Phoenix Suns

Yeah, Phoenix plays with a tight rotation (Jalen Rose isn't getting the time of day). But the eight they use run like a well-tuned machine.

And although the Heat 'upset' the Mavs, very few will deny the refs blew that call in Game 4 (was that the one where Wade got 'fouled' with a few seconds left?). They practically gave Wade the series.

 

Before the series no one gave Miami a shot.

Actually, I expected Miami to win, although I was in the minority there.

Thing is, the East is even weaker this year than last year. Even if someone does pull off a few miracles to win the finals, who in the East can you really say is even close to being in the same league as Phoenix or Dallas? Even San Antonio and Houston are better than anyone in the East right now.

 

I love Steve Nash, and I give him every bit he deserves as a player. Buyt be fair, he performed every bit as well in Dallas, and it's not fair to take that away from him.

 

i don't think so, juli. i think nash has taken his game to another level while in phoenix, a level that puts him squarely among the game's all-time greats for the past two and a half seasons. he did great things in dallas, but he's become a hall of famer here in phoenix. i sometimes think that we sent him off to you to learn how to run a team and become an all-star, and then we got him back as a finished product (and shawn marion to boot, thanks to that trade).

it's just like randy johnson, who did very well in seattle, but became a hall of famer while in arizona. when their careers are over, and if nash can win a title, there will be some serious debate here in the valley as to who was the better mid-career free agent signing (both of which were controversial, and for similar reasons). the unit won four straight cy youngs here, a world championship and pitched a perfect game (and struck out the side on nine pitches once, which has been done fewer times than a perfect game). nash has won two MVPs and helped turn around a rather mediocre franchise upon his return here. if nash wins a title, it may well be even.

damn, just thinking about the down times of 1996 and the somewhat above average teams of the late 1990s makes me appreciate what we have now. i remember that 0-13 start (it took nash 14 games to finally win a game as a pro), and even after kidd arrived, kobe bryant and shaq stood in the way in L.A., and they never got past the second round (and that was just once, in 2000).

 

I agree with KW here - Nash played great while in Dallas, but he has really taken his game up a notch since going to Phoenix. Heck, he's stepped his game up just from last year to this year, and he was the MVP last year (though admittedly I would have had Nash 3rd last year personally, despite having had him 1st the previous year and his numbers only getting better)

Thats not to diminish anything he did in Dallas, though.

 

I agree. Nash was great in Dallas, but is now exceptional with Phoenix. I have to believe a lot has to do with the offense. In Dallas, Nash was part of the Big 3 with Dirk Nowitski and Michael Finley. In Dallas, there was a lot more half court offense going on because Dirk and Finley were great one on one players. With Phoenix, not to take anything away from Stoudmire or Shawn Marrion, but there not on Dirk's level as one on one players. So it's to everyone's benefit on Phoenix that they run. And boy, do they run. It seems like the basketball equilivent to St. Louis's greatest show on turf or the Colts offense today. You watch a suns hightlight and it's always Nash on the fastbreak feeding Amare or Marrion with an easy layup or feeding Raja Bell for a wide up three. It's just incredible watching the Suns. So my point is that Steve absolutely thrives in that kind of offense. His assists are waaay up and so his scoring. When Nash left Dallas, he was considered a pretty good point guard and a real loss for the Mavs. But now, with two straight MVPs and probably a third this guy is a hall of famer, like I posted earlier I haven't seen one player dominate a game like this since LA Shaq.

 

I'm starting to get worried that the NBA record for consecutive wins, held by the Lakers (33 in a row, '71'72 season) maybe in jeopardy. That, and what Phoenix may do in the playoffs.

 

the suns won't get that long a streak, tunick.

but it may be worth noting that if not for a snowstorm and a raja bell turnover, they might already have it.

 

Have the Suns made up that game with Denver yet?

 

It's really annoying that Wade gets calls that refs wouldn't give another star like Dirk. It's obviously because Cuban pisses off Stern to no extent and criticizes poor officiating.

 

I worked during the day today so I actually get to watch a Suns game.

yay.


I haven't seen them play live in like a week.

 

i feel compelled to say that after about 17 or so years of watching the Suns, it warms my heart to see the same theme music for the suns on their local network games (which are all on the road, with the rare exception here and there) that they used back in 1991. the people have changed (or, in the case of dan majerle and eddie johnson, just gone from the court to the broadcast booth), but the music remains the same.

a little thing, but continuity and tradition is nice sometimes .

I haven't seen them play live in like a week.



i work during the day, so i get to watch pretty much all the games.

edit: i've had the feeling today that the streak will end tonight. we'll see if that's on target.

 

For once, I'm glad your right KW.

 

my intuition has been remarkable so far this year. a tired suns team went down to a determined Garnett and the T-Wolves. that's okay. it had to end sometime (again), and they'll have a couple days off before facing the Spurs.

 

I was kinda glad they lost tonight. The last thing I wanted was for Duncan and the Spurs to be motivated to end the Suns streak.

 

i think they'll dispose of the spurs on thursday, perhaps in easy fashion.

 

the spurs made it a close game with about 7-8 minutes left to play... then the Suns went on a 10-2 run and never looked back, winning by 16.

Spurs scored 87 points, shot 39% from the floor and 26% from beyond the arc.

Marion had 12 rebounds, Amare had 23 rebounds to go with his 24 points, Nash had 11 assists and Barbosa had 25 points off the bench... just another day for the Suns.

 

lol, San Antoniowned

 

I love your insightful input oneverything.



EDIT: What Elias say about the Suns...



? Steve Nash had 11 assists Thursday, and he's had at least 10 assists in each of his past 10 games. It's the fourth time in his career that Nash has had at least 10 assists in 10 straight games. The last NBA player other than Nash to have a streak like that was Mark Jackson, who had a 14-game streak in December 1996/January 1997.

? Amare Stoudemire had 23 rebounds against the Spurs on Thursday, the most by any San Antonio opponent in the Tim Duncan era in Texas. The last Spurs opponent with that many rebounds was Dennis Rodman, who had a 26-rebound game against the David Robinson-led Spurs in 1993.

? With their win Thursday, the Suns became the first team in NBA history to play the first 46 games of a season without suffering a double-digit loss. The 1995-96 Bulls reached the 45-game mark but lost game No. 46 by 10 points to none other than the Suns (106-96).

 

Hey they started out and were blowing Phoenix away, it's two bad they sucked/kept up/destroyed themselves with mental mistakes the last seven minutes. Plus it puts the Mavs another half game up in our division.

 

shouldn't you be more concerned about the Suns takin the number one seed?

 

suns look unstoppable sometimes

 

Hey they started out and were blowing Phoenix away

not at all. I knew it was a mirage, and it's a testament to how strong the suns are this year that i didn't have more than the tiniest fragment of concern in me. I suspect the Spurs knew the Suns would hit their stride eventually. Typically, when the Suns start cold, they heat up later on in a big way.

 

Believe me, I expected nothing less. The Spurs have become a tired old team, compared to the young bucks, but they are still a team to respect and they have beaten both the Suns and the Mavs this season, right?

Though, there's no way in hell I think they would ever make it past a best of seven series against either team.


BTW, AJ I'm not so worry about seeding. As long as the "un"Official Western Conference Finals aren't played in the semi-finals, this year.

 

the Bulls, despite their recent troubles, beat the Suns recently. haw haw. that is all.