I used my DVR and took notes and paused again and again. What a fun game, point of night, as Magic just said, the Suns can now win in multiple ways, this is very new and exciting.

Figured I take notes while using DVR and post them, but I'll try and not write too much.

Warriors 39 Suns 34

Shaq gets ball down low, is called for offensive foul, i replayed it 3 times, yes his elbow hit the other guy, but it wasn't deliberate, or blatant, Shaq gets bad call in my view because of his size. (Shaq is 3 for 4 on free throws so far)

Giricek 1 for 2 from 3 point land so far! (good news for us).

Really poor decision by Barbosa to try and dribble through 2 Warriors, I could see before he did it he was going to have a tough time keeping the ball, and he lost it.

43-38 Suns losing, Diaw for basket and 1.

Barbosa hits a three! (I agree with announcer, Barbosa is the wild card for us).

Technical on Hill, replay shows warrior Biedrins, Andris (I think) kind of gave a hip push forcing Hill to ground. It was dirty, no surprise there, the Warriors, play fun and fast, but do tend to be dirty, even when they played and beat the Mavs last yr in the playoffs, there were a few real "THUG" type plays by the Warriors in my view. And I wanted the Mavs to lose.

43 - 41 Warriors winning, Warriors have missed 9 of last 11 shots.

Giricek hits his second three!! 2 for 3 so far beginning to be really happy with this signing.

Another steal by the Warriors, Amare was making drive to hoop, Warrior player made steal.

Giricek tries to pass inside, and another steal by this Warrior team, I have to say this Warrior team is so much better at getting and trying for steals!

44-44 (tie game)

Also, this Warrior team gets many offensive rebounds due to the nature of the 3 point shot, long rebounds.

Giricek with ball on fast break, and another steal!! This is what I was worried about when playing this Warrior team, if we could slow down all these turnovers, we'd be winning!!

Nash nails a three as 24 second shot clock buzzer goes off!! 48-47 Suns down.

Warriors get a lot of offensive rebounds. They really crash the boards with a lot of effort and hustle.

And another offensive rebound for the Warriors (Shaq on bench)

54-51 Suns down, Nash almost turns it over, I keep thinking why won't this team take advantage of DJ and use him against this team?

Suns playing good defense there, and the Suns off a Nash 3 pointer miss get an offensive rebound (long bounce thing again) but fail to capitalize as Bell misses a three also.

Beautiful drive by Nash and pass to a cutting Diaw for the basket Suns down by 1.

Hill loses the ball and Warriors on 3 on 1 fast break score. Nash gets called for a foul and Technical, once again using DVR, it's very clear it was a bad call.

60-55 Suns down, it's amazing we're so close with the number of turnovers so far, over 10 easily.

Amare with the drive and basket, 62-57.

Nash with the 3 point miss, Diaw with the offensive rebound, he's under the basket against a smaller guy and doesn't go back up with it?

Diaw gets bailed out with foul, from line misses both!!

Halftime,

Great offensive board by Hill!! And it pays off as Amare gets the hoop! 62-59 Suns down.

Nash nails a bomb (3 pointer) and its tied!!

Shaq scores with the hook! (7 points)

Shaq picks up his fourth foul, didn't see that one either, even with DVR.

Nash hits another jumper! Ties it again.

Nice little sequence, where normally 1 Warrior player gets the rebound around 3 Suns players because of his hustle and speed (Baron Davis), but this time Shaq gets the tip and a Warrior's player hits the deck. I think Shaq needs to keep this up, if he's going to foul out, he should make sure they remember him. Then Bell hits a 3!! Suns up 69-66!!

OK, I think I've seen too many clips of "Never Back Down".

Side note, Houston plays the Lakers Sunday!!

Davis hits a three to tie it.

Beautiful alley oop to Shaq!!

71-71

Amare has great hands, catches pass and draws foul.

OK, this is the play of the game so far, quiet but nice, Baron drives to the hoop, Nash actually does a good job sticking with him, Baron misses badly, Suns run back the other way, Nash does that draw the defense in one direction thing, knowing he has Bell in the corner for three waiting, then nails Bell, who then nails the THREE!! 76-71 Suns.

Its the little things like above that Nash does that many don't. Nash (leading up to Bell pass in corner for three) slowed down and looked and moved the opposite direction helping keep Bell unattended for that extra second or two, then quickly turned and hit him. I replayed it 3 times I was so impressed. Most guards would've just gone to Bell and passed him the ball, by the time Bell (on most others) got the ball to shoot, defense would've been contesting the shot as opposed to the wide open three Bell got.

Then Amare makes a sweet move and scores off short hook!

Shaq called for his fifth foul, and a Technical. In replay, Shaq gave a very small push and Warrior acted out and threw his arms.

Davis called for offensive foul, great job by Bell, then a slashing Barbosa scores!! 80-76 Suns winning. A three second T called on Suns, Barbosa in center.

Amare draws foul and basket!! And makes free throw for three point play! 83-77 Suns winning.

Big news this quarter, 3 minutes left in 3rd and Suns pick up their first turnover of this quarter!

Good defense again and Amare grabs rebound, Nash throws a bullet across the court, and L.B. makes quick pass to an already setup Bell who nails another THREE!!! Man its nice to see Bell back, 3 games now where on offense and defense he has been good to great!

88-79 Suns winning.

Shaq on bench, many would be ticked off about not being in the game, (as I'm sure part of him is), but he claps at made three pointer by Bell, cool.

Wow, here we go again, Suns play great defense and Warriors miss (can't get over strangeness of typing that part about defense :-) ) and Suns come down on the attack and Barbosa this time hits the three!! 91-77!! Shaq off court, standing, waving towels, cheering! It's great when the Suns attack on offense.

OMG! Amare makes a great block and the Suns are off to the races again. And Barbosa gets a long pass by Nash and "2 seconds or less" happens and Barbosa scores!! 93-79 Suns winning!

Great ball movement, good Defense, wow, a lot of fun. The Suns with or without Shaq are looking great.

OK, OK, this is awesome, I keep pausing the game to type about it. One of the Warriors looked to have an open three, Bell comes from nowhere and prevents him from shooting. Then with good pressure, Suns force Warriors turnover! We need this to continue, because even being up +10, this Warrior team can hit threes like no other.

Great drive and draw foul by Diaw, he hits both 95-81.

Davis hits a three.

Suns end 3rd 95-84. But as everyone knows, anything less than 20 points and I'm still on edge with a quarter to go, but it's great to see the Suns play like this.

