Suns vs Nuggets

Two games in two nights against the Nuggets. First to 150 or so wins.

Ugh.

Friday Link Dump

Not a good week thus far for the Suns. Brutal, overtime loss to the Pistons with awful officiating? Check. Painful, embarrassing loss with guys just not showing up? Check.

A win in a revenge game against a suddenly red-hot Sixers team followed with a solid practice against the Nets will go a long way in getting this team back on track and ready for a home and home next week with a Nuggets team who just got a shot in the arm.

Some links from this week:

-GREAT post from TrueHoop on the rules for timeouts and how technical fouls are tied in. See the update for how the Suns/Celtics triple-overtime thriller helped rewrite the rules.

Still can't believe Westphal is coaching with Avery.

-pretty rare, but the Suns as a team made Basketbawful's worst of the night for their performance against the Celtics. Couldn't agree more. They STUNK.

-also via Basketbawful, video of Charles Barkley dropping 56 points on the Warriors in Game 3 of their '94 playoff series. I encourage you to watch the whole video, I really do.

It's every point Barkley scores and its incredibly fun to watch. Note Chris Gatling being prominently involved and the complete lack of defense played by both teams. Also note that was a great, great Suns team and Mario Elie can burn in hell.



-Jack McCallum sees the Suns with a first-round matchup against the Jazz. It's usually at this point where I say how scary the Jazz are and that Deron Williams and Boozer's eyebrows give me nightmares...but every team in the West has something that scares the hell out of me.

Point is, there's no way to predict what will happen and how the cards will fall. No one wants to play anyone.

-Simmons also weighs in on the Western Conference and how he sees things shaking out. He does a damn fine job (I wish he'd just write NBA all the time, I really do) and hits the nail on the head for the Suns, especially with this:

Biggest weakness: Other than the obvious defensive deficiencies with Nash (and to a lesser extent, Barbosa and Amare), you know what's weird about this team? They never, ever, EVER seem to get calls in big moments. You'd think with good guys like Nash, Shaq and Hill that the refs would be falling all over themselves to favor Phoenix, but it's actually the opposite -- for instance, in that Detroit game this week, the Suns lost in overtime because of three indefensibly horrible calls in a row. We might see Mike D'Antoni pistol whip a referee before everything's said and done this season.

(Follow-up tangent: It's incredible to me that Shaq, one of the 12 greatest players of all-time, doesn't get any respect from the refs at this stage of his career. Remember the way Kareem was treated from 1985 to 1989? You couldn't breathe on him without getting a foul, which made no sense because nobody liked Kareem! Meanwhile, everyone loves Shaq and he gets called like he's Jamaal Magloire. It's legitimately bizarre. Even Reggie Miller was getting every call at the end of his career, and he wasn't one-fourth of the player that Shaq was. I don't get it.)

I'm not so sure I'm prepared for losing in the playoffs but if it's at the hands of the Lakers in the Conference Finals as he predicts, I will completely derail.

-Shaq thinks KG doesn't play defense. I know he's trying to prop up Amare and give him more confidence every day, but this is ridiculous. Apparently he didn't watch Amare whimper through the 3rd quarter and most of the 4th against the Celtics the other night.

KG clearly got in Amare's head and rearranged some furniture. He completely shut him down.

-big surprise, Pat Riley can't keep his mouth shut. The bitch of the entire situation is that if Shaq had done just that, none of this would be going on in the first place.

Shaq, we love you, but there's a time and a place for dirty laundry.

-Doc Rivers is happy for his former player.

-the guys at Hardwood Paroxysm were good enough to link to the blog. Thanks again, guys. Via their site comes David Stern being a sarcastic dick and dropping another "help me out."

Recipe for Disaster

-21 turnovers
-13 point first quarter deficit
-terrible body language
-3 turnovers in 3 possessions to begin the 2nd half
-17 offensive rebounds for the opposition
-2 30 point quarters given up
-117 points given up

Mix with lackluster focus and effort and enjoy an embarrassing, frustrating loss in just 48 minutes!

Note to Self: DO NOT Get Rowdy on Mill Ave.

Looks like Shaq will be continuing his volunteer work with police, this time in Tempe.

If the chain restaurants and overall corporate atmosphere wasn't enough to make you stay away from Mill Ave., perhaps a 7'2" 330 or so pound police deputy will be.

Wait, scratch that. I'm thinking of this all wrong. It's the wrong tone.

Shaq body-slamming a drunken bar patron or other various troublemaker on Mill would make for the greatest YouTube video ever. EVER.



thank you to faithful reader Clydesdale for the tip

I Don't Give A Damn 'Bout Our Reputation

GREAT song from Joan Jett.

The Suns actually took heed last night and for the most part matched the physical play of the Pistons. Unfortunately, the officials saw it differently and gave the benefit of the doubt to the Pistons on most calls/non-calls.

The point I'm failing miserably at trying to make here is the Pistons' reputation helped them immensely last night. They're a rugged, Eastern Conference team known for their tough, on the ball defense and overall physical play.

The Suns, on the other hand, have a reputation as for lack of a better term, a finesse team. The team likes to get out and run and play a brand of defense that would make a great matador proud.

At least that's what the referees seem to think.

We can only hope that come playoff time, reputation will either no longer matter or this team will have changed the view others have of them enough to be allowed to participate in a game marked by physical play.

I honestly don't think it's too much to ask from officials. Listen, they have arguably the toughest job in sports. They really do. Basketball is an incredibly fast-paced game played by extremely large men with out of this world verticals, uncommon strength and bad tempers. I don't envy what the referees go through every night.

