Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek: Team might lack focus early in games

Feb 9, 2015, 6:20 PM | Updated: 6:20 pm

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A recent trend has the Phoenix Suns falling behind by double digits right out of the gate, only to make the comeback later in the game. Head coach Jeff Hornacek thinks it might be due to an early lack of focus.

“I didn’t shoot before games,” Hornacek told Doug and Wolf during Newsmakers Week on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “These guys get there at four, 4:30 for a 7 o’ clock game and they’re in the weight room, they’re out there shooting, then they come in the locker room and there’s that time to kind of waste and you’re watching tape. To me, it’s probably tough to get focused.”

Hornacek played 14 seasons in the NBA, including six with the Suns, so he has plenty of experience of getting focused for a game himself. He said it’s about “being mentally tough.”

“Eddie Johnson and I rode together to the games when I was here in Phoenix and we got there probably, I hate to say it, about an hour and 10 minutes before the game,” Hornacek said. “It was enough to walk in the locker room — you know on the drive there you start to focus on the game. You get in the locker room, you get tape, you’re in the locker room, you see your 10, 15 minutes of tape and now the meeting starts. So you have that continuous focus from the time you got in your car to head to the game.

“I think these guys lose a little bit of that because they’re there so early.”

The last three games have been a perfect example of just that. Against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, the Suns were down 12 after the first quarter. On Friday, it was the Utah Jazz who jumped in front to an 11-point lead eight minutes into the game.

Then it was the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night, as the Suns fell behind 14 points early once again. They came all the way back to take the lead in the fourth quarter, only to lose on a buzzer-beater for the fourth time this season.

“Last night, what I said, a team like that you can’t wait until the fourth quarter,” Hornacek said. “We’re down by 12 points, whatever it was — 14 points in the fourth quarter and yeah they made a great comeback, but you can’t wait until the end of the game because something crazy might happen.”

Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic, left, of Slovenia, drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Sacramento Kings forward Jason Thompson, right, grabs a rebound against Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris, left, during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris, left, drives to the basket past Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Phoenix Suns forward P.J.Tucker, left, grabs a rebound against Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, left, tries to steal the ball from Phoenix Suns center Miles Plumlee during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Thomas, right, drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, left, drives against Phoenix Suns center Miles Plumlee during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Sacramento Kings head coach Tyrone Corbin questions official Monte McCutchen about a foul call during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris, left, shoots over Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, left, shoots the game-winning shot, over Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris to give the Kings a 85-83 win in an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, left, is congratulated by teammate Ben McLemore after Cousins scored the winning shot at the buzzer to beat the Phoenix Suns 85-83 in an NBA basketball game in Sacramento Calif., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

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