Wow, block by Amare, Suns ball!! Hill is great at moving and cutting to the hoop without the ball, it must be a lot of fun to be on a team with so many great passers. Amare nails a cutting Hill under the hoop for a layup. SWEET!!! 97-84

Warriors nail a bomb. Barbosa misses a layup, Warriors come back with a layup. Amare has been awesome, gets a second jump and goes back up for hoop, misses but goes to line. 98-89 10 minutes left.

Sloppy turnover by Diaw!! Warriors respond with basket and Warriors within 7.

Suns in trouble here, they miss again and Suns get stop. 2 bad possessions in a row offensively with Hill having to take a long three as 24 second clock expiring. Nash needs to come back in early me thinks. The force is strong with him. Cause trouble for Warriors he will.

We catch a break as Warriors miss 2 free throws in a row. Nash nails the shot. Much needed. 100-91, then Warriors nail a three. Nash hits a three, great pass by Amare. Hill's hustle saves the defensive rebound for the Suns. 103-94

Nash nails another three!!!!!

Talk about a boost, then Davis nails a three, wouldn't expect less from him. Boris does a great job of taking the ball in to the hoop, uses his size and goes to the line. YES!! 108-97 after 2 free throws!!

One side note, as Ellis misses a shot that by all accounts should have gone in, one of those shots that hits every part of the rim but stays out. The side point, Ellis is one of those many young, new players that is really amazing already, and will be for years. I like him.

110-97, Nash on quick cut/pass to Diaw, and Diaw throws down a thunderous dunk, yes, thats right, DIAW. 3D!!

Great hustle by Suns, Warriors are tired, Suns didn't have to play last night, Suns grab 2 offensive rebounds in a row off great hustle by Bell and Diaw!!

110-101 4 minutes left. Suns catching some breaks as Davis misses a free throw.

Warriors force turnover, Amare makes great block but Warriors get rebound and score. Diaw to the rescue and scores.

Once again defensive pressure by the Suns that I'm not used to seeing. It's awesome. Amare throws down a 1 handed dunk as Warriors caught napping.

Still close, 114-107 2:56 left. Amare 30 points 10 rebounds, Nash with 21 points and 13 assists!

Bell ducks defense and hits basket!!

Back to a 9 point lead, 2:21 left. Side note again, I don't know if you watched the Warriors beat the Mavs in last years playoffs, but Davis, even if I didn't like him, was hitting all sorts of shots, and here he nails a shot, tonight he has 38 points and 8 assists. This guy missed the all stars?

116-109, 1:45 left, Suns catch a break as Warriors miss a three they seem to often to make, Suns ball. Diaw with the great pass to Amare who from halfway in between the free throw line and the hoop jumps and dunks, we're lucky to have him.

118-111, 1:11 left

They wisely go to Amare who gets off the shot (almost makes it) and will go to the line. These 2 free throws could all but ice it. 1 down! HE MAKES BOTH!!! 120-111, what a win this will be, following the weekend win vs the Spurs, wow!!

That run in the third quarter did it. Great to see the Suns can switch between styles. I wasn't expecting this.

Suns in a little trouble here, Hill blows a layup, Warriors score twice. 120-115 Suns ball 30 seconds left. Hill 1 for 6 tonight is at line. And he misses, the door has been left open. Hill makes 1,

Amare for dunk, its over!!

Nice simple interview with Amare and Nash after the game. Nash wiping sweat off Amare, Amare laughing..cool

The defensive effort by the Suns, Amare, Diaw, Nash coming in and giving them 3 quick 3's. All players of the game. Fun game, with 2 of 3 games coming up against so-so to poor teams. I like where we're at. Both Houston and Portland should be great games. I'm pulling for Houston on Sunday.

What a ride these last 2-3 weeks have been, thank you Phoenix Suns.

This was a great game, yes, we lost, yes, it looks bad for us right now. But this was not the Suns team that got hammered by Detroit on national tv (side note, if you actually click on this link to read about that Detroit game, make sure your not near a bridge). This was the Suns who beat Boston a few games ago.

Things to feel great about,

1. Raja Bell, his shooting returned in force making 5 for 9 from 3 pt land. His toughness and defense was more evident than usual, it made me think of the Raja Bell who didn't want to be friends with Kobe. Only negative, he hasn't played like this all season, great to see Raja play like this, anxious for more Sunday.



2. Amare, I think he did great, his ability to drive and score kept us in the game and with a little more luck, would've fouled out their top 1-2 players a little sooner. Only negative, 13-18 from the line.



3. Shaq, great also, excpet for having him try to score at the end, (mistake on coach's part? or on Shaq not understanding that he's the worst free throw shooter in the world). But there were many pluses to his game. Shaq hit multiple 3-5 foot jumpers and looked (for the first time with the Suns) good doing it. Shaq really is helping this team, I think it's other areas that we're hurting.



For those areas, I would say team defense, again hurt us. We just couldn't stop Utah at the end.
I read earlier on this blog that Nash could at least hang defensively with Williams, this is not true. But, Nash had 15 assists to 3 turnovers, thats the type of game we need from him if the Suns are going to compete. And as you'd expect from a great player, he sacrificed having Boozer run over him to give the Suns another shot at winning. I've always thought with Nash and defense, he does try hard, hard to compete with the nba getting so much better..



Player of the game, it's a 4-way tie for me between Okur, Korver, Boozer, and Williams. Seriously, watching Okur hit 3 pointer after 3 pointer was a big momentum change I think for the Suns, just as they were trying to build on their lead. Boozer is what he always is, dependable, tough, just a great, non flashy player. Williams tied Nash for 15 assists also, and made some very tough shots at the end. It seems Williams doesn't have to work as hard for his assists while Nash has to use every trick and drive into the paint to get his. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND, Once again, Deron Williams didn't have to work as hard for his 15 assists. Why did I put Korver in there, because he was deflecting Nash passes and hitting his shots while our shooters were folding at crunch time. Yes, L.B. made a three, but he missed many more 1 for 7!! and he's taking our last shots? I would've used Nash or Bell before L.B., or even stuck with Amare drawing fouls and scoring.



Why? It's really simple, Utah played better defense and did a good job of applying pressure and double teams on Nash. Where on defense the Suns had many good moments, but often were 4 on 5 with Shaq still coming up the court and the Suns scrambling to just get a hand in someone's face as they shot. It seemed the Utah Jazz guards could blow past Nash at any time creating a 5 on 4 situation many times.



Bottom line, we're lucky if we're still in the top ten teams in the NBA. But, the good news is we're improving over the last few games and if we hang on and make the playoffs, and if we continue to get better, and Shaq gets his legs back, I think we have a chance. It should be very interesting watching this Sunday's game against the Spurs. The Spurs are on a big win streak (currently 11 I think) and it'd be a great victory to be the team that breaks it. I know it's tough as a Suns fan to see us fall out of the top record so quickly, but there are things to be positive about.

