2004–05 Phoenix Suns season

[1] During the offseason, the Suns re-acquired All-Star guard Steve Nash from the Dallas Mavericks, and signed free agent Quentin Richardson.

Also during that same period of time, the Suns would honor former head coach and broadcaster Cotton Fitzsimmons, who died on July 25, 2004, by wearing a white patch on their jerseys for the entire season, including their playoff run.

[4] The 2004-05 Phoenix Suns were the youngest team to earn the 1-seed since seeding began in 1984 (and held the record until the 2023-24 Oklahoma City Thunder displaced them).

[9] In their first full year under D'Antoni, the Suns channeled his particular basketball philosophy, which emphasized rapid ball movement, pick-and-rolls, and high-volume three-point shooting.

Bontemps argued that the Suns' model inspired teams around the league to adopt many of D'Antoni's offensive principles, leading to dramatic changes in the NBA's style of play.

[14] Other writers have made similar arguments in favor of the proposition that the "Seven Seconds or Less" Suns revolutionized the modern game of basketball.

[4][10] Multiple commentators have drawn direct parallels between D'Antoni's Phoenix teams and the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors, who also shot a large number of three-pointers and used small ball lineups.

[16] The Stephen Curry-led Warriors set the regular season record of 73 wins before falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.