From 1996 to 2004, the Suns alternated between having a winning and losing season. They won more than 50 games in three campaigns during that spell but made it past the first round only once. After a disastrous 2003-04 season, where they finished 29-53, they realized they needed a player who could turn them into a consistent team capable of making deep runs in the playoffs. They turned to veteran Steve Nash, who did exactly that. He also changed the franchise’s culture by holding players like Amar’e Stoudemire accountable.
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The retired center reminisced about the Hall of Fame guard’s stunning spell with the Suns on The OGs podcast. He revealed that as soon as Nash arrived, he pushed everyone to get in the best shape of their lives with his high-tempo playing style. Stoudemire said,
“We had to make sure we were in shape. Because all we want to do is run. When Nash get the basketball, he taking one dribble and he passing up the court. He advancing the pass. So I’m like, ‘Well, we got to hit them lanes.’ If we run the lanes and Nash pass it up, we got the advantage. And we do that all game, fourth quarter, it’s over.”
Head coach Mike D’Antoni was keen on the Suns playing at breathtaking and breakneck speed on offense. Their pace even earned them the nickname ‘the 7 seconds or less Suns’. Nash was the perfect point guard to implement his game plan and it worked out better than anyone envisioned.
The Suns won a then-franchise-record-equaling 62 games and finished first in the Western Conference. D’Antoni was named the Coach of the Year for helping a 29-win team improve its win tally by 33.
Stoudemire had a career year. He averaged a career-high 26 points, earned his first All-Star nod, and finished ninth in the MVP race. The winner of the coveted prize that season? Steve Nash.
The guard made full use of the slew of quick and athletic players the Suns had on their roster. He averaged 15.5 points and 11.5 assists and fit like a glove on a roster desperate for a point guard of his caliber.
Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Nash were telepathic
The center benefitted most from Nash’s arrival in Phoenix and he knew within the first month in training camp that they’d be the best one-two punch in the league. Reminiscing about his time playing alongside the guard, Stoudemire said,
“To be honest, it took no time at all [to build chemistry]. No extra coffee dates, no sitting down watching film together. Nothing… All it took like two or three practices. Telling him where I like the ball and he pass it to right to me and I make a move and he see what I can do, then he made sure everyone’s in the right spot and the passes are on a dime and we take it from there.”
During their six-year run as teammates, the Suns won at least 54 games five times. They never finished a season with a losing record and were consistently one of the best teams in the league. Despite their success in the regular season, they failed to make it past the Western Conference Finals.
Stoudemire left the team in 2010 and joined the Knicks after a contract dispute with the Suns, ending the incredible run of one of the best duos of the 21st century. It’s a pity that they couldn’t bring a championship to Phoenix. However, they will always be fondly remembered for their stellar run together.