1. We beat the Celtics
   
   
2. We beat the Trailblazers, who had just beat the Lakers
   
   
3. We were close to winning this game
   
   
4. Shaq is playing with motivation
   
   
5. Raja Bell's heart and desire are back
   
   
6. Diaw is playing better and made some great hustle plays and passes
   
   

Things to be seriously depressed about and head to the fridge to go eat everything then go out to Taco Bell.

1. L.B. (need I say more..sadly)
   
   
2. D.J., why aren't we playing him..?
   
   
3. Skinner, why aren't we playing him?
   
   
4. Our perimeter defense comes and goes, there were times in multiple recent games where I actually got excited about the Suns hustle and effort on defense, but it fades like an oasis in the desert. I don't think it fades because of heart, I think it's because of 2 things,
   

1...Energy, the Suns aren't used to spending so much energy on Defense, that has to take its toll.

2...The Suns biggest problem is that for years they haven't focused on Defense, and it's clear that to win, they're going to have to.

This is really tough to write about, any other year with the West not being so close, these loses wouldn't sting quite as much. Also, let's face it, this Suns team isn't built like the Trailblazers or the Lakers who have great long term outlooks, our team looks very similar to the Celtics, this year or next, or nothing.


For all of you who are really upset, I can only say this, I enjoyed the game. Even though we lost,
I enjoyed it.


Watching Shaq dive to tip a ball and keep it in play,


Watching Amare drive and score,


Watching Bell come alive and hit 5 three pointers and play great defense,


Watching Nash drive into the lane and disappear only to make a pass to an open big man for the dunk


Watching Diaw go after his own rebound and score



The team that beat us tonight played well also, and there's always this Sunday, where after this game, I really think we have a fair shot at beating the Spurs. UPDATE - LOOKS LIKE THE SPURS WILL LOSE TONIGHT, DOWN 96 TO 81 WITH 5 MINUTES LEFT.

Second update on Spurs, I'm not a Spurs fan at all, they're enemy number one. But, I can't help but notice as they lose tonight the look on Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili's faces as they look on knowing they lost tonight. It really bothers them, alot, I hate to say this, but I don't think the Suns are angry enough or hungry enough, I don't see that look of "How could we ever lose?" on their faces.

Just for fun Link to Hack a shaq

Also for a quick laugh,

Final note...I think when the Suns finally win a championship, we'll be happier and more appreciative then fans on teams that have won a few titles. With great struggle, comes great reward, it's a simple decision for me, I'M A SUNS FAN.

Poll

What chance do you give the Suns in beating the Spurs this Sunday?

4%

100%

1 votes

0%

I'll wrestle a bear if we win or lose

0 votes

18%

0%

4 votes

0%

Is Duncan playing?

0 votes

0%

25%

0 votes

9%

Only if K.Thomas is actually our spy :-)

2 votes

31%

50%

7 votes

18%

What are you kidding me, remember our last national game played during the day (Detroit)?

4 votes

9%

75%

2 votes

9%

Hi Sam (for my daughter)

2 votes

22 votes | Poll has closed

Wow, sad day, and I was so excited to see my third game on TV in the same week here in Dallas. All the happiness that came with the Boston game was equally measured with frustration in the game.

No big analysis here, just some simple comments then we can hopefully forget this game and hope either Boston or Cleveland knocks out Detroit in the playoffs to help our chances. Not that I don't think we couldn't come back and beat them, but I think we need 10-20 more games to really see what we have.

As AZ Republic said it was ugly to watch the second quarter as the Detroit out ran US!#?

My points:

a. Our defense was very poor, but its hard for any team to stop a motivated Wallace, the way he was hitting his shots. Reminded me of Duncan, he just wasn't missing.

b. At the Boston game we were running weaves and picks and cuts at the free throw line, it reminded me of the things my dad taught me as a kid when playing. My all time favorite thing he taught me, I was a quick guard, and he'd teach us on defense to drive a player in one direction and at that very moment we turned him, I'd sweep in from the other side and steal. We had more coaches from other teams screaming at us (like we were cheating) than points the Lakers & Detroit put up against us. WHERE WAS THE MOVEMENT, IT JUST LOOKED AWFUL ON OFFENSE, A TOTAL COLLAPSE.

c. If Shaq doesn't improve on being able to jump and score from within 2-3 feet of the rim, we're in trouble. That's the gamble, how much can he improve...and for me, I think a lot of it is motivation, and sadly, it's very clear his comes and goes (last 2-3 years). But, I'm confident because of Hill and Amare that we can get a lot out of Shaq in the playoffs.

d. It seems our only offense in the first half was Amare, and Amare's shooting stats don't show it, but he had many attempts where he couldn't even get a shot off. Did I mention we need an outside shooter who ....drum roll....can consistently score from the outside...L.B....(ok)..but Bell is NOT THAT ANSWER...he's our defense and heart.

e. After the Boston game and the effort of the last 2 weeks by the Suns, I have never been more excited to be a fan, then today happens....

I'm going to forget about it, one lesson though, the east is tougher than the last 1-2 years.

A side note, Bill Walton is a flip flopper, I hope he appears in Black Sheep 2 as food.

I think we're going to become really familiar which teams we can destroy, and which ones destroy us, and it rests on Amare more than ever. I think Amare has trouble against 3-4 different teams, and this is one of them. As for Shaq, either he needs to get in better shape and start converting from 1 foot away, or he needs to never shoot unless its a dunk. Where was the Shaq from the last 2 games diving for loose balls, etc?

One bright spot beside a spurt from LB: DJ. This guy is quickly becoming more than just a quick relief, I think he should be played more and more.

Tough game, so many shots just didn't fall, on the crowd booing, I see both sides:

Side A: We're Suns fans, for better or worse, so we shouldn't be abandoning them.

Side B: They're playing badly, maybe a little booing will motivate them.

Personally, I'm not married to the Suns, I am to my wife, so, I think booing was in order today. As least fight harder, get ejected, fight, kick, throw shoes!!! The energy level was a quiet 2 from the Suns, where only the last 2 games it was a 10+

These players get millions of dollars, unless they're as delicate as Marion (who was watching and probably saying.."hey man...don't disrespect me....I'm much better than you think I am") I think a little booing in a game like this was called for. I want effort, I want hustle, even if we lose (like we did against the Lakers recently), at least we played hard. Not today....

LET'S BURY THIS GAME AND CHALK IT UP TO

THE
CURSE
OF
THE DAY
GAME

If we have to play in the day in the playoffs...be afraid, be very afraid.

