SB Nation User Blog: Wil Cantrell

Steve Nash: The Samson of His Time?

Wil Cantrell — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:19:13 -0000

Nash - Clutch

"...if my head were shaved, my strength would leave me,

and I would become as weak as any other man."

-Samson

Steve Nash has seen a few razors in his day so perhaps the analogy to Samson my be inaccurate. However, as part of the Steve Nash day festivities, I was given the task to analyze Steve's play in relation to the length of his hair. And.....after a rigorous, painstakingly complete scientific analysis, I now believe I have the hard evidence to prove some shocking truth to the Steve Nash's hair saga. The following is the undeniable truth my friends:

1997: Clearly a rookie move to make a good first impression. But his hair was as conservative as his game.

Hair:gelled, short, Back Street Boyz rookie clean cut look. Check the results of gel use:

3.3 pts
2.1 assists
42% FG
41% 3pt

2000: We jump to the Maverick/Spice Girls years.:

Hair: Nash has ditched the gell and gone for the messy Brit pop look. Although he looks a bit like a strung out London street person, losing the gel clearly had a positive impact on his game:

15.6 pts
7.3 assists
48% FG
41% 3pt

2003: By now, Nash is coming into his own as a player. The gel, Ginger Spice, and the intent of making a positive first impression are gone.

Hair: Messy and overgrown, the anti-war hippie look complete with un-manscaped chest hair and apparent mustache. The look has clearly made him an All-Star, although the mustache may be the culprit for the decrease in points per game. We can only speculate at this point:

14.5 ppg
8.8 assists
47% FG
40% 3PT

2006: MVP #2 Year:

Hair: Long, stringy, 70's Kelly from bad news Bears look alike. He is clean shaven, which most likely contributes to the increase in points per game. Notice the hair is now shorter than years past and is parted down the middle. This is an All-Star, MVP cut, and obviously made an impact on the league. Everyone respects a clean shaven man:

19.2 ppg
10.6 assts
51% FG
44% 3 PT

After the 2007 season. This was the Summer buzz cut. He didn't play an NBA game like this, so I did not include this cut in the analysis. Clearly though, Steve sports a shaved dome as a result of another brutal loss so the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Playoffs. This is his way of cleansing himself of the disappointing loss.

2008: The result of his shaved head. It's a more mature, GQesque look for Steve who feels the burden of a wife and children, along with the departure of Mike D'Antoni. The cut makes a statement as Nash did in the 2008-9 season. Clearly unhappy with the coaching change and direction of the team, Nash obviously shaved his head in protest. As a result his ppg and assists are down:

15.3 ppg
9.7 asst
50% FG
44% 3 PT

2009: MVP#3?

19.1 ppg
12.1 Asst
52% FG%,
47% 3PT%

There it is my friends, the undeniable truth. What do you think?

Poll

Is Steve Nash a Better Player With long Hair?

Yes

221 votes

No, your analysis is ridiculous

22 votes

I Don't Care, Nash Needs to Grow a Mustache Again

64 votes

307 votes | Poll has closed

Nash's Heroics Fall Short, Mavericks Down Suns 102-101

Wil Cantrell — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:13:04 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

The Suns played much improved basketball, but couldn't grab a W versus the Mavericks. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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The fun part of playing the Mavericks in Dallas is watching Steve Nash pull magic out of a hat. Without him tonight, we wouldn't all be sitting here saying, we should have just won that game.

This one stings. It stings because we had many, many, many chances to win down the stretch. One or two or three shots made here and there, and well...

The Suns came out ready to play. You could sense how much they wanted this one by the speed and aggressiveness of their play in the opening quarter. Jason Richardson was active early playing the full first quarter and bucketing 8 points and 5 rebounds. Steve Nash chipped in 8 of his own while Amare Stoudemire scored 6.

Early foul trouble led to early appearances from Lou Amundson and Jared Dudley. The Suns ended the first quarter led by Dudley and Nash on a 9-2 run.

In the second, the Suns continued to shoot over 50% and execute. A Dragic 3 led to a Suns 8-point lead at the midway point of the second period.

But Dallas fought back. Dirk Nowitzki made a variety of impossible shots and benefited by a clear ghost call on a three point play (he wasn't touched). For some reason the Suns either didn't recognize Jose Juan Berea asa member of the opposing team or couldn't make the rotation to cover him as he scored 12 early points, 3 of his baskets came on wide open looks. The Suns led 50-49 at the half.

In the third quarter, Nowitzki and Howard went to work on the Suns, scoring 13 points while Stoudemire and Nash kept things within striking range.

Down the stretch, the Suns had many chances to erase the Mav's lead. But every time they began a small run off of a defensive stop or Mavericks turnover, they couldn't make the shots. Down by 5, Channing Frye was left open for a three and bricked one from long range. Jason Richardson stole a Jason Terry pass and attempted to out run 3 Mavericks to the rim, but instead ran over Jason Kidd for a charge.

As much as this game should have been a win for the Suns, we have to give some credit to the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki (33 points, 8 boards) and Josh Howard (20 points, 6 boards) had huge nights. Nowitzki was virtually unstoppable, hitting his fade away and nearly everything else he lobbed into the air (12-20). Josh Howard was basically a game time decision to play. Coming off the bench Howard played 26 effective minutes.

