Earl Watson's debut as the Phoenix Suns' interim skipper was a seemingly inconspicuous defeat amid a sea of many.
His team dropped a 104-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 2, doomed by a 13-point second quarter and four turnovers from three different starters. What's the significance? It was a step forward from the dreadful efforts Phoenix had been putting forth.
"(The Suns) played as well as they've played for a while," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters.
Yes, losing by less than double digits was a plus, considering they hadn't done that the previous four contests. Getting 30 points, 11 boards and six assists from Markieff Morris helped bring back a first-round pick for the disgruntled forward at the trade deadline.
That those would qualify as "highlights" sums up last year's Suns. Their 23-59 record—low-lighted by a miserable 2-28 stretch—was compiled by growing pains, injuries, the coaching change and inconsistent efforts at both ends.
A lot of those concerns will carry over to 2016-17. Watson has full rein as head coach now, and Phoenix had a full summer to get health ...
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Article written by Zach Buckley
Phoenix Suns Complete 2016-17 Preview
October 9th, 2016 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
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