Oh...and for some stats

Suns played bad. The Pistons played good

Boxscore     NBA.com Recap     Arizona Republic      Pistons Nation

Poll

This game was good for the below reason

4%

I got to teach my kids subtraction with results above 30

1 votes

0%

this proves what we all know, the basket is too high and needs to be moved down (sorry howard)

0 votes

65%

We've successfully gotten the pistons over confident and next time we'll only lose by 20

15 votes

0%

I blame this squarely on the suns food concessions, they don't serve donughts

0 votes

8%

I almost would rather watch mash or american idol than the suns fall apart like this

2 votes

8%

On a side note, someone misstook shaq pointing at his finger to mean he's married, and not available

2 votes

0%

I think we need some HGH for shaq

0 votes

0%

the basketball was loaded with rocks....wait..they used it also...never mind

0 votes

4%

if pineapples were apples then suns were donkies

1 votes

8%

It was a good opportunity for peole looking for that extra push to ki.. themselves

2 votes

23 votes | Poll has closed

[We've heard the voices of disapproval about the Shaq trade from both srp and myself. Time for a view from the other side. Thanks, jasonsuns1! -TexSUN]

It's really simple, most Suns fans are upset with the Shaq trade. For one major reason above all else, Shaq's age and health. Very valid concerns, but what very few are really talking about are the miracles the Suns physical trainers have been working with Hill, Nash, Amare etc! Hill and Shaq are neighbors in Florida, it's pretty clear Hill has been enjoying playing for the first time in years without serious injury.

Hill has said the things the Suns staff does is way beyond anything he's ever had for help (health wise). I'm sure Shaq knows this, and the Suns staff believes it can get Shaq playing like he was 4-5 years ago. I think they can, it's obvious they do.

Look at Amare, who might be considered the best comeback of micro fracture surgery to date in any sport! I keep reading articles that totally miss this, stupid Yahoo article is saying how horrible a trade this is, and how Shaq has to carry 350 lbs up and down the court. Apparently the writers at Yahoo can write anything without checking facts, Shaq weighs 315 or so, big difference. [Editor's note: From AZ Republic it's 312 and 12 percent body fat. That may be a typo, though. I saw somewhere else, East Valley tribune, I think (can't get their site to load to verify), that it's actually 321. Significantly less than 350, regardless.]

Shaq has a track record of getting it done, the only thing in the way is health, and I think the Suns might be the only team currently with the ability to help him....

Why are so many people missing this? There have been articles all over the Arizona papers about how the Suns' physical training staff is light years ahead of most other teams physical trainers.

I'm not saying its not a gamble, of course it is, but with our record against the top western teams, we had to do something, and yes Camby, Gasol, etc would've been great...but it didn't happen...sadly.

Which makes this a move very similar to the Celtics move, all or nothing. Of course KG doesn't have the health issues Shaq does, but he doesn't have the Suns trainers....

I'm telling ya, maybe, just maybe we get the Shaq from 3-4 years ago with 1-2 months of work from trainers....

Just look at who Shaq is playing with and tell me you're not excited!

Nash, Amare, Hill!! I have a new level of respect for Kerr, and within a year, many of you will be changing your minds, if a serious injury doesn't come along. I give the Shaq experiment a 70% chance of working out as planned, a title this year.

Poll

Do you thing the suns physical trainers can help shaq?

45%

Yes, just look at the results from Amare, Nash, etc

10 votes

18%

No, he's simply too old

4 votes

36%

As long as shaq knocks bowen on his ass, I'll pay to watch

8 votes

22 votes | Poll has closed

It's really simple, during the next 30 days we play 8 tough games. How will we do? Personally, I'm most excited to see the 2 N.O. games or Boston, huh...wait..I mean the Spurs....no wait...I mean the Lakers (revenge...). Really, I haven't seen a month with so many great teams set to play against us.

1-31-2008 (Home) S.A......28-14
2-6-2008 (Home) N.O.......31-12
2-13-2008 (Away) G.S......26-18
2-14-2008 (Home) Dallas...29-13
2-20-2008 (Home) Lakers...27-14
2-22-2008 (Home) Boston...34-7
2-24-2008 (Home) Detroit..31-13
2-27-2008 (Away) N.O......31-12

I'm making my predictions, but I will say this, even with the 2 losses to MN, I still think if we don't get destroyed on rebounds but stay within 5-8 behind, I think we can beat everyone of these teams. Some of the talk I've read about the Suns needing another big that can get 25 minutes a game and rebound 5-10 a game, plus 10 points a game sounds like that'd be enough to tip the scales for us. I've heard the argument that a player (a rebounding big) wouldn't fit into our system, and to that I say who cares. K.Thomas didn't fit, and helped us (and hurt us a little).

Anyways...my predictions..

Lose to S.A. by 5 (Duncan has our number, especially minus that big we need)

UPDATE BEAT S.A. BY 15!!

Lose to N.O. by 10 (they're hot)

Beat G.S. by 5

Beat Dallas by 10 (we've got their number)

Beat Lakers by 10 (missing Bynum, they're simply not the same, maybe 20% weaker)

Beat Boston by 2 (This is such a new team player   wise, I really have little to say before this first game)

Lose to Detroit by 6
Detroit is stronger in my view than in their last 2-3 years

Beat N.O. by 5

Final tally 6-2

It'd be a great win for us....
Of course these are wild guesses...

Poll

What will the Suns record be for these 8 games mentioned?

0%

4-4

0 votes

0%

4-3 (Marion will keep track of record for us)..couldn't help it, for what he gets paid, his rebounding numbers should never drop to 1 a game!

0 votes

19%

8 - 0

5 votes

0%

3-5

0 votes

7%

7-1

2 votes

0%

2-6

0 votes

53%

6-2

14 votes

0%

1-7

0 votes

19%

5-3

5 votes

0%

0-8

0 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed

Well, what a tough game. The pace was a lot of fun to watch, even in the loss. Mavs just killed us by continually getting offensive boards. Totals for offensive boards for this game...Mavs..19  ....Suns..7

Many missed opportunities for the Suns off steals. I think 4-5 times the Suns made a great steal and were off to the races to only end up losing the ball before getting a shot off on the fast break, we killed our own momentum. Dirk was quiet most the game, but hit his shots when it mattered most.