The Suns never really recaptured the energy from the first quarter, but managed to stay in the game and keep it close in the 4th. That's when Nash decided he would not lose without giving Mark Cuban a little something to remember him by...:

Dirk Nowitzki hit a high arching two putting the Mavericks up 7 with less than 2 minutes to play. Jason Terry followed up with a layup to put the Mavericks up 9. But Stoudemire followed with a 3 point play and Nash hit a typical Nash-esque off-balanced three to pull to within 3 points with less than a minute to go.
With 45 seconds left the Mavericks had the ball and went right to Nowitzki with Jared Dudley in his grill. With nowhere to go Nowtzki passed out to Jason Kidd who drilled a wide open three. (LOUD SIGH)
After a time out, the Suns set up a nice inbound play for Jason Richardson, who rubbed off a Grant Hill screen and knocked down a three to bring the Mavs lead to 98-96. After two Jason Terry free throws, the Suns had the ball with 11 seconds left, and guess what happened??? Steve Nash swished another long range three to bring the Suns within one.

Jason Terry missed the first of his two free throws and purposely missed the second as the Suns had no timeouts left to stop the clock. GAME OVER.

Other Thoughts and Observations

Could this game have looked any more even from the boxscore?:

Suns 44.3% FG, Mavericks 44.7%

Suns 7-19 3PT, Mavericks 6-23

Suns 40 rebounds, Mavericks 42

Suns 24-25 FT, Mavericks 20-23

Suns 15 TO, Mavericks 13

In the second quarter Robin Lopez ripped a rebound away from Drew Gooden. Lopez is a strong man, but he simply wanted the ball more than Gooden. Even though play ended in a jump ball, the Suns ended up winning the tip. I like what I am seeing from Fropez.
It's strange watching Shawn Marion play for another team. I never watched him play for the Heat, but he clearly affects the game when he is on the floor. His outside shot looks more atrocious than ever, but his floater is still pretty sweet.
Josh Howard played great for a guy who missed the prior 13 games while rehabbing an ankle injury.
It was apparrant there is a major difference when Lou Amundson is on the floor, chasing down the ball, never quitting on a play.
I loved the Amare jump pass to J-Rich for the dunk in the first quarter. They must be working on that one in practice.
Has Jason Terry ever committed a foul? Better yet has he ever committed a foul on not complained about it? I loved him at U of A, but they guy needs to stop crying.
I liked the way the Suns played tonight. If we are not in the Lakers class in the upper tier of the Western Conference, we are certainly in the second tier, amongst the 4-6 seeds. I would think Leandro Barbosa could have helped out in this one
The next stretch of games will tell us a lot more about how the Phoenix Suns rank within the Western Conference:

Fri 12/11 vs Orlando

Sat 12/12 @Denver

Tues 12/15 vs San Antonio

Thurs 12/17 @Portland

FINAL - 12.8.2009	1	2	3	4	TOTAL
Phoenix Suns	29	21	20	31	101
Dallas Mavericks	23	26	28	25	102

Suns vs Mavericks boxscore

Suns vs Mavericks coverage

Suns vs Mavericks recap

Mavs Moneyball

No Surprises Here, Suns Drubbed by Lakers 108-88

Wil Cantrell — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:53:53 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Mr. Gentry was not in the holiday spirit Sunday night.(AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

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Tonight was deemed "Mission Impossible Part 2" by a respected Suns journalist. The local commentators were hoping for a rain out (hur, hur). While there was no rain or Tom Cruise sightings at the game, winning was to be a monumental task. The "tired" Suns on the second night of a back to back didn't play a perfect game, and even if they did, they probably still would have lost to the defending champions.

There was certainly some good that came out of this game, and there of course, was some bad.

The Suns at least competed tonight. The first quarter witnessed an active Suns team, combatting a nearly flawless Lakers attack. Amare Stoudemire showed up, feeling his outside game and battling inside for rebounds. But five turnovers leading to a 9-2 Lakers run in the first 7 minutes left the Suns in an early hole.

The Lakers D held, as it did for the rest of the game, limiting any Suns inside penetration. Pau Gasol switched off on Steve Nash, thus alleviating any pick 'n roll success.

Still the Suns were making shots, ad held close. A Jared Dudley three brought the Suns back to a 2 point deficit, the Lakers still held a 29-26 first quarter lead.

The Suns battled in the second quarter as well, going on a nice little 6-0 run. Yet the Suns struggled on D, allowing Laker penetration and two wide open threes. Robin Lopez left his man too early, allowing the first, while Steve Nash went underneath a screen allowing the second. The Suns were still playing respectable and even managed a free throw, their first with 3.49 to play in the second. But this was as good as it was to get for Phoenix on this night as they ended the first half down 54-44.

The Suns were outscored by 11 in the third quarter and all was, well, finished at that point. The lakers continued to attack and get what they wanted on the offensive end while the Suns went cold from outside, and continued to have trouble getting in the lane.

The Suns second unit closed the lead to 13 midway through the 4th quarter, but back to back three pointers by Shannon Brown ended the Suns small run.

The Rest of the Good (which wasn't a whole lot)

The Suns shot 57% 1st quarter, Nash had 7 Assists (who cares, I know)
Goran Dragic had a nice little pick off of Shannon Brown, took the ball the length of the court for a layup. (It was nearly dropped. You gotta DUNK, Goran).
Robin Lopez didn't look dreadful and confused, in fact he looked serviceable. Heis aggressive at the rim and has a nice little 5-6 foot jumper. I'm hoping he can get in shape and put in 10-15 minutes eventually this season. he could be valuable against the more sizeable teams.
The Suns second unit played pretty well. Lopez, Dragic, and Dudley all played solid. Earl Clark had a nice 15 footer off the dribble.

