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Suns 5-on-5: Should Hornacek Bench Players For Technicals?

By Jeffrey Sanders

Jan 13, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek talks to forward Brandan Wright (32) guard Isaiah Thomas (3) and forward Marcus Morris (15) during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at US Airways Center. Phoenix won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek talks to forward Brandan Wright (32) guard Isaiah Thomas (3) and forward Marcus Morris (15) during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at US Airways Center. Phoenix won 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 21, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Alex Len (21) celebrates as Portland Trail Blazers forward Thomas Robinson reacts in the closing seconds of the game at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Blazers 118-113. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

4. What impressed you more against Portland… the fact that they led by 26, or that Phoenix was able to come back in the final minutes when trailing by five?

Bourguet: That they were able to come back. Putting a hurt on a Blazers team without LaMarcus Aldridge doesn’t impress me much, but being able to come back after losing all that momentum and beat a team that had all the irrational confidence in the world was a sign of maturity. Well, until the technical problem came roaring back.

Chasen: Definitely the fact that Phoenix was able to come back at the end. I wasn’t too down on the team for blowing the lead, because if you looked at it, it wasn’t like the team allowed a gigantic run. Really, Portland just got hot before the half, went on (what I believe was) a 9-0 run, and got the lead down to something manageable, so it wasn’t like the team allowed a 25-0 run to blow the game or anything. I thought it was awesome, and I mean AWESOME, all caps for emphasis, that the Suns were able to win it in the end. Seeing P.J. Tucker and Isaiah Thomas start to get really fired up on routine plays showed me that this game really mattered to the team. So often when one team blows a big lead the players look like they stop caring, and they have this body language of “there’s nothing I can do,” but that wasn’t the case. The Suns kept fighting, and they didn’t get down. Instead, they got angry, and that definitely impressed me.

Hann: The 26 point lead was greatly aided by the absence of Lamarcus Aldridge and a less than inspired Portland team. However, after facing a sudden and shocking five point deficit, the last minute comeback was highly impressive by the Suns. For a team that leads the league in technicals, Phoenix showed incredible composure and discipline in the waning minutes. Despite its flaws, this team absolutely refuses to quit.

Saar: Definitely the comeback at the end. The execution at the end was amazing. The overall execution in crunch time is certainly improving, but the techs have to stop.

Schall: It was the run over the last couple of minutes. It’s deflating to give up that kind of lead, particularly against a Blazers team missing their offensive hub in LaMarcus Aldridge, yet Phoenix fought right back. Eric Bledsoe’s confidence has visibly grown over the last month or so and he gets to the rim with utter ease when the situation demands it. Goran Dragic has been doing the same thing for a year plus and adding in crunch time wizard Markieff Morris makes this team dangerous in the clutch. As a whole the Suns rank fourth in true shooting percentage in clutch situations per NBA.com, and this Trail Blazers game was just another example.

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