Just when I was making some negative comments on Amare, he starts playing with some passion. Some of his drives and dunks and hustle there were fantastic (Like no one on earth could stop him). I've always had a theory, very simple, very true. Its about how to do things, on something that matters to you, your job, your relationship, whatever, always try your hardest, always, and soon it'll come natural to you and you can't play any other way (Are all of the suns doing this?). Some yes, some no is my opinion. With Amare (maybe he is (injuries, knees, but on defense, probably not), I don't honestly know whats going on. There are moments when he plays like one of the top 3-4 players in the league. If Amare had played the whole game like that, that would've been something to see. Even the Mavs announcers (before I muted them at half) were talking about Amare not being the same dominant player they were expecting.

I saw Bell is hurt...no update yet, lets hope he is ok. I missed what happened. With the intensity there at the end, I was thinking someone was going to get hurt. I thought it was going to be marion on that flagrant foul by Dampier, or Marion on that should've been flagrant foul by Howard (cool to see Hill have some words with Howard) Let me try to guess what Hill said...That was a stupid thing to do, you know it and I know it, so maybe its time for you to go back to school or something. I think basketball should have a rule, if you can't catch them, it shouldn't turn into football. Also intentional foul by harris was missed. But, I'm not upset about the refs, calls get missed both ways.

I actually feel ok about this game, because we showed we can play defense (at least at the end), between marion, hill, and bell (and now skinner, and moments from amare) you have to feel good about that as a suns fan.

Many poor passes by the suns, passes that were shockingly bad. 49 rebounds mavs to 35 rebounds for suns.

Here's what really looks bad:

Mavs players
Dampier 10 rebounds
Dirk 9 rebounds
Howard 7 rebounds
Terry 6 rebounds

Suns players
Marion 10 rebounds (great as always, low by his high standards though haha)
Amare 8 rebounds
Hill 4 rebounds

Wow, I wonder what Skinner could do in 30 minutes?

Player of the game...Dirk, Howard and Dampier helped them the most... probably Dampier because of all the rebounds...or Dirk.

For us..Diaw was the only suns player to shoot poorly (ok..insert airball joke here, but Nash was 2 for 2 on threes before that).

My best memory of the night, Hill attacking the hoop without fear of injury. This guy was the best pickup for the price I think we've ever gotten...anyone think of anyone better? Is it a 1 yr deal then a new deal with Hill, will we be able to keep him? I'm sure we will, but who to dump, Diaw and Banks there's 13-14 million ahh!

Congrats to the mavs, winners of 6 of their last 7. Weird to see the suns drop 2 games to really poor record teams then play so well the last 2 games (in spurts).

Another thing about this game, and such an improvement over last year, the Suns weren't chucking up 30 three pointers, they were driving and running, I can't remember how many great passes for dunks there were, but there were many!

I have some friends that are Mavs fans, we didn't bet anything, they're still to into the Cowboys right now, understandably.

Even though we lost, this game was more fun to watch than the spurs game...ok...to a point..we won that and not this...but I'm sure I've made my point. At least I didn't see the mavs (Bowen reference) grabbing peoples arms and blatantly doing trashy things. I think both teams respect each other, and would be a great matchup in the playoffs, hopefully everyone is healthy.

When these 2 teams play, its fun to watch. It's a good competitor, that you know when they get open threes, they're going to hit them.

Anyways...night (fun week..glad I got to see that)

Also, found the following quote off AZ republic, very cool: "I've watched Shawn (Marion) and how he swarms guys going to the hoop," Hill said. "He does a great job on making reads. He's the best at it. In the past five games, I've started to get better at it."

Poll

what hurt us the most

6%

It's all about chicken fil a, they have great chicken minis, the suns missed eating them this morning...hmmm

1 votes

20%

first quarter - fell too far behind

3 votes

0%

refund! refund! refund! Ok.. you have to watch breaking away (movie)

0 votes

0%

magic 8 ball was broken, didn't know what to do

0 votes

0%

If you lead a horse to water, they'll drink, but you can't teach most fans to be nice

0 votes

0%

nash - everyone knows he normally makes those game winners

0 votes

0%

Banks - did he do anything during this game (sorry to banks and family..running out of ideas here)

0 votes

0%

i didn't wear my suns 13 shirt...but am planning on getting into voodoo doll making, friendly voodoo though, nothing crazy,

0 votes

40%

offensive boards by mavs

6 votes

33%

it was Bowens fault..

5 votes

15 votes | Poll has closed

Wow!! 12-8, 1 more lose and they'd be second to last in their division! Many think this is just temporary, I don't. I think they're in trouble. It seems for 1000's of years we've all been saying its all about the Mavs and Spurs, these are our toughest competitors. Well, I'm not so sure anymore, I think maybe yes for the Spurs, but even they are having Duncan injury problems, hopefully he comes back strong. Because, for me, I want this suns team to beat the other teams in the playoffs w/o anyone missing. I read on AZ Republic earlier today about what someone thought was the reason the suns didn't win. And I liked a lot of it, basically, the reader said the Suns offense sputtered out, yes we got some b.s calls, but if our offense was playing like it can, the calls would've never mattered! This year, this team, I don't see their offense struggling like last years, and some of it has to do with Barbosa growing as a player, and a lot of it has to do with Hill, and a lot of it has to do with us being able to keep Marion.

I'd worry more about the spurs and celtics than the mavs, but it's early. One thing I did notice on the celtics, as most of you already know, west teams play more games against other west teams, and east with east, The schedule for the celtics is much easier than the spurs/mavs/suns... schedule, w/o question.

Here's my question, and maybe most of you don't care, but, with the Nash connection, and the competitiveness the last 2 yrs, I'm curious what other suns fans think.
Whats happening to the Mavs..

Poll

The Mavs are 12-8, what will their record be in 20 games

53%

24-16

14 votes

0%

20-20

0 votes

3%

16-24

1 votes

26%

Please never mention the mavs as a subject for a diary again

7 votes

15%

28-12

4 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed

[Editor's Note: Hmmm... Maybe jasonsuns1 is onto something with his 2-0 record during recaps. When this road trip started, I was thinking we'd be looking at a 3-1 week with three blowouts and a close, fatigue-induced loss in this one. Instead the Suns end up with a 3-1 week anyway, with the loss coming in the last place I expected it. But like a wise soul recently said, a loss is a loss and a win is a win. The Suns are 5-2, nearly equaling their 2004-05 start. Not bad for a team that many think is still hitting its stride.]

Suns Play well for 4 quarters. Barbosa really was on fire tonight, 8-13 from the 3 point line, wow!
Great to see. I'm excited about his play tonight!

Seemed like Nash was the only other Suns player shooting really well tonight, 9-13 with 19 points.

I like Hill, I really do, but the Suns need to wake up and have him attack the basket, or shoot 15-18 foot shots, not 3 pointers! (2 for 8 tonight) Hill can attack the basket as well as anyone in the league, why aren't the Suns exploiting this? The few times Hill attacked the basket, he scored. Am I alone on thinking this, or could Hill be scoring 30+ if he attacked the hoop?

