Porter has Suns focusing on better defense

While the focus of his first Suns training camp has tilted heavily toward the defensive end, coach Terry Porter said the lack of attention to offense has an easy explanation.

“Look at the people on this team,” Porter said. “Do you think we’re going to have trouble scoring? I don’t think so. When we have our team on the floor and we are comfortable with what we’re doing, the points are going to come.”

True enough, in the three preseason games that didn’t involve a running clock (the training camp-capping scrimmage) or a chilly, 15-mile wind (the outdoor game against Denver), the Suns are averaging 98 points and allowing just over 96. And that’s without a single minute from either Amaré Stoudemire or Leandro Barbosa, although that might change today when the Suns meet up with the Nuggets again, this time indoors at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

“Once we get to the point where everyone is healthy and our defense is on track, the points will be the natural byproduct,” Porter said. “Our defense will help us get in open-court situations, and we have the weapons in the half court to score and get great opportunities.”

Porter couldn’t have been overjoyed with the first half of Wednesday’s 102-100 win over Atlanta, when the Suns went to the locker room with a 59-58 lead. Games in which both teams are eyeing a 120-point pace were fine in the Mike D’Antoni era but are frowned upon now.

“I wasn’t happy with the lack of defense being played in the first half, and I’m sure (Hawks coach) Mike Woodson would say the same thing,” Porter told reporters after the game. “It was as if we signed a peace treaty in the first half to let each other score, but in the second half both teams settled down.”

Breakdowns aren’t shrugged off, and missed assignments won’t be tolerated — but it’s all part of the process in the grand transformation.

“Guys have done a good job buying into the program, and now it’s a matter of it becoming second nature,” Porter said.

Guard Steve Nash agrees.

“We’re trying to do things we haven’t in the past. But we also have a lot of things we do well, and it will balance out and come back somewhere to the middle. If we can rely on defense and some of our talent early and then improve offensively as we go along, we’ll be in good shape.

The fast breaks will still come, but the defense needs a stop. So when rookie center Robin Lopez has a seven-block night like he did against Denver last weekend, the Suns will have more opportunities to do what they do best from there.

“It would have been nice to have Robin the last four years, that’s for sure,” said Nash, who will sit out today’s game with a mild right ankle sprain. “He’s going to be a good player in this league. Defensively, he gives us exactly what we need in length and athleticism, and he’s a hard worker. It’s a great asset for us to have.”

SUNS AT NUGGETS
When: 4:30 p.m. today
Where: Syracuse, N.Y.
TV/radio: None/ KTAR (620 AM)