Frank Vogel Calls Out Suns

The Phoenix Suns need to handle pressure better, according to Frank Vogel.

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns currently find themselves down 0-2 in their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and as the two sides travel back to the Valley for Games 3 and 4, Frank Vogel has a message for his squad:

"We gotta handle their pressure better. I thought we found some things in the first half that worked really well in terms of our movement and passing-cut offense. We didn’t sustain it when they went on a run, we didn’t stay locked into that plan, had too many lost possessions because of it," said Vogel after the Game 2 loss. Phoenix hasn't scored over 100 points in any of their two opening matchups.

"We’ve had issues with that throughout the course of this year of taking care of the basketball, it reared its head tonight. This team is an elite defensive team, the best defensive team in the league that we’re playing against, so you have to execute.”

The Suns haven't been able to execute at all, spare for a few short bursts in Games 1 and 2. Phoenix has been on the bad end of some officiating, but such is life for a team fighting in the postseason.

When it comes down to it, the Suns are simply beating themselves - and they know it.

"We can’t let the refs distract our focus. The refs didn’t beat us, the T-Wolves did, we got some bad calls but that happens in every game, it happened both ways. We have to be locked in and we can’t let that distract our focus and when they’re swarming on us, we’re not getting the right stops, we can’t not be organized offensively. We had too many possessions like that.” 

Devin Booker says Phoenix will need to regroup in order to keep their season alive.

"We just gotta re-group. We got two days to think about it, two days to sit with it. You know, we’ve showed that in spots this season, and it’s something that we need to correct and correct urgently.”

Game 3 will be back in Phoenix on Friday.