With Phoenix, imitation is sincerest form of flattery

	The Suns make their running style work with a highly skilled starting lineup of Amaré Stoudemire (from left), Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Raja Bell and Boris Diaw. John W. McDonough/SI
	Now That's Entertainment The Suns have led the NBA in all these statistical categories (except scoring in '04-05, when they finished second) since Steve Nash's arrival in 2004 Season PPG FG% 3FG% 3FGM 06-07 111.6 .500 .401 10 05-06 108.4 .479 .399 10.2 04-05 110.4 .477 .393 9.7

Like a lot of fellow longtime NBA executives, Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh has been watching the red-hot Suns this season with more than a passing interest.

"Historically, teams that play that style don't win [the championship]," he said. "But I'm beginning to think they might be able to do it."

Hallelujah, and pass the Kool-Aid.

Or, in this case, the Mike (D'Antoni's) Hard Lemonade.

After watching Phoenix run and gun its way to 62- and 54-win seasons the past two years -- and a 36-9 record this season through Wednesday -- much of the NBA seems to have officially become admirers, if not outright Suns worshipers.

Just look at all the teams that have tried to copy the Suns' fast-paced, entertaining style of play, which features five players on the court who can all shoot from outside. It was like a mantra for coaches during training camp; just about everybody, it seemed, was going to spread the floor more and "try to play like Phoenix."

The Raptors, Warriors, Bucks, Knicks, Celtics and Pacers were just a handful of teams that talked about playing more without a typical low-post center and "going small" in an effort to increase their offensive output. Some have since abandoned the idea -- or retrenched a bit -- but the intention was there. They joined several others that already had been playing faster in recent years, such as the Mavs, Wizards, Sonics and Bulls.

"I think the new rules encourage an up-tempo style, and if history has anything to do with it, people are always trying to emulate teams that have a lot of success," says Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld, whose team actually has been playing up-tempo for the past four years.

"When Detroit won those championships with the Bad Boys, more teams tried to play that physical style. When the Lakers won with Showtime, people tried to play like that. Now Phoenix is playing great with its style. ... In the NBA, people try to emulate successful teams."

It also doesn't hurt that the Suns' style of play is fun to watch. Fans love offense. Phoenix leads the NBA in scoring at 111.6 points per game. Yet despite the fast pace, the Suns lead the league in shooting percentages across the board while ranking in the top 10 in fewest turnovers.

"It's a lot more pleasing to the eye," says Raptors president Bryan Colangelo, who helped build the Suns before leaving to take over in Toronto last year.