Tennessee fans who don't have a rooting interest in the NBA playoffs might want to take a closer look at the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors. UT coaches already have.

Phoenix needed only five games to finish off the Los Angeles Lakers in a first-round NBA series, which ended Wednesday night. Eighth-seeded Golden State held a 3-2 lead over the No. 1-seeded Dallas Mavericks prior to Thursday night's game in Oakland.

The Suns and Warriors are succeeding in similar fashion. They're spreading their offenses to the far corners of the court, accelerating the tempo and shooting 3s with abandon.

Sound familiar?

"We tape a lot of NBA games," UT basketball coach Bruce Pearl said. "And the two teams we watch are Golden State and the Phoenix Suns - particularly because of the Suns' commitment to up-tempo basketball.

"I always have tried to have good perimeter-shooting teams. As long as the 3 is worth more than the 2, we'll try to shoot it."

The Suns have taken this approach with spectacular success for the last several years under former European coach Mike D'Antoni. But they aren't just winning. They're playing the most exciting brand of basketball since the Lakers had Magic Johnson at point guard and "Showtime" on their marquee.

Now, you have the Warriors running in the same direction under Don Nelson. Never mind their lack of size or the Mavericks' superior talent. Golden State has opened up the court, basically eliminated the post and forced the bigger Mavericks to guard them in the open court.

Potential converts are waiting in the wings.

"If Phoenix wins the NBA championship, you better believe it," Pearl said. "And I do think you will see more college teams doing it."

Pearl has had a longstanding love with this kind of basketball. And in his two years as UT's coach, UT fans have warmed up to it quickly. Sure, the winning is most important. But you can't deny the entertainment factor, either.

Both systems are more complicated than what you see on the highlight videos. UT assistant coach Jason Shay, whom Pearl refers to as his "offensive coordinator," can vouch for that.

The attack doesn't succeed on speed and shooting alone. It takes discipline, particularly in terms of player spacing and screens.

"We've got to have appropriate spacing (on offense)," Shay said. "And our kids understand that.

"We'll take clips of Steve Nash and show our guys to make them understand how to probe a defense, how Nash can just thread a needle."

No one in NBA history can run this offense better than Nash, who passes the ball deftly with either hand, seemingly sees teammates with eyes in the back of his head and rarely ends his dribble until an assist is at hand.

"He's the whole key," Pearl said. "They (defenders) must rotate on him. And when you do, it's over. There are some guys that you make finish when they penetrate. But the great ones, you have to rotate on them."

What Nash does for the Suns, Baron Davis has done to a lesser degree for the Warriors. His ability to penetrate and get off an accurate shot around or over larger players has figured prominently in Golden State's bid to upset the NBA's best team.

"Nash and Davis are what I call breakdown guys," Pearl said. "That's what (freshman point guard) Ramar Smith did for us.

"Actually, Ramar was better than (C.J. Watson, UT's previous point guard) at making the tough 2s. Ramar is not as good a passer as Nash or C.J., but he will get better."

In the best of all possible basketball worlds, Pearl would recruit the Suns. In reality, he is trying to recruit players like them.

Take center Wayne Chism, for example.

"Wayne Chism is a lot like (Suns center Amare Stoudemire)," Pearl said. "Stoudemire is a more explosive player. But Wayne is a big man who will run the floor (and shoot the 3)."

UT's Chris Lofton, who shoots 3s as well as any college player basketball, has starred in Pearl's system. UT's challenge next season is to make sure he continues to thrive.

As teams have focused more and more on shutting down Lofton, UT has had to become more creative in finding him open shots. That's one of the reasons Shay plans to visit NBA camps this summer.

"I want to talk to them more about ball screens," Shay said. "Ohio State (which beat UT in the NCAA tournament) kept screening and re-screening to get the right angles. Maybe we need to screen a third time (for Lofton)."

But don't get the wrong idea. Studying the Suns isn't just work for Shay.

"I love to watch Phoenix," he said.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.