The Rest: A Very Small Ode to the Lakers:

OK the Suns are tired and this was a back to back game on the road. We didn't expect much. But this Laker team flat plays defense. The cut off the lanes and the Suns simply couldn't penetrate to the hoop. The Lakers also rebounded and played good perimeter defense. The Suns couldn't shoot from the field, they couldn't make a three. Further, the Lakers executed their offense flawlessly. Ron Artest made threes, Kobe Bryant simply toyed with Suns defenders. Bynum was all over the glass, and Gasol confounded Amare Stoudemire. So...what in God's name were the Suns supposed to do tonight? They played the reigning champion and got trounced. I don't like it, you don't like, but that's the way the mop flops.

End of story.

Pertinent Numbers:

Suns shot 4-13 from three point land. The Lakers were 10-21.
The Suns shot 11 free throws, making 10. The Lakers shot 22-26.
The Suns had 14 turnovers, the Lakers 11.
The Suns had 37 rebounds, the Lakers 42.
The Suns had 36 points in the paint, the Lakers had 40 (maybe I missed them, but I do not recall the Suns scoring that much in the paint).
OH, AND THE LAKERS HAVE PLAYED 16 OF THEIR FIRST 19 GAMES AT HOME. (yep, I'm just a smidge bitter).

FINAL - 12.6.2009	1	2	3	4	TOTAL
Phoenix Suns	26	18	22	22	88
Los Angeles Lakers	29	25	33	21	108

Next up, @Dallas, 6.30 PM on Tuesday, 12/8

Suns vs Lakers coverage

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Silver Screen and Roll

Game Preview: Suns vs. Lakers

Wil Cantrell — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:33:21 -0000

Will Nash look to shoot first like last night? (Photo by Max Simbron)

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Ah the dreaded second game in back to back nights. The Suns flew out of Phoenix last night after the Kings victory to Los Angeles to play the Lakers tonight at 7:30 tonight. The Lakers are still very pleased with themselves after a last second Kobe three finished the Heat, 108-107.

The Lakers hold a game edge on the Suns atop the Pacific Division and are currently on an 8 game winning streak. Are you all worried? I am not. And here is why. The Suns can gain a moral victory tonight without scoring more points than the Lakers at the end of 48 minutes. Here's how:

Play with confidence (unlike last time out vs. the Lakers)
Make shots we should make (shoot the three, and a respectable FG%)
Battle on the boards (put bodies on Bynum, Odom, and Artest)
Play some defense (let Kobe get his 30, but don't let Pau and the others kill you)
PLAY COMPETITIVE BASKETBALL FOR 48 MINUTES

Simple, yes? Look, there has been much made of late about the Suns and their confidence. From Gentry to Nash to Stoudemire, the sentiment echoed is the same. Against the Knicks and Cavaliers the Suns were tired and lacked confidence. (They also didn't make any shots). While we cannot say that the Suns won't be tired, it's a fact of NBA life. There's a game scheduled, and the Suns have to play it. Why not down an extra red bull before the opening tip?

Stats:

Lakers: 104 ppg (6th). Opponents 96.7 ppg (10th). 46.3 %FG, 34.7% 3 pt FG%

Suns: 110 ppg (2nd) Opponents 105.8 (27th). 49.6% FG, 43.8 3pt FG%

Top Five Man Units (+/-):

Lakers: Bryant-Fisher-Gasol-Bynum-Artest: 117.5 minutes/+52/80% win percentage

Suns: Nash-Richardson-Stoudemire-Frye-Hill: 320.4 minutes/+50/ 53% win percentage

Quick Facts:

The Suns are 1-3 on the second games of back-to-back sets, averaging 102.8 points to opponent's 116.3.
The Lakers have not lost a game since Pau Gasol returned to the lineup
In the Suns 5 losses, they have shot 35 percent from 3-point range. In their 15 wins, unsurprisingly, they shoot 46 percent from three.
Amare Stoudemire's 21 rebounds last night was more than his combined totals versus the Knicks and Cavaliers.

Suns Stats

Lakers Stats

Silver Screen and Roll

Suns Turn it on Late, Edge Kings, 115-107

Wil Cantrell — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:34:00 -0000

Amare brought his gorilla game tonight. (Photo by Max Simbron)

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A win is a win is a win. The Suns performance tonight through 3.5 quarters was nothing to write home about. But led by Amare Stoudemire's 21 rebounds, and Steve Nash's 32 points, along with some timely 4th quarter shooting by Channing Frye, the Suns came out on top with a 115-107 victory against the Sacramento Kings to keep their undefeated home record in tact.

The Suns needed Amare Stoudemire tonight. Pure and simple. They needed the gorilla game, they needed the Artest game, the Sun Tzu game. They needed Nash to be aggressive on the offensive end, and they got it, and a little extra in the 4th quarter to finish off a gritty Kings team that was a far cry from the squad the Suns bludgeoned by 48 points last year.

Tonight the Suns struggled from the field, shooting in the high 30's for much of the game. Nash struggled with his shot, Amare didn't get the ball on the offensive end (unless it was one of his 9 offensive rebounds) for the first 2 quarters but the Suns were strong from the free throw line, which, along with the Kings poor shooting, kept the game close for much of the night.

