Suns’ playoff push is underway

If you are to believe head coach Alvin Gentry, then the
Suns are 1-0 in what is a 15-game sprint to the finish
line — otherwise referred to as the NBA Playoffs.

“For us, this is our first playoff game,” he said
following his team’s win against New Orleans Sunday night.
“[Now] we get on a plane and fly to Sacramento and that
will be our next playoff game. I think that’s the way we
have to approach it.”

The Suns currently sit 10th in the Western Conference, a-
game-and-a-half out of the playoffs.

“Every time we play,” explained guard Shannon Brown, “it’s
huge for us because it’s so close of a race. A win or a
loss can have you in or out of it.”

The opportunity to grab one of the eight post season
invites is there for the taking. Six of the Suns’ next
eight games are against teams ahead of them in the
standings.

“We know that we are going to have to play well,” Gentry
said. “We know that we’ve got to have games that we’ve got
to win and a lot of those games are going to be on the
road.”

The Suns won’t be spending much time in the Valley over
the next two weeks. They have but one home game —
Saturday versus the Lakers.

“I’m being honest with you, I’m sick of traveling
already,” stated Marcin Gortat. “But we got to do it.
That’s the life in the NBA.”

The Suns will play seven of eight on the road before
closing with five of six at home.

The good news is that outside of Oklahoma City (13), no
other team in the conference has won more games than the
Suns (12) since the break.

“Hopefully we’re going to do better,” continued Gortat. “I
want to see our team in the top 8, even top 6.”

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