Suns head to Utah in control of playoff destiny
Apr 23, 2012, 9:55 PM | Updated: 11:46 pm
Two roads will lead the Suns back to the playoffs after a
one year absence.
Both require a win in Utah Tuesday.
“We are a now in a must win situation…if we want to keep
our season going,” said head coach Alvin Gentry. “We know
the magnitude of the game. We know that we’re in a
position where we have to win this game.”
“This is it,” added Steve Nash following practice Monday.
“Now we have a must win. We know we got to win this game.
It’s exciting. It’s great. We got an opportunity with
two games left in the season to control our own destiny.”
Should the Suns leave Utah with a victory, then they’ll
come home knowing a win over rival San Antonio (or Jazz
home loss to Portland Thursday) will clinch their sixth
postseason appearance in the eight years since Nash
returned to the Valley.
“This is a pretty fun opportunity for this team,” said the
38-year-old point guard. “We’ve come a long way from 12-
19. We’ve fought through a lot of adversity and tough
nights. It feels like the last month every game has been
really important. To still be alive with two games left
and control our own destiny is exciting.”
The Suns have won seven straight games over Utah,
including both meetings this season.
“It gives us confidence,” said Nash. “At the same time,
it’s hard to beat a team three times, especially twice on
their home floor when it really means the most. We got
our work cut out for us but that’s what you love. You love
a great opportunity to do something special.”
The Suns did something special in the last meeting,
handing the Jazz their only home loss this month, 107-105
after replays determined a potential game-tying tip in
occurred after the final buzzer.
“We know that we’ll have to play well to win there,”
explained Gentry, whose club has won four straight at
EnergySolutions Arena. “They’ve been very successful at
home (23-8). The game obviously means a lot to them
also.”
Utah, which has not beaten the Suns in four tries since
Tyrone Corbin replaced Jerry Sloan as head coach, secures
its own playoff spot with a victory Tuesday.