But in the fourth quarter a series of Suns threes and some excellent defense both on the offensive boards and on the defensive end sealed the victory. The difference in the game went a little something like this:

Huge 3 by Dragic suns up 88-85.
2nd huge 3 by Dragic, Suns 91-89.
Huge 3 by Frye after two offensive rebounds 98-94. Stoudemire went to work, fighting off the whole Kings squad in the lane to earn a foul and two foul shots, one of which he made. Suns up 99-94
The Kings continued to bomb away and miss-while Channing Frye caught fire, hitting a three, Suns up 102-94
ANOTHER THREE, but by Nash, suns 105-96
Grant hill a long two 107-98 suns
Kings 4-0 run Evans makes two free throws and Thompson makes a basket inside.
Nash big three 110-102
Frye three 113-104
Defensive stops....Frye decides to play defense in the 4th.
With 8 minutes left, Nash returns....Feeds Sun Tzu for two, then a turn around in the lane after a Nocioni 3.

And a little series of play by Grant Hill encapsulated the Suns season thus far (GRITTY)and provided enough to turn a fairly small, mellow U.S Airways crowd into a frenzied mob. Here was the Bring the House Down Moment:

Grant Hill drives on the left side beautifully takes the ball to the rim, gets hammered to the ground, but no foul is called. On his back he retrieves the ball and manages to pass out to Nash who passes to J-Rich for a three. He misses. The rebound bounces back to Hill, who nonchalantly (yet angrily) passes out to Frye who knocks down a three from the top of the key. The crowd goes nuts. Loudest I've heard it in U.S. Airways since the WNBA playoffs.

It was clear to me at that moment that the Suns and their fans were willing themselves to a much needed victory.

Some Observations:

Nash had only 6 assists but hoisted up 23 shots
Stoudemire was two rebounds short of his career high. While he finished with 18 points, it was a fairly quiet 18, because for most of the night he battled the Kings for boards and put backs. Remember the Amare who many said was "watching" the games in New York and Cleveland? Not tonight. He certainly partook in the game, and reminded us all how valuable he is to this team.
Grant Hill seemingly struggled, going 4-15 from the field, but with thanks to some non calls by the officials, Hill got angry, and made the Kings pay both on the boards (8) along with his basketball IQ, finding the open man when it counted.
Let's also give credit to Jason Richardson and Channing Frye. Richardson started strong with 13 in the opening quarter. While Frye struggled throughout the game on both ends of the floor, he saved his best for last, making three three-pointers in the final six minutes to ice the game.
Lopez was active in his limited minutes, with a weakside block on Casspi that resulted in a foul. Still, it was an aggressive play. Lopez is definitely an imposing force, and necessary on this team. He is a foul magnet, which is to be expected, but he's got 6 to give, so he may as well make them worth it.,
Grant Hill played a quietly sound game. He looks much more energetic, his shot much more accurate than the past two weeks.
The Suns still weren't making shots early on, but they were not wide open. The Kings played quality defense most of the night, and hung around to take one point lead 51-50 with 2.40 left.
The Suns were 19-22 FT at the half, finishing the game 28-34, which is no small feat, the way they have been shooting the ball from the charity stripe this season.

Post Game Quotes:

Alvin Gentry

It's a grind it out win, basically. We could never get any get any separation. they're so good offensively and they are so versatile offensively that they (Kings) force you into awkward situations. They started with a big lineup, then played three guards...We couldn't quite get our hands on the ball. We had a couple of rebounds that bounced kind of funny, but we never really could come up with those tow or three rebounds. They played well and we didn't shoot the ball well, but we found a way to grind it out. I thought Amare was great on the boards, it's a really good win for us.

We're a little bit tired, just from the travel, and I'm not trying to make excuses, it's just the facts. We're not quite as energetic as we've been. I'm sure we'll get back there, but our guys are a little bit spent.

Amare Stoudemire

Tonight was a big getaway game for us. We came out with intensity, we scrapped on the rebound tip. Down the stretch they played one on one with Steve, they wanted hm to be the scorer rather than the facilitator and he scored well...We stayed focus out there tonight. We know what type of team of we are, it was one of those nights wehere you have to just gut it out. Tonight we did that, guys were scrapping.

FINAL - 12.5.2009	1	2	3	4	TOTAL
Sacramento Kings	26	29	28	24	107
Phoenix Suns	35	25	22	33	115

Full Boxscore "

TUCKER SCORES 14, suns lose to 3-14 knicks.....

Wil Cantrell — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:59:09 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

New York Knicks' Danilo Gallinari (8), of Italy, destroys the Suns. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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The best thing about this game was that we get to play tomorrow night and erase this mess. Of course the Phoenix Suns play the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. That won't be too easy, but the victory will be all the sweeter.

There are a lot of different reasons for this loss. I'm not going to go through it all, but I'll tell you, when you give up 71 first half points, you aren't playing good basketball.

The Knicks seemed to make nearly everything they hoisted up tonight. The trio of Al Harrington, David Lee, and Danilo Gallinari went a combined 28-46 (73 points). Even more disheartening was Jared Jeffries, who finished with a +30.

UGH

The Suns were never in this game, giving up 39 points in the first period. It was if they were playing, like, the Suns or something. I t was enough for Danil Gallinari to gush: "I think we are a great team with many offensive weapons."

