The first signs that the Suns are surrendering part of what they have been for what they think they can become played out in Wednesday night's preseason-opening loss at US Airways Center.
The Suns lost 100-96 to the
Atlanta Hawks, but what mattered was how they adapted to the changes that new coach Terry Porter installed during eight days of practice. <SCRIPT type=text/javascript>OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1')</SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://gannett.gcion.com/addyn/3.0/5111.1/133600/0/0/ADTECH;alias=azcentral.com/sports/basketball/nba/suns/articles_ArticleFlex_1;cookie=info;loc=100;target=_blank;grp=255483;misc=1223562947825" text="text/javascript"></SCRIPT>
They were apparent when
Steve Nash still recorded nine assists in a new motion offense, when no starter was on the floor as the lead grew over nine first-half minutes and when a defense under construction looked good.
"We're just pouring the concrete," Nash said.
It was good for the Suns to give up 12 first-quarter points, but not when they gave up 36 in the third quarter.
It was good that Josh Smith wound up on his behind twice when he took off for the rim because of Porter's hard-fouls-over-easy-layups edict. It wasn't good that rookie center Robin Lopez fouled out in 16 minutes with Porter hoping he will remain aggressive.
"That's part of what makes him special, having a 7-footer who can come out and be aggressive," Porter said. "He can't worry about that."
The Suns found the sweet spots for Shaquille O'Neal, who had a 21-point outing in 22 minutes, a point total he eclipsed once last season with the Suns.
"Shaq is still the force to be reckoned with when he gets an opportunity," Porter said.
Though it won't always be the Hawks' Zaza Pachulia on his back, O'Neal repeatedly got the ball deep in the post after scoring first on a leaning drive off a pick-and-roll.
"I can do what I do and get everybody else involved," O'Neal said of the new system. "That's how games are won."
Louis Amundson and Alando Tucker got chances in the absence of Amaré Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa and combined for 19 points in the first half, when the second team outworked some of Atlanta's stars. That same crew couldn't hold the lead in the second half, when Marvin Williams stayed in the game for Atlanta to ensure its win.
The first 18 minutes of play Wednesday were enough of a template to call the evening a success. The Suns led 32-21 and the Hawks had shot 32 percent at that stage.
"When we had a chance to set our defense, it was pretty good for the most part," Porter said.The Suns' training-camp star, newcomer Matt Barnes, did not have the same shooting touch Wednesday. He made 5 of 15 shots.
Free throws
• Stoudemire, recuperating from a torn right iris, was cleared to work out Wednesday. Porter said Stoudemire needs two weeks to prepare for game time but wants him to play three preseason games.
• Porter said the Suns' starters would play fewer minutes Thursday at Utah. "I'd like to see how our young guys respond early in preseason as far as the road," Porter said.
• The Suns decorated a locker room wall with four decades of dedications to the first team, Dick Van Arsdale, Jerry Colangelo, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Connie Hawkins, Alvan Adams, Gar Heard, Paul Westphal, Walter Davis, Dan Majerle, Tom Chambers,
Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and the returning seven Suns stars.
• The Suns waived Coleman Collins after the game.
• It took more than three years and four visits to Phoenix, but the boos for Hawks guard Joe Johnson were barely audible Wednesday night.
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