Mike D’Antoni’s Phoenix Suns were experiencing one of their worst seasons in 2004, tallying only 29 wins for the season. Through an almost overnight miracle, the Suns’ fate changed the following season. The 2004-05 Suns were easily one of the best rosters in the franchise’s history, rejuvenated by the arrival of Steve Nash. However, despite their improved firepower, the Phoenix franchise couldn’t win the NBA title that year or in any of the years that followed.
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Meanwhile, one of the celebrated members of the team, Joe Johnson seems to be still carrying the regret of the team’s failure with him.
A basketball page recently posted a couple of images of the 2004-05 Suns team on Instagram. The team consisting of Quentin Richardson, Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, and Amar’e Stoudemire, among others, was considered a prime title contender, especially after how their regular season unfolded.
The Suns won 31 of the first 35 games and finished the season with a 62-20 record. It’s understandable why Johnson is still heartbroken over not winning the NBA trophy that year.
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The NBA veteran commented on the post, “We would’ve at least got 1 smdh [shaking my damn head]!”
Apart from having a strong team led by the two-time MVP Steve Nash, D’Antoni’s leadership and his “7 seconds or less” offense were major reasons behind the team’s success that season. The meaning of that strategy was to get the ball down the court and make a shot attempt within the first seven seconds of the shot clock.
Joe Johnson wishes his Suns won one title pic.twitter.com/6mvychcJ7v
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) June 9, 2024
After finishing first in the Conference, the Suns managed to reach the Western Conference Finals. However, all their hopes came crashing down as they got thrashed 1-4 by the San Antonio Spurs in the WCF.
The Spurs ended up winning the title that year by defeating the Pistons 4-3 in the Finals. After that season, several players from the ’05 roster were traded and only Stoudemire, Marion, Nash, and Leandro Barbosa remained.
Phoenix Suns legends reminisce about the 2005 season
During a conversation with AZ Central in 2015, members of the ’05 Suns team recalled the experience of playing together and wondered what could have been. The leader of the pack, Nash said, that more than beating other teams, the season was about the Suns overcoming their previous season’s failure.
He said, “We came into the season as nobodies as a team. Here we are, we could only beat ourselves halfway through the year.”
Johnson, on the other hand, believed that if it wasn’t for his injury, the Suns would have won the title that year. He said, “There’s no way you can tell me we wouldn’t have been NBA champions if I hadn’t got hurt.”
During Game 2 of the Dallas series, Johnson suffered a displaced orbital fracture over his left eye after falling face first to the floor. That potentially changed the course of their season and the Suns fell short of the NBA title.