Well, let's not overdo it, Danilo. The Suns helped out by shooting 23% from three point range (4-17), getting out rebounded 40-50, and turning the ball over 17 times.

Another bad sign for your team is when you allow Larry Hughes 11 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals.

The Bright Side:

Alando Tucker showed some life in garbage time, scoring 14 points and looking pretty aggressive. He must want to stay in the NBA
Earl Clark got some quality time and made a few shots
ROLO went 7 and 5 in garbage time as well.
Nash went for 20 and 8

Ah, who am kidding? There wasn't much bright about this. Losing to a 3-14 squad, losing to your former coach, not really playing inspired basketball, not making many shots, etc. I could start pointing fingers or pushing panic buttons, but I won't. Every now and again Amare Stoudemire will have as many turnovers as rebounds, Dragic will go 0 for everything, the defense will allow a team to make 14 three pointers, and collectively, simply not show up. Let's breathe here, let's accept the fact the Suns will get "Fat and happy" from time to time.

Remember, it's an 82 game season.

Oh, and, let's give a little credit to the Knicks, they did what they had to do to win.

On to Cleveland, people.....

Highlights er, lowlights:

Links

Recap
Posting and Toasting
Suns vs Knicks boxscore
SUNS: Postgame Quotes: Suns vs Knicks, December 1, 2009
We didn’t play hard tonight, we got out-played, out-hustled – [we] didn’t deserve to win. Maybe we took them [Knicks] a little lightly, but you still have to play hard. They got all the loose balls, offensive rebounds. Obviously they made some shots and you take your hats off when shots are made but it’s all the layups and hustle plays and not getting back on defense that kill you. They just played harder than we did. We’re embarrassed and have to pick ourselves up. Not a whole lot to say tonight. - Nash
I feel just like Bill Belichick felt last night. I think we were out-coached, we were out-played and we were out-hustled. It’s one of those games where I just didn’t think we played real well. I don’t want to take away anything from the Knicks because I think they played hard. I think they had a good game plan and they made shots. You can see what they’re capable of doing when they’re making shots and their offense flows well. They out-played us but it’s one game. We didn’t play real well and I’m disappointed. It’s not a very good feeling. - Gentry
Surprising Knicks dismantle Suns- AZ Central.com
It was D'Antoni, the coach criticized so often for a lack of devotion to defense, who helped the 3-14 Knicks, who ranked 28th in the NBA in defense, become the first team to hold the Suns below 100 points this season. The Knicks demolished the Suns 126-99 at Madison Square Garden, ending Phoenix's four-game win streak.
Knicks 126, Suns 99 - Posting and Toasting
Phoenix, meanwhile, played the part of the home team, flubbing easy plays and exerting very little effort en route to their first sub-100-point output of the season. The Knicks' best stuff and the Suns' worst just happened to coincide, and I must say it was positively exquisite.

Game Preview: Suns vs. Knicks (And Mike D'Antoni)

Wil Cantrell — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:23:53 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

"Please Santa, please bring me a Steve Nash for Christmas." (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

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Tonight the Suns play game three of their current 4 game road trip against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Suns enter the game on a 4 game win streak, but are facing the next couple weeks without Leandro Barbosa.

While the Knicks as a basketball team aren't incredibly interesting, this match-up interests all of us for one particular reason: Mike D'Antoni.

The architect of 7SOL in Phoenix is attempting the East Coast version on a cash strapped, Isiah Thomas/James Dolan destroyed franchise that can only look to the future for any kind of hope. The Knicks are currently 3-14, in the midst of a 5 game slide, in which they most recently lost to the Orlando Magic. While the Knicks and their fans do not have much to be happy about this season, at least they can say they aren't in last place, thanks to the 0-17 New Jersey Nets.

Since both squads emphasize the offensive side of things, here is a little statistical comparison:

TEAM	PPG	FG%	3PT%	FT%	RB/G
PHX	112.0	50.7	44.5	72.8	42.2
NYK	101.9	43.8	31.8	78.6	40.0

OK, that's pretty boring. So why don't we try something a bit different in this preview? I'd now like to introduce, perhaps, for the third or fourth time on BSOTS, the most used FIVE-MAN FLOOR UNITS for the Knicks and Suns. This is a statistic I found out there on the inter-wide web that basically measures the effectiveness of a particular group of players by combined average +/-:

New York Knicks

UNIT	MIN	+/-	WIN%
DUHON-HUGHES-GALLINARI-CHANDLER-LEE	149.9	-25	38.4

Ouch. the most commonly used unit for the Knicks throws down a whopping +/- of -25.

Phoenix Suns:

UNIT	MIN	+/-	WIN%
NASH-RICHARDSON-HILL-STOUDAMIRE-FRYE	256.6	+40	53.8

Our starting five, and most often used unit averages a +40.

Obviously the numbers don't tell the whole story here, and we can argue that +/- has its significant flaws, but heck, it looks good right now! Now, on to the players

Players

Guards

Chris Duhon-runs the point and leads the Knicks with 6 assists a game. It's safe to say he's not a scoring threat at 7 ppg, and at present, shooting 28% from the field. Look for a Duhon/Lee pick 'n roll set from time to time.

Nate Robinson-we all know Nate can play. Against the Magic, Robinson popped off the bench to go 10-11 from the field for 22 points. Of course he may not be out of the D'Antoni doghouse after burying a three on his own basket after time expired.