Seems like Howard was getting a lot of calls going his way, pretty frustrating. During the 3rd quarter, 83-62 with 2:42 left, I kind of kept thinking one thing, let's play some of our bench. Isn't it a smart thing to try and give 7-10 minutes to some of the bench in games where your clearly ahead? I just don't agree with the
Suns strategy on this.

I've been writing this during the game, and there's maybe 2 minutes left, all starters are still in but the Suns are up by 20+!! Also, instead of playing DJ, or anyone off the bench, it appears it's more important to get Hill to shoot and miss another 3! (Update, it's important to look at things from multiple angles, the Suns ended up winning by 10, maybe our bench is that week, but isn't this more the reason to play them more?)

This game has been Phoenix all the way, but the free throw line has something interesting. Only 5 freethrows the entire game for the Suns, while the Magic has taken 18. Right as I type this, the coach puts in DJ! Yes! As badly as I wanted DJ to see some time, kind of cool to see Barbosa hit another 3!

I think for DJ to really gain anything from any playing time, it needs to be during the game, not garbage time! Is it that hard to play hime 8-10 minutes somewhere?

GO SUNS
(side note, suns 2 for 2 during my recaps, hmmm...playoffs :-) )

[Editor's note: Just about to sit down and watch the game, presuming the online broadcast works better now than it did during the game (i.e., not at all). Thanks, jasonsuns1 for giving us the recap!]

Wow, the Suns offense came back in force tonight, especially nice to see after their first few games, and having Amare out. 8 players in double figures,

Raja Bell found his shot and got 16 points with 4 of 9 3pt shooting (don't have to tell him to shoot more :-) ).

Marion has simply been tearing it up, between his 2 quick three pointers, and his fantastic 11 rebounds. I'm going to have to start changing my thinking an give him the number 2 spot on this team as far as importance. And in some ways, number 1, WOW! With games like tonight, Marion starts creeping into the MVP race!

Boy, as a Suns fan, did I need this game!

Barbosa, 1-6 on 3 pointers, but still scored 16 points and wasn't invisible. I've heard Barbosa likes blondes, maybe we need a few assistant blonde coaches.

Diaw, 16 points and 11 ASSISTS!! He might be the player of the game, unfortunately it brings up the thought that he performs much better when Amare is out. Simple solution, change Amare's name, alright, that might not work..

Grant Hill, 7 rebounds, 11 points. Another quiet but helpful night. I expect Hill to have some breakout games soon, but it can't be stressed enough how important it is to have his defense and rebounding, and decision making. I'm voting for Hill for president..(hmmm.. what's his stance on blondes, my wife is blonde).

Sean Marks, another candidate for player of the game, 5 for 7 shooting, 13 points in 16 minutes, plus 3 rebounds. I only hope he gets 15-20 minutes
over 80% of the next 20 games to see what we really might have there...great job Mr. Marks!

Steve Nash, nice to see his assists in double digits for such limited playing time! Also good to see him aggressive and scoring early..I might vote for him for President also (how many times can I vote?)

Finally, Marcus Banks, he's been in the nba 6 years. His birthday is 1 day away from mine (his is 11/19/1981)...ok, so I'm 10 yrs older. When a player scores in a game like he does, the reaction is cool, he can score. But when he does it a few times in a row, and we're very early into the season, it starts to get exciting. I think we have someone here, NICE!! Especially after the general opinion of Banks being a bad fit for us last season. 2-3 on 3 pointers tonight!
11-27 for 3 pointers in pre-season, and 7 for 15 so far this season. (Alright 0-4 vs LAL), but still, plus he has the speed and effort to be a tremendous help on defense.

On Bobcats, Jason Richardson (great first name) was coming in from a 6 3pointer performance during his previous game before playing us, and the best start in the history of Charlotte. The other big name Gerald Wallace and Richardson shot 8 for 23.
That was the story for the Bobcats, too little offense, and no answer for the Suns offense! Oh, here's a shout to Raymond Felton, I hope he's ok and able to play soon.

Two other really big stats

Turnovers
24 for Bobcats
10 for Phoenix (only 1 in the first quarter)!

Rebounding
51 Bobcats
45 Suns
(but Suns were up 26-22 on rebounds at half, nice to not see this number not be such a big difference)

Awesome game!! Now to do this against the Mavs or Spurs, looks like we're going to have a wait until one of those games.

2-0 against Eastern conference, remember last year, 14-1 on the road against the East, 1 game away from perfect!

 

There's an azrepublic article out that really gets me excited, maybe as excited as I've ever been about the Suns chances this season.

Link to az article
First off, I've only been closely following the Suns for 3 years now, before that, you'd have to go back to Barkley and before for me to have been watching the nba much. So, I've heard of Hill, but hadn't seen much of his play. I knew he was thought of as the guy Jordan was passing the torch to when he retired (10 times or whatever), so I watched a few youtube videos

You tube video 1

You tube video 2
 
You tube video 3

I especially liked his suns interview. But, back to the az article, when reading about how he's been able to play on the court this early apparently due to the suns trainer techniques, and how excited he is, I really start to get excited. This guy (G.Hill) is a class act, and I think it's fate that we got him, I just have to say, I can't wait for this team to start playing... I'm buying a sports package so I can watch all of their season games!! I can't believe Marion isn't excited about having this guy come onboard. Or if he is, it sure hasn't influenced Marion to be excited about being with the Suns. I feel like Miami just after landing Shaq. Of course, the Suns team was already a championship level team, but this helps a lot!! New Suns slogan...."Older is better, next year we're trying bionics"

Poll

Do you really comprehend what a healthy, motivated, hungry Grant Hill can add to our team?

0%

No,

0 votes

0%

Want a third answer that will win you the lottery

0 votes

31%

Pick me and Marion will talk with the suns about $15 million a yr for 5 yrs and get out of this funk he's in

5 votes

68%

Yes, I've known he was a stud for years, as long as he can keep healthy

11 votes

16 votes | Poll has closed

On the radio today,
 the subject was the Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks,
Link to 1999 article and other sports team owners. The radio broadcaster said he thinks Sports Teams shouldn't be run for business, they should be run for the thought of winning. That Mark Cuban, Jerry Jones, etc have their issues, but at least they want to win above making money. Tom Hicks was on the radio with a lot of very silly comments. One was "if we do well, we'll do well, but if we don't we won't", (something like that), another was he was in this for one reason, and one reason alone, and that was to win..... and not lose money. The sports broadcaster just couldn't stop laughing about the contradiction and about the poor state of the Rangers. It should be noted that Hicks is a billionaire a few times over, or at least that's what wiki kind of projects.

