Now that Mike D’Antoni has departed for the Big Apple, and with last season’s trade of Shawn Marion for the Big Shaqtus, it appears we have reached the end of the “seven seconds or less” Suns era. It was an exciting and entertaining four-year run, but it was never validated with an NBA title. The comparisons to those, for lack of a better phrase, Bibby/Webber-led Sacramento Kings teams have now become ubiquitous. You remember those Kings’ teams - those up tempo-successful-unselfish-entertaining-offensive-minded teams who could never get over the hump. Huh, I guess that sounds just like the Nash era Suns. That was easy…goodnight everybody. Well, I’d hate for all my research to go to waste. Let us delve in deeper and see how similar those Bibby-led Kings’ teams are to the Nash-led Suns’ teams.

This is completely off topic here, but in the midst of research for this here article/blog/blarticle (this is my own amalgamation), one thing has become as clear as a stripper’s new pair of heels. There is no easy way to quickly designate the decade in which we are currently taking up residency in. Oh sure, it was cool to use Y2K, but that had a shelf life of one year. Now it’s just annoying when people use a phase like, Y2K8. Besides, that sounds like a rappers name. I have taken for granted how much simpler time designation was. Remember when it was so easy to write phrases such as: the 70’s fashion was atrocious, the Lakers were the team of the 80s, Nirvana was the band of 90s. What do we use now? You can’t use the 00’s. The two-thousands? It just sounds wrong. I’m eight years in to this decade and I’m still not sure what to say. Wow, I have swerved farther off topic than Bob Dylan in well…pick any interview. Now boys and girls after all the contemplation and deliberation I give you the comparison I promised 200 words ago.

Here are the facts:

2000 - 2005 Sacramento Kings

280 Wins

Avg. Wins Per Year - 56

102.9 - Points Per Game

97.5 - Points Allowed Per Game

46% - FG%

37% - 3P%

4 Western Conference Semi-finals

1 Western Conference Finals

*Twice eliminated by Los Angeles Lakers

*For those that are saying wait, they lost 3 years in a row to the Lakers. Well, I didn’t include the 1999-2000 team in this little comparison. They were the number eight seed that year, and c’mon the eight seed never beats the powerhouse number one seed. (Oh, sorry Dallas.)

2004 - 2008 Phoenix Suns

232 Wins

Avg. Wins Per Year - 58

109.7 - Points Per Game

102.9 - Points Allowed Per Game

48% - FG%

39% - 3P%

2 Western Conference Finals

1 Western Conference Semi-final

Thrice eliminated by San Antonio Spurs

The numbers show that the Suns’ teams were higher scoring but the Kings’ teams played better defense. I was surprised to see the Suns’ teams were better shooting teams from the field and from beyond the arch. It just seems like Peja never missed a three back then. If you look at the rosters, both teams were constructed in a similar manner. They both had exceptional point guard play with Steve Nash and Mike Bibby. They both had dominant power forwards in Amare Stoudemire and Chris Webber. Though they had different games, Shawn Marion and Peja Stojakovic were forces at the other forward. They both had excellent passing European big men in Vlade Divac and Boris Diaw. They had defensive minded shooting guards that were good three point shooters in Raja Bell and Doug Christie. Each team had a spark from their bench in Leandro Barbosa and Bobby Jackson. No matter how similar the rosters, I believe the real reason they get compared to each other is, each team had their own Evil Empire. No matter what happened, neither Phoenix nor Sacramento could ever blow up the Death Star. Ironically, the Kings’ version of Darth Vader now plays in Phoenix.

Now with the latest news from the former NBA official, now gambler/snitch Tim Donaghy, both teams have a defining playoff moment that is mired in controversy. The Suns have Game 4 in San Antonio in the 2007 Western Conference Semi-finals. A game that featured the infamous Robert Horry hip-check of Steve Nash into the boards. This prompting Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw to “leave the bench area” and then are unceremoniously suspended for game 5…in Phoenix. If Phoenix wins that game they could have gone up 3 games to 2. Of course they did not win, and San Antonio went on to win the NBA title. The Kings now have Game 6 in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. The Lakers shot 27 free throws to the Kings 9 in the final quarter of that game. Twenty-seven free throws in a quarter! That number seems unfathomable, and now Tim Donaghy says it was no accident. That game was widely regarded at the time, to be the worst officiated game in NBA history. Of course Sacramento went on to lose Game 6 and the Lakers went on to win the NBA title. There are no guarantees the 2002 Kings and/or the 2007 Suns win championships had events of their respective “scandal games” transpired in a different manner. One thing is for certain, don’t expect the players on either team to be breaking break at David Stern’s house anytime soon.

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