Larry Hughes-is Larry Hughes, shooting 39% from the field and 28% from 3-point range. J-Rich should enjoy posting Larry, driving on Larry, shooting over Larry, etc.

Bigs

Al Harrington-At 19 a game, Al leads the Knicks in scoring and manages 6 boards a game. But like most of the Knicks, he is a subpar 44% from the field and an attrocious 29% from three point land, which is interesting, because he continues to hoist them up, second only to Gallinari in attempts with 89.

Danilo Gallinari-the 6th pick in the 2008 draft seems to be improving, at 13.1 ppg, but the gripe on him seems to be his tendency to sit in the corner and watch the game. Still he's capable of getting hot behind the arc.

David Lee-averaging 18 and 10, Lee can flat play. I anticipate Frye, Amare, and perhaps Rolo/Lou matching up at times to slow down Lee, especially on the boards.

The rest: Wilson Chandler (11.9 ppg) Darko Milicic is evidently homesick, Jordan Hill (unsurprisingly) has seen time in only 8 games, and Eddy Curry (chuckle) has played in 4 games, which probably averages out to about 3 million dollars a minute or something obscene.

Overview

So the Suns are looking good and Knicks are not. Again, like many of these awful teams we have been playing of late, there is always a pitfall lurking, especially on the road. This writer likes our chances tonight, but we could be in for a barn burner with little defense being played and many three pointers being hoisted.

And....As a Very Special post Thanksgiving Treat...A Short Q&A with Seth over at Posting and Toasting regarding the state of the Knickerbockers:

Me: First off, how are you all enjoying D'Antoni as your coach?

Seth: Mike D'Antoni's had a rough time in his first years as coach, but I think a lot of Knick fans would agree that he can't be fully judged until 2010 rolls around and the Knicks (hopefully have something resembling a competitive roster. In the meantime, D'Antoni's plenty likable and forthright, which is a welcome departure from his predecessors. There have been complaints about his lineup management (why aren't the rookies playing more?) and control over shot distribution (why isn't Danilo Gallinari getting more touches?), as well as his unwavering attachment to Chris Duhon, who has been appallingly ineffective. All that said, D'Antoni's seat won't even be warm until the Knicks use their forthcoming cap space.

Me: Is the run and gun everything you'd hoped for?

Seth: It sure isn't when the shots aren't falling. The Knicks have reined in their heaving a little bit, but are still the 23rd in the league in FG% and 22nd in 3P%. There have been plenty of open shots, but guys like Duhon, Robinson, Chandler, and Hughes have all gone cold for long stretches of the first 17 games, while the Knicks' deadliest shooter, Danilo Gallinari, isn't taking enough shots. It gets ugly.

Me: What are Knicks fans most frustrated about this season? (Besides simply losing) Is it that Jordan Hill and the youngsters don't see much playing time? Is it Duhon's performance in general? or the combination of all that and Gallinari not living up to his potential as the 6th pick in the draft?

Seth: You pretty much hit the three biggest issues. Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas should not only get to spin because this is a losing team and there's plenty of room for them to development, but because they've actually proven to be more effective than some of the vets. Chris Duhon finally registered a decent offensive game on Sunday against Orlando, but has spent most of the season shuffling around and bricking jumpers. He hasn't been the leader nor the offensive threat necessary to pilot the D'Antoni offense. Finally, I keep harping on this, but Danilo Gallinari needs the ball!

Me: Lastly, what else should we desert rats know about your squad?

Seth: If (when) tonight's game turns into a blowout, you can hopefully look forward to Marcus Landry making an appearance. The undrafted rookie hustles and bangs just like his older brother Carl, and he's also got decent range for a big man. If D'Antoni ever fully commits to playing the young guns, Li'l Landry will make a name for himself.

Link Fun

Posting and Toasting
Knicks Statistics
Suns Statistics
Mike D'Antoni deserves criticism...but why? - Posting and Toasting
Guess who's upset about a certain Mustachioed coach not developing young players?
azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Nash for CP3? For Kobe? Anyone?
Coro's Suns dish: Steve Nash has posted six games of 16 assists or more this season in 17 games. That is one more than he had all of last season. Something tells me he is about to put up a crazy number again tonight. This is the building in which he has posted assist...
D'Antoni's system gets mixed results
Mike D'Antoni swore you would never know whether it was his system or Steve Nash that made the Suns. He joked that he would walk away when Nash did in order to keep it secret. But some think they figured it out, now that D'Antoni's New York Knicks are woeful at 3-14 and the Suns visit here as a NBA-best 14-3 with Nash playing like his MVP days.
Lost at a Knicks game - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
This is HILARIOUS!
SUNS: Q&A With Al McCoy: "The Real McCoy"
More movie and TV comments « Channing Frye's Blog
Nash Still Burns for Phoenix - Bethlehem Shoals - The Baseline - Sporting News
Amare Loves the Animals - Bethlehem Shoals - The Baseline - Sporting News
Kobe Bryant has highest 'basketball IQ,' poll says - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
According to NBA players and coaches at least one other point guard has a higher basketball IQ than Steve Nash...
Create A Caption #40 Winner - Third Quarter Collapse
Guess who is being heckled for taking and missing too many three's....hint: tattoo

Stoudemire Fined for Tweeting During Game

Wil Cantrell — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:41:17 -0000

Stoudemire Fined for Tweeting During Game

Really? I mean is tweeting an addiction?