The thought for discussion is this, a lot of sport team owners have 10 times the money it cost to buy a team, they're already filthy rich off other things, and for them, they're in sports to try and win. Sadly, Sarver doesn't fit into this group. He didn't pay for the team with 5-10% of the money he has, he is part of a group of investors, sounds to me like the Suns are a little more about business than winning. Maybe I'm wrong, and I'm not a fan of Cuban, but it would be nice to have an owner with deep pockets! Of course, the spurs have won so many times, and on a smaller budget. But let's not talk about the spurs, I'd like to pretend they don't exist for awhile. Helps me sleep. Here's the question to you, would you be happier if our owner was a billionaire and was clearly the owner and involved because he wanted the team to win it all, or does it not matter. I give Sarver credit for being at the games and cheering with his foam finger :-)

Poll

Who would you like to be the owner of the suns?

6%

Mark Cuban

1 votes

6%

Bill Gates

1 votes

12%

Some other Billionaire

2 votes

31%

Happy with Sarver

5 votes

43%

Jerry Colangelo or his son!

7 votes

0%

Steve Nash (In there for our Vash-son of Nash bloggers)

0 votes

16 votes | Poll has closed

The question is how did steve nash become a worthy mvp player and kerr didn't. I'm not saying Kerr was,
that's not my point. My point is, both players are physically similar, and both a GREAT shooters, both a very smart and good with the ball. What is it that made Nash into a superstar and not Kerr?

I think part of it is timing, part of it is the suns system fits Nash and his ability perfectly, part of it is Nash has the trust of the head coach as much, or more so than any other player has ever had. How much of it has to do with competitiveness, a lot I think. We've all heard how Michael Jordan, Bird, etc were incredibly competitive, I'm not saying Nash is in their league, he's not, but as a competitor, he is. Nash has the desire to win 100% of the time, for whatever reason, this suns team this year in the playoffs, as a whole, didn't have that desire more than 50-75% of the time.

Back to Nash and Kerr, I like Kerr a lot. I got my first taste of college basketball watching Kerr and Sean Elliot at U of A (my brother went there the same 4 yrs). Kerr was on a few nba teams that won it all, bulls, spurs, (maybe a third) 4 rings total I think. It makes me wonder what is it that Kerr didn't have that Nash does? (I'm just curious
to compare)

Maybe the best answer is Nash has become a leader with a great attitude of unselfishness that helps the team get along. Sorry to switch subjects, but, there is one key point people need to really have in their minds when talking about the suns, nash-amare, etc and why this K.G. move should happen. When Nash won mvp, then again the next year, then was in a close run to win a third time. I can't help but think this bothered Marion and Amare. Especially Amare. We've heard K.G. call Nash and congratulate him during the first mvp win. This should tell us, that K.G. isn't a me first type of guy, unlike Kobe, Amare, Shaq,Arenas, etc. To me, this is the reason we should trade Amare (he has great trade value) for K.G.

Back to Kerr, I think Kerr might have been missing
Nash's soccer (running) speed. A comment I've heard again and again, right once the halftime starts, and Nash goes to talk to a reporter, he's not out of breathe. To have him love soccer so much, and cross train, etc has done nothing but good things for Nash. Let's hope Kerr can turn this suns team of poor decisions (last year) around. Bryan Colangelo, losing him hurt us more than most fans probably know.

One last thing on Kerr, it's easy to see why he was on so many championship teams, he's a 3pt assassin, teams that are very good already love having a specialist. For us it's bell, marion on defense or Nash passing on offense. Or do you think different?

Poll

what changed from last yrs team to 2 yrs ago team in the playoffs

66%

Can't compare due to playoff seeding doesn't accurately rate teams success, this year in my mind, we played in the finals against the spurs

6 votes

11%

Shooting, we simply didn't make shots, and if you notice, a lot of teams don't against the spurs, good defense, or getting away with pulling and tugging on a spurs level

1 votes

11%

The chemistry (team with / without amare)

1 votes

11%

The desire to win wasn't as strong this past yr as a whole

1 votes

9 votes | Poll has closed

Here's the link

Sports article in SI.com about possible K.G. for STAT

Really simple, some artciles have stated what I already know, and the internal Suns might think, Amare has a low basketball IQ and a low IQ period. The Phoenix fans have really been nicer about Amare blowing it on defense, and on the suspension, and motivating the spurs than they should be! I like Marion, he's a class act like Nash. Kevin Garnett is
the type of rare player who could do much more than a few flashy dunks, he can play defense w/o fouling out in 5 minutes. I know you STAT fans won't like this, but if you really want a title now, this is the move to make ... STAT for K.G. and we give them diaw and banks to even out the money. Don't know details on $$, just guesses, I didn't become an nba fan to calculate salaries.

I think this will possibly happen, if we had gotten the top 4-7 pick from atlanta, maybe something else would've happened, but I think we're forced to do something like this with Nash getting older. Amare and Marion clash, look how close the suns were w/o amare last year, I say we dump him, look what we could get. K.G. and unselfish great player who is in Tim Duncan range as a player, but doesn't have the cast the spurs do, hence he doesn't get the credit he deserves.

Poll

Would you consider a K.G. for STAT trade if we could dump off banks and diaw.

11%

have a different trade in mind with same 2 key figures

3 votes

19%

have a different trade in mind with marion instead of amare

5 votes

11%

want to keep the team intact and just make minor changes like dumping banks...

3 votes

34%

yes

9 votes

23%

no

6 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed

This is an article from hoopsworld

Here's my problem, just like the articel says. The owners of the teams are the ones (even if only one (Sarver))who needed to step forward and tweak the rule for a little flexibility. No owners have stepped forward. Stern asked,no one responded. I don't think the Phoenix media is really onto this. Basically, Sarver said changing this rule was the first thing on his agenda during the off season. Then why hasn't he done anything? Was his support of Amare empty? Personally, I think Sarver owes us an explanation for not doing anything. I clearly believe the rule needs a little tweaking, where only players from the bench that actually talk shi. to other players, or physically touch other players (even a push) should be punished. But players doing something similar to what Amare & Diaw did, nothing.

So, I repeat again, why hasn't at least Sarver done anything? I used to think Stern and Jackson were morons, but apparently Sarver is one also. A bigger one by my opinion, at least Jackson and Stern were only enforcing a bad rule. Sarver is not doing what his job to us Phoenix fans is, doing what he says he'll do. A real simple rule I have,

DO WHAT YOU SAY, AND SAY WHAT YOU MEAN!

