Bodog Beat

The Phoenix Philosophy still hasn't changed. Unfortunately, that makes them a tough team to bet on against the spread and an even tougher bet to win the 2007-08 NBA Championship. (AP Images)

When analyzing the Phoenix Suns, the initial stats say that they're in the NBA title race as much as ever.

They sit on top of the West at 33-14, undeniably the most dominant conference in basketball, and they have maintained their modus operandi as an offensive powerhouse (averaging a second-best 109.4 points per game).

But the more I watch them blaze their way through the regular season, the more I realize that they are further from the NBA Finals than ever and are a unstable bet against the spread (22-24-2 record) regardless of the opponent.

And this isn't because they can't get by the San Antonio Spurs – I can pull out contenders from the entire league who've had the same problem. It's that they have the same issues we've been seeing since point guard Steve Nash brought his Canadian bacon to Arizona.

The Suns hold the best record in the West. So why does their failure seem more inevitable than ever? Find out in Bodog Nation's NBA Betting: The Phoenix Philosophy.