The Phoenix Suns need to learn how to finish games

The Phoenix Suns are not having a good season as they’ve piled up losses. However, they have had an opportunity to win more of them than you might think.

It is no secret that the Phoenix Suns have had trouble getting wins this season. What is a surprise is how many games they have been in late that they somehow managed to let slip away. This is something that they will really need to work on in the future. In hindsight, it’s mind boggling because they could have a lot more wins than they do.

There have been blowout losses as there are clearly better teams in the league than the men in purple and orange. In addition, there have also been games where the team trailed for the majority of the game showing they were not the better team on the court.

However, there have been multiple games where they were in it late but for whatever reason they just couldn’t quite pull out the W. Those are some of the worst games because the hope is alive in the minds of fans only for them to be disappointed as the final buzzer sounds.

Around the league, this stat isn’t really looked at, at least not as much as the team’s record and the fact that they lost each night. It’s a shame because if just a couple things went in the favor of the Suns, they could have pulled out a victory. They could have a lot better record than they do and they would be in a spot where they demand much more respect than they’re shown.

Let’s just look at the 23 games since the New Year rang in and the calendar turned to 2019. They have only won 2 games (they beat the Kings once and Nuggets once) during this stretch, with a 2-21 (.087) record.

There were only 6 true blowouts and 2 games where they trailed for the majority of the game and ended up losing by 10 points or more. During a stretch where they lost 21 games, this is a good stat in itself, as it shows they had a chance to win 15 games. The problem is, as stated above, they only won 2.

In 4 losses to the Mavericks, Lakers, Jazz and Blazers where they ended up losing by double digits, they were actually within just a few points near the start of the 4th quarter. The problem is they were outscored 79-128 combined from that point.

In their last 2 games against the Hawks, they were tied at 107 with just over 3 minutes to go in one game and up 2 with just under 4 minutes to play in the other. They were outscored 30-14 combined through the finish line of both games.

Against the Cavaliers a couple nights ago, they led by a point with just over 1 minute to go in the 3rd quarter, before being on the losing end of a 40-26 run.

When they played the Warriors, they led by 6 with just over 8 minutes to play, without Devin Booker at that. They proceeded to be get bullied 29-13 before the buzzer.

The Spurs beat them in the final seconds on a buzzer beater by Rudy Gay. They were up 3 points against the Wolves with 1:45 to go before Minnesota went on a 5-0 run to win. Phoenix led the Raptors by 2 points with 2:07 to go before Toronto closed out the victory on a 6-2 run. They were up by a point over the Hornets before Charlotte went on a 11-4 winning run.

Do you see the pattern here? They had all these games where the game was in their grasp down the final stretch and the win just got away from them. It’s not a stretch to say that they could have gone 15-8 (.652) so far in 2019. That would have them sitting 13 wins ahead of where they are.

It’s been said that this team doesn’t know how to win. It starts with closing out games. Just by looking at these games since the New Year, they could have 24 wins on the season instead of merely 11. They need to finish strong and wins will come.