The number of people the actually follow such a simple rule is very small. At least in the nba.
It's really simple, what happens when a similar action by a player(s) happens again in the playoffs, the owners will look like idiots (especially Sarver) for not doing what they said they would do.

Am I missing something?
Another article saying the same thing roughly
My favorite part is where Stern says he's a happy commissioner about the finals. I don't think the United States agrees with him, the lowest ratings ever for a nba finals (Isn't that correct?). Either Stern and the nba is making a lot of money internationally and don't care about the U.S. as much, or they're idiots. The lowest ratings for nba finals

Poll

Who do you blame for not doing anything when Stern asked the owners about any rule changes recently

36%

The owners (specifically Sarver)

8 votes

50%

No one, the rule is fine, Amare & Diaw blew our season

11 votes

13%

The Spurs for manipulating the rules to hurt us

3 votes

22 votes | Poll has closed

A lot going on obviously with the Kobe thing, etc. I was traveling from Dallas to Phoenix a few hours ago and Jason Terry (Mavs) was on the plane. I had happened to see a youtube video of him recently, where he was chasing a ball out of bounds, then fell on an older lady, he made sure she was ok, then kissed her on the cheek. I thought it was pretty cool, my wife loved it. So, even with the "finley" incident, I like Terry. He's always happy and tries hard. So, I wrote him a short letter and passed it to him on the plane. It basically mentioned the youtube video, and that I thought his actions there were pretty cool. And that my name was Jason, and that my wife is 5-6 mths pregnant with a boy, and she had asked me if I wanted to name the baby Jason. I thought it would be selfish, so I said no thanks, but in the letter, I told Terry, hey, we could name the baby after you and I wouldn't feel guilty (lol). Just being silly, anyways, when I handed him the note, I walked back to my seat. An hour later, the plane landed, and I was in the back. Jason Terry was in the front, so he was already off. Well, as I got off the plane into the gate, he and his friend were pulled over, and it was obvious they were waiting for me. He shook my hand and we talked. He asked for my business card and his friend said they'd send me some clothing, etc (Very nice...let's not discuss if it says mavs on it, I'll go to the basketball court next to our house which is filled every day and pass out the clothing there, Suns fan til the end). Anyways, he said he was expecting a baby in a month. He asked what I did for a living, and talked some more. I told him during one of the last suns games against
the Mavs, I remembered him and stackhouse hitting a lot of 3pt shots, the suns were up by 5 or more, and it was near the end. Terry and stack both hit some 3's and the game went into o.t. Anyways, just thought I'd mention it, he was very nice, and him and stackhouse are the 2 mavs players I like. Anyways...Comment as you wish... P.S. On the way Lebron is playing, I might actually watch a few more games this year if he keeps playing like this. To have someone jump a foot or 2 above everyone and dunk, and to have someone as skillfull as he is (similar to kobe, or coming up on it) be thinking pass... it's pretty cool. Man, what a shame, I had a chance to ask Jason Terry something but blew it. I figure with his connections, he might actually know what that season finale of LOST(tv show) actually was about, anyone....?

Poll

Not from the suns, who would you rather meet and talk to in an airport?

0%

Jason Kidd (Nets)

0 votes

35%

Dirk (Mavs)

6 votes

11%

Kobe (Lakers)

2 votes

23%

Jabberjaw (cartoon shark)

4 votes

29%

Jason Terry (Mavs)

5 votes

17 votes | Poll has closed

Editor's Note: I clicked on this link very warily because it just seemed far fetched that Bowen would actually do that in a game. But after reading Amare's comments and seeing the replay, I think this is important enough to bring to the front page to get more reaction. What do you think about this?


Stoudemire says Bowen tried to injure him

Wow, this is some juicy stuff. I'm looking for the YouTube video. I'm sure we're going to hear a lot about this over the next 2-5 days. I think this will motivate both teams, but should help force the refs to look more closely at the Spurs. I'm off to go eat dinner, I love it. (Added later, important to note I don't love that this happened, I do love that we have the means to pass to video around to each other so easily)

youtube video of Bruce Bowen kicking Amare Stoudemire

Poll

Should anything come of this

67%

Bowen 1 game suspension

19 votes

14%

Nothing

4 votes

17%

Something else,

5 votes

28 votes | Poll has closed

Link to hoops world article

Poll

If you had to trade 1 Sun, who would it be?

0%

The Gorilla (don't do it, he's cool)

0 votes

0%

Steve Nash

0 votes

50%

Amare

6 votes

50%

Marion

6 votes

0%

Barbosa

0 votes

12 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

Link to article

Nice read, nice to see stuff like this being on an L.A. news page. In my view, you can't compare Nash with Magic and others until Nash has won a title or two. But it's a nice compliment to Nash that many are. Plus, even then it'd be a mistake to do that sort of comparison, Nash is a team guy, when he says this mvp is due to the team, he's not just being humble, like if Jordan said that while on the Bulls, Nash is saying this because the Suns are much more of a team than most other teams in a long time. I think I read the Suns had 34 of 41 baskets against L.A. the last game come on
assists.

My point for comments, Nash shouldn't be called the greatest point guard ever (wait until his career is over, before any comments like this). But to say such things now, especially before our first championship, seems wrong.

One thing I will venture to say, I think Michael Jordan was one of the most competitive players in any sport to ever play, and the definition of clutch. Nash is very competitive, I don't think he has the talent to take over like Jordan did, but Nash does have the influence, basketball iq,  and power to take over a game.

Poll

What is Steve Nash's greatest attribute?

36%

His basketball IQ

4 votes

18%

His competitiveness

2 votes

9%

His unselfishness

1 votes

18%

His ability to make the entire team get along (not by himself)

2 votes

18%

His sore back, which actually isn't an injury, but it's a third eye which explains his passing ability

2 votes

11 votes | Poll has closed

I've been reading a lot of Suns and Spurs fans thinking if Dallas falls, that the path to the finals becomes a 2 horse race between the Spurs and Suns. I disagree, I think that Denver does still have a chance at beating the Spurs and I haven't counted them out yet, even though it's a 10-20% chance in my view. Also G.S. is winning the series as much as Dallas is losing it. I think G.S. is playing at such a higher level than their record shows that most fans don't really see G.S. as the threat they are (very serious). It makes for great playoffs though having so many great teams in it. I remember so many years where it was always one or two teams. But, in my view there are 5 or 6 very serious title contenders, making this a great playoffs. Dan, I can't get this ready this year, a lot going on with my work, but I'd like to create a little web application where all the users, Vash, TexSun, etc can click their winners of each series before they start for fun... final four style... anyone like this idea for next year...