But it can be better. It has to be better.

to read me cry some more and ignore the Suns simply not executing down the stretch, see here

Not a Huge Fan of Daylight Savings

4:30pm start for Suns/Pistons tonight? Don't these people know some of us have to work every day? Better get my butt in gear so I can head home early to watch the Suns hopefully exact some revenge.

Some quick thoughts on tonight's game:
-The Pistons lost to Washington last night and their old bones could be tired. A strong start is essential for the Suns, maybe run these guys off the court.

-Detroit loves playing the top teams in the league, they take it personally that someone else is being showered with praise. I really wouldn't doubt if they laid an egg last night to gear up for tonight.

-Rasheed especially killed the Suns the last time these two matched up, Amare will really have his hands full. It'll be interesting to see if Amare can get his 30 and 10 when having to exert more effort on the defensive end.

-it's amazing how far the Suns have come since the Pistons embarrassed them here in Phoenix. They're a totally different team. We can only hope their confidence level remains sky high and they put together a complete game tonight.

-Nash has arguably the toughest matchup of the night. Chauncey is bigger and stronger and isn't afraid to mix it up. Keep an eye on him pushing off on offense and really bodying Nash on the defensive end.

-the Pistons scare me more than Boston does. I know the Celtics are scorching hot again and have Pierce, KG and Allen but Detroit has been together for years now. They run on what seems like auto pilot. It's amazing what experience and chemistry can do for a team.

-looks like Raja will be playing. Many people think LB should continue to get the nod as he averages a whopping 25 a game when this happens but this understates what Raja brings to the table.

Does anyone really think LB will be able to chase Richard (I refuse to call him Rip) Hamilton around screen as effectively as Raja? He'll put more points on the board but Raja is a cornerstone of this team. To break that down now would be folly. Besides, he's been bombing threes as well as anyone lately.

Friday Link Dump

It's been another good week thus far for the Suns. Can't argue with the results that much, two more victories were notched. Sure, the game in Seattle featured a staggering amount of turnovers but the Suns were able to impose their will in the 4th quarter and take care of business.

The suddenly reeling Rockets are in town tomorrow and will most likely try and muck things up and slow the game down. It's unfortunate Raja will not be able to participate. Expect some pre and post game thoughts tomorrow.

Onto some links.

-Tim Donaghy is a piece of crap. And David Stern was his enabler. Now it seems he's more a piece of trash than previously thought.

-Amare for MVP? He's playing maybe the best basketball of his career right now but I find it to be a bit of a stretch.

I would tend agree with this assessment. It's tough to separate what Amare does from what Nash does. However, Shoals, as always, has a point as well.

One other observation, it's easy to wonder why Amare even cares and why he's thinking about it. Looks to me like he was asked the question, so at least in this case, criticism of his ego is unwarranted.

-Nash continues to show us he's much more than a basketball player. I'm very interested in what he does with his post-basketball life. It's abundantly clear there aren't many people in the world with their heads screwed on as straight as Steve Nash.

-for as well as the Suns have played they're still 11th in Hollinger's Power Rankings. Marc Stein uses more common sense than numbers and has the Suns at number 7. Marty Burns places the Suns 10th in the league and believes they still have work to do.

That sound you just heard from the Suns' locker room was Shaq grumbling: "We got 'em right where we want 'em."

-Jack McCallum finally spends some more time with the Suns. Oh how I wish he'd write a book about our team every year.

SuperSonic Slumpbuster

As we all know, the Suns are 0-5 in the second game of a back-to-back on the road this year. Thankfully, tonight's opponent is the Seattle SuperSonics, an astonishingly bad team with an aversion to playing defense. See: Denver, 168 points.

As Coach D said, this one is a "professional game," meaning the Suns need to take care of business and leave no doubt as to who the superior team is.

Earlier in the year or even week one with Shaq, this game would concern me. Not so much a loss but that the effort would be lacking and the Sonics would be allowed to stick around into the fourth quarter.

At this point in the season, the chances of that happening are slim to none. Look no further than the swagger displayed by the Suns in last night's victory over Portland. With Amare in foul trouble, the bench led the way as Shaq put the exclamation point on the win by mixing it up with Pryzbilla and swallowing Jarret Jack whole.

Things are changing and for the better. The Suns are now bringing it every night and once again seem to be having fun. They no longer have doubt in their ability to get a win.

Tonight will be no different.

The Worst Shot on the Court

As the Suns are matching up with the TrailBlazers and former teammate James Jones this evening, it's only fitting I discuss the worst shot on the court.



Sure, Junior is a great three-point shooter (48% this year...hey James, where the hell was that the last two years?) but he also has a maddening tendency to chuck and make shots with his foot on the three point line.

I can't think of a worse non-desperation shot in basketball. Here's why the shot, even when hit, is brutal:
-said shooter doesn't know where he is on the court, forcing you to question his mental makeup and call he and his mother names
-it's worth the same as a layup...except 20+ feet further from the basket and far more difficult
-the guy updating the score on the game punches it in as a three, teasing the fans with what could have been
-just an inch or two further from the basket and the crowd goes nuts, swinging momentum

What increased the frustration with James Jones and his seemingly nightly attempt from this shooter's no-man's land is he has one job and it's to drill 3-pointers. How a guy like this doesn't know his spot on the court like the back of his hand, I'll never know.

Clearly a Patient of Dