostalgic, I remember watching this series as a kid. Dope video.

[@stblanco516]

Thank you! I have been asking for years for this!!!!

[@firemarblefilms]

And now the Suns are unquestionably the favorites to win the championship.

[@danielperalta3120]

They’re really not though lol

[@firemarblefilms]

@@danielperalta3120 Outside a healthy Warriors team, which we won’t have the rest of this season, name me one team that can hang with the Suns in a 7 game series.

[@danielperalta3120]

@@firemarblefilms probably the same team that smacked them in the finals last year lol who was that again?

[@firemarblefilms]

@@danielperalta3120 The Bucks won’t even make it out of the East.

[@desertheatkicksgee]

This team we have now will go down as the best team ever when we get that chip. No team can't f with us

[@curzone6054]

I was looking for a good video about this era of the Suns literally this morning. Secret Base coming through again!

[@Gungho73]

The beauty of this collapse series is as a viewer, i am a casual NBA fan when I watched at best. So I know the Nash's, I know the Kobes and such. But I don't know the cogs in the machine like I often do with the NFL. That's my sport. So like seeing these or the hockey/baseball series is super fascinating to me because I feel i can watch these objectively to understand better the pain some of these fans must've felt. Especially the fans who must deal with it continuously following a promising era.

[@Lavitz2011]

The 2000s Suns walked so the 2010s Warriors could run. The warriors just took what made the Suns great and pushed it past it’s breaking point.

[@FGPlus]

The 2000s sun's only walked their ass out of the playoffs every time with no rings. Bad take.

[@CRMdrifter]

I wouldn't say that. Warriors were more heavy on the outside shooting. They changed the game in their own way.

[@marioaustin9312]

You guys forget to mention Goran Dragic's amazing 4th quarter vs the spurs in 2010

[@drewdrewski4188]

Ya I know it was a long video, but they definitely glossed right over that sweep, after going into detail about all the heartbreak against the Spurs. Let us relish it a bit lol.

[@marcocano8399]

Thank you for this video

[@ThorSethDC4L91]

Hands down the best 2000s Suns history video I became a fan of the Suns when I was 7 years old in 1998 before I even understood the game these are the Suns I grew up with Being born and raised in Northern Arizona I went to war with Lakers Spurs Mavs and Trail Blazer fans there wasn't many Suns fans in my area These years are special to me yet painful I'm still a fan today sporting the old school gear 🤘