Suns Regroup, Trounce Pistons, 117-91

Wil Cantrell — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:13:50 -0000

More photos »

Louis Amundson had a great defensive game for the Suns finishing with 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal and the Suns were a +14 during his time on the floor. (Photo by Max Simbron)

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Tonight, the Suns used a balanced, dominating attack to defeat the road weary Detroit Pistons.The Suns controlled the game in virtually every category tonight-they defended, they rebounded, they made shots, they even looked respectable from the free throw line.

The Suns started hot, at one point shooting over 80% midway through the first quarter (9-11). Still, the Pistons hung around, keeping things close until the Suns bench took over in the second, extending the lead to 10.

This one was a sleeper, a pleasant sleeper mind you, from the third quarter on. The Suns played well on both ends of the floor and Detroit quickly discovered they were tired. Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey were non factors as the Suns held Gordon to 10 points and Stuckey to 8. The two combined for 7-26 from the floor.

The Suns were led in scoring by Amare Stoudemire with 21 points. Steve Nash had 20 points and 9 assists. Jason Richardson finished with 17 points to lead the Suns in scoring.

Some other items of interest:

The Suns shot 57.9% from the field (11-19) in the first quarter, holding the Pistons to 41.7% (10-24), led by Nash and Stoudemire with 6 points and 7 points respectively. The Suns led 29-26.
Leandro Barbosa and Goran Dragic led the Suns to a 10 point lead in the second quarter. Dragic looked like his normal, 2009 self, driving the ball to the rim and hitting a three. The Suns starters returned with 6.20 left in the second and extended the lead to 16 as the Pistons appeared to wear down.
Amare Stoudemire was T-'d up for the first time this season after a missed shot. Honestly, I haven't seen Amare that pissed in a while, ripping of his glasses and screaming at the official as he jogged back down the floor. Gotta admit, I liked it.
The Suns shot 11-18 from three point range (61%)
At 11-3, the Suns are tied for the best record in the NBA with Atlanta and Orlando.
The Suns are one of only three teams in the NBA undefeated at home (5-0)
This year's Suns are only the 4th team in franchise in history to open the season with 14 consecutive 100-point games. The Suns are the only team in the league to score 100 points in every game this season.
The sends held a solid rebounding lead throughout the game. Don't let the end statistics fool you: Detroit 39 rebounds, Suns 38. Let's remember the most minutes any of the starters played was 30. At the end of the first half, the Suns led the Pistons 22-13 in rebounds.

Post Game Quotes:

Alvin Gentry:

On the Game:

"It was a good win. They're all good wins, but we played a tired team. I think we did a good job of trying to jump on them early."

On Goran Dagic's performance:

"Goran did a really really good job tonight. He was really aggressive and obviously he shot the ball well."

On Steve Nash:

"Steve was a little more aggressive with his shot tonight...Steve knows, he knows what we need...I think he has a feel for when we need him to step up and be more aggressive."

Amare Stoudemire:

"I'm slowly getting myself back into a rhythm. It's improving as a team we're playing well enough to get these wins. Just want to continue to grow and keep getting better

"I got a little upset in the heat of the moment."

Jared Dudley:

On the New Orleans loss: "It was a tough loss, it should not have happened."

Goran Dragic:

On playing the 2 next to Steve Nash tonight: "It was my first game with Steve, it was a really nice feeling. It's really awesome. It was my Dream to play with him on the same team."

Next up, Memphis comes to town on Wednesday, 7 P.M.

FINAL - 11.22.2009	1	2	3	4	TOTAL
Detroit Pistons	26	16	21	28	91
Phoenix Suns	29	29	26	33	117

COMPLETE COVERAGE >

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/23/09 7:24 AM MST ]

The first quarter of this game was by no means something to write home and tell your mamma about. The Suns after looking good with a quick 9 point lead out of the gates ended up give up a 16-4 run and were down 3 and forced to call a time out.

That gets forgotten in the blowout win but it was not exactly a shinning point of goodness in what was otherwise a romp. The entire first quarter felt lethargic as if both teams were playing with concrete shoes and were racing to see who would be swimming with the fishes first.

Fortunately, the Suns bench came in at the start of the second period and went on a 10-3 run in the first 3 minutes behind the defensive energy of Lou, the steady leadership of Goran (that's right. I said it) and 6 points (3-3) from Barbosa proving me right in naming him the PPOG.

Grant Hill said this about the clean-shaved Lou and his bench mates, "The bench has been great for us all season. You see the confidence. Goran's shooting the ball extremely well. He's running the show. Leandro and Jared are doing a great job. Lou I thought defensively, that's as good as I've seen him in awhile."

Then around the 6 minute mark Gentry replaced his best line up with those scrubs - Nash, Richardson and Stoudemire - and they promptly turned a 10 point Suns lead into a 4 point lead.

The turnaround from that point was ignited by (another) awesome Steve Nash sidearm pass from the baseline in traffic to a wide-open Jason Richardson at the top of the arc. Swish. Three points and the score was 49-42 with about 5 minutes to go in the half.

Phoenix would then proceed to lock down the tired Pistons team with great rotations. Detroit doesn't move the ball well on a good night so collapsing and trapping their ball handlers was a very effective strategy. The Pistons wouldn't score again for the entire half and finished the period with only 16 points on 7 of 20 shooting.

