Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

2009–10 Phoenix Suns season

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Head coach
  
Alvin Gentry

Owner(s)
  
Robert Sarver

Record
  
54–28 (.659)

General manager
  
Steve Kerr

Arena
  
US Airways Center

Place
  
Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 3rd (Western)

The 2009–10 Phoenix Suns season was the 42nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Head coach Alvin Gentry, who coached the Suns the final 31 games during the previous season, was looking to reinstill the offensive tendencies the Suns had developed in seasons past, using the strengths of Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire. A season and a half experiment with Shaquille O'Neal ended in the summer before the season, coupled with the retention of Jason Richardson, and the Suns were primed for a return to the playoffs after a one-season absence. Phoenix would be the only team in the league to hit 40% or more of their three-point field goal percentage while leading the NBA in scoring at 110 points per contest. They would return to the playoffs, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in six games and sweeping the rivaled San Antonio Spurs in four. Returning to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in four seasons, the Suns met the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers but lost the series in six games to the eventual league champions.

Contents

Key dates

  • June 25 – The 2009 NBA draft took place in New York City.
  • July 8 – The free agency period started.

    • Playoffs

    The Suns defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games in the first round. They swept the San Antonio Spurs in four games in the Western Conference Semifinals, defeating them for the second time in 10 years, after having been eliminated by them in recent seasons four times in five playoff series. The Suns would face the Pacific division-winners Los Angeles Lakers, also the West's top seed, in the Western Conference Finals, but lose the series in six games.

    Season

    * – Stats with the Suns.
    † – Minimum 300 field goals made.
    + – Minimum 70 games played or 100 blocks.

    Playoffs

    † – Minimum 20 field goals made.
    ^ – Minimum 10 free throws made.

    Week/Month

  • Alvin Gentry (West Coach of the Month – November 2009)
  • Alvin Gentry (West Coach of the Month – March 2010)
  • Amar'e Stoudemire (West Player of the Month – March 2010)

    • All-Star

  • Nash and Stoudemire were selected to play in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Additionally, Nash was the 2010 Skills Challenge winner in the event held during All-Star Weekend.

    • Season

  • Nash and Stoudemire were named to the All-NBA Second Team.
  • Nash led the league in two statistical categories: assists per game (11.0) and free throw percentage (93.8%).

    • Milestones

  • On January 16, 2010, Stoudemire scored his 10,000th career point in a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.
  • On January 26, 2010, Nash became the eighth player in NBA history to surpass 8,000 assists in the Suns' loss to the Utah Jazz.

    • Injuries and surgeries

  • Robin Lopez broke his ankle near the end of the season. This resulted in them wanting Jarron Collins and later, Dwayne Jones.

    • Additions

    On July 11, the Suns re-signed Grant Hill and Louis Amundson. On July 13, the Suns signed a two-year contract with former University of Arizona center Channing Frye.

    References

    2009–10 Phoenix Suns season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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