Phoenix Suns Begin Crucial March Stretch
One thing is for certain. We are going to find out over the next couple of weeks whether the Phoenix Suns are going to sneak in and grab the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The month of February was not kind to the Suns. They held a 3-8 record with five of their eighth losses coming by five points or less.
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February ended on a brutally bad note for Phoenix as they lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 101-74, in a game which was never close. The Suns scored a franchise low 24 points in the first half and probably would have set another franchise mark if it weren’t for the late surge from Marcus Morris in the fourth quarter.
March’s schedule will be another tough road for one of the league’s youngest teams battling for a postseason birth. The Suns will have nine games at home while having six contests away from US Airways Center.
They’ll play two-thirds of their March road schedule in the very beginning when they have a four-game road trip on the East coast.
Feb 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) looks on against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic 93-90 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Phoenix will open up the month tonight with seeing Goran Dragic in Miami before staying in Florida to take on the Magic Wednesday night. They’ll close out their road trip with a back-to-back in Brooklyn and in Cleveland against a Cavaliers team clicking on all cylinders at the moment.
From that point on, the Suns will have nine of their final 11 games during March at home with road games at Houston (3/21) and at Portland (3/30) mixed in. Even though the Suns will be at home for a good portion of the month, things won’t exactly be easy.
There’s a chance that the Suns might be favored in only three home games during the month, those being the Timberwolves (3/11), the Knicks (3/15) and the Kings (3/25). All the other March home games will either be toss ups or the Suns will be underdogs in.
Home games for the Suns will include the top teams in both conferences the Warriors (3/9) and the Hawks (3/13). Phoenix’s home slate will also feature a good young team in the Pelicans (3/19), and the always tough Mavericks (3/22), Trail Blazers (3/27) and Thunder (3/29).
In reality, the Suns home schedule this month will make or break their postseason aspirations.
If they can go 6-3 or even 7-2 at US Airways Center while playing .500 ball on the road, they should be in good shape heading into the final month of the regular season. If they do worse than that mark, it’s hard to see the playoffs being a realistic possibility for this team.