That is stone cold lock-down D right there.

The most interesting lineup of the game also came during this stretch when Gentry responded to the Pistons with the three guard unit of Nash, Richardson and Dragic along with Stoudemire and Frye. The mobility of that unit combined with all those ball handlers and shooters was a +7 and helped Goran have a team high +19 on the night.

Richardson said this about playing with Nash and Dragic, "It's definitely offensive punch. You've got two point guards out there that can pass the ball and can score...I don't know if it's a lineup we will use all the time but it was fun to see the three of us on the court at the same time."

While the Pistons often run three guards at the same time, in this stretch where Phoenix went small they actually had gone the other way and were playing Wallace, Jerebko, Villanueva, Summers and Chucky Atkins.

It was good win as far as any win is good and it was nice to see the Suns take care of business against an undermanned and tired Detroit team but overall I wasn't too impressed with this one. Just another "W" in the "W" column. Time to move on and not get complacent before Wednesday's game against the ~~Iranian National Team~~ Memphis Grizzlies.

Game Preview: Suns vs. Pistons

Wil Cantrell — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:16:38 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

about 1 month ago: Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry reacts on the sidelines in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Hornets in New Orleans, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. The Hornets defeated the Suns 110-103. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Browse more photos »

Tonight the Suns look to bounce back from a pathetic tough loss agains the Hornets Thursday night and test their 4-0 home record vs. the Detroit Pistons. Like the Suns, the Pistons are coming off a loss, with Detroit falling in overtime to Utah, 100-97. Tonight marks the end of the Pistons four game West Coast road trip, in which they are 0-3 thus far, losing to the LA Lakers, Utah, and Portland by an average of nearly 5 points. The only double digit loss was to the Lakers.

The Pistons should be tired after a tough loss to the Jazz last night. Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey, and Ben Wallace all played over 40 minutes. Look for the Suns to push the tempo early and try to run Detroit out of the building.

Overview

At 5-8, the Pistons have lost 4 in a row and occupy the cellar in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.
Ben Wallace has made it back from his very short tenure with the Suns, along with his consideration of retirement to average 9 boards a game.
The Pistons shoot 30% from 3 point range. Rodney Stuckey and Co. penetrate well though, so the Suns may go with the zone. Let's hope the Suns wear their rebounding shoes tonight.
Detroit has been playing without Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton due to injury. Hamilton has been battling ankle injuries while Prince has had problems with his back. Neither players are expected to play tonight.
The lineup of Bynum, Stuckey, Gordon, Wallace, and Villanueva is a combined +24 this season, and not surprising, is the second most used lineup the Pistons use.

Players

Guards

Ben Gordon is a certified Suns killer, averaging 24.9 points versus the Suns in his career. He is coming off a 25 point, 47 minute performance against the Jazz. Rodney Stuckey brings high energy to the floor. Look for him to test the Suns bigs early and often as he attempts to get to the rim. Wil Bynum is averaging 14.5 points per game, but isn't a three point threat, leading the Pistons with a meager 4 assists per game.

Forwards/Centers

Charlie Villanueva is a solid big, averaging 15 and 5. Ben Wallace is typical Ben Wallace but a little older, averaging 9 boards a game and 50% from the free throw line. Jonas Jerebko is a 2nd round project from Sweden. He has been starting of late, but not doing anything exceptionally well, with 4.7 points a game and nearly 4 rebounds a game. Jason Maxiell goes 6-7, 260 and averages nearly a block a game and 3 rebounds off the bench.

Stats

Offense: Detroit averages 92.6 points per game, (26th in the league). Detroit shoots 45.2% per game (18 in the league). Phoenix averages 109.8 points per game (1st in the league). Suns shooting 48.7% per game (tied for 1st in the league)

Defense: Detroit allows 92.9 per game (4th in the league), allowing opponents to shoot 43.3% FG. Suns allow 106 points per game (27th in the league), allow opponents 48% FG.

Quotes:

"The way we played, the effort we brought and this is no offense to them, but we would've lost to ASU."

-Grant Hill, on the loss to New Orleans

"We can't keep playing from behind and then think we can make our way back. It's important to get off to a good start, so when we do make a run, it's not to get even, it's to get a lead."

-Alvin Gentry

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/22/09 1:40 PM MST ]

At shoot around this morning I talked to Suns VP of all things Player Related and Various Other Scouting and Trading and Cutting and Signings, David Griffin. Taylor Griffin is destined for a stint with the Iowa Energy this year where he will get a lot of floor time playing the Small Forward - a position he's transitioning into after playing the PF in OK.

No specific time-line for his assignment given but the Suns have a plan in mind. So expect that to happen sometime between today and perhaps March or April.

Jarron Collins' contract does not become guaranteed until the January 10th date when all contracts become guaranteed for the rest of the season. If Jarron is cut before then his salary won't count against the Luxury Tax. Right now the Suns are happy with him and say that his staying or going isn't directly tied to Robin Lopez' return. Reading between the lines my guess is that he will stick around at least for several more weeks with the big decision coming near that Jan 10 date.

As for this game, it has blow out written all over it.

The Pistons are going to be tired after playing OT last night and bummed about losing and the Suns are pissed about the way they played in New Orleans. Do not be surprised to see Phoenix up by 10 at the end of the 1st quarter. In fact, I would be surprised if they aren't.