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It is Monty Williams’ first game in the Valley since losing in Game 6 to the Nuggets last season.
Who: Phoenix Suns (32-22) vs. Detroit Pistons (8-45)
When: 7:00pm AZ Time
Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: 3TV and Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
Oh, Valentine’s Day. Nothing like seeing your ex on what many consider the most romantic day of the year, is there?
Monty Williams and the Detroit Pistons come to town tonight, and it is a time to remember what the Suns’ ex-coach meant to the team and franchise. The franchise was in shambles prior to Monty’s arrival in 2019. The team had four head coaches in four years prior to Williams, and no continuity was built as a result. The team was in constant lottery pick mode, and as a fanbase we found ourselves caring about selling assets at the trade deadline and scouting March Madness for the next future star who would ultimately not work in Phoenix.
When Monty arrived — and he chose Phoenix over the Los Angeles Lakers (who settled on Luke Walton before hiring Frank Vogel a year later) — there was a calming presence and a relatable orator whose philosophies connected with the fanbase and players alike. His guidance of the team during the Orlando Bubble, which saw the team go 8-0, changed the course of the franchise. The result was Phoenix was on display and suddenly Chris Paul, a former player under Monty while in New Orleans, had a desire to play for the Suns.
Over the next three seasons, we felt what it was like to win again. The team shocked the NBA by representing the Western Conference in the 2021 NBA Finals. The next season they set a franchise record with 64 wins. Last year, amidst a competitive conference, injury-riddled season, and resetting of their roster midseason, they still managed to earn the 4th seed.
Despite that run, Williams did not retain his job. I won’t get into the reasons as to why; the list is long and subjective. He left Phoenix and wanted to take a year off from coaching. But the Pistons came knocking, offering him a six-year, $78.5 million contract. He is the highest-paid coach in NBA history.
He is one of only three coaches in Phoenix history to make an appearance in an NBA Finals. He has the third-highest regular season winning percentage (.628) and second-highest playoff winning percentage (.587). It didn’t work out in the end, but the Suns would not be where they are today without the efforts of Monty Williams.
Welcome back, Coach Mont.
Suns:
Pistons:
The Pistons are, quite simply, the worst team in the NBA. Their offense? Bad. Their defense? Worse. They lack continuity on both ends of the floor, despite some young talent. And that is what you must watch out for. Cade Cunningham, the 1st overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, is good. He averages 22.4 points and 7.5 assists.
Second-year center Jalen Duran is the one to watch, however. He is athletic and goes for 14.3 points and 12.2 rebounds. We know that Nurkic can have issues with the athletic bigs and Duren outplayed Nurk when they last met on November 5. The Suns won easily, 120-106, but Duren went for 12 and 11 while Nurkic went for 6 and 4. He did have 7 assists, however.
Balanced basketball.
Games like these can get out of hand, especially when playing young athletic talent if one guy tries to do it all. Would it be cool to see Booker go for 50 points? Sure. But when that happens, players start hunting shots rather than playing within the confines of an offense. If those shots don’t fall, underdogs can get out on the break and make easy shots. Easy shots are confidence builders.
Following their win against the Sacramento Kings last night, the Suns are a game away from the All-Star break. Don’t fall victim to the trap game. Despite 8 wins in 53 games, the Pistons are an NBA basketball team. They have talent. They will score. Stay focused.
Suns want to win? Don’t let Detroit get comfortable or confident.
The Suns will ride into the All-Star break with a complete game from their team, and we’ll see newly acquired David Roddy tonight as well. Kevin Durant will score 36 points and Phoenix will get the win.
Suns 124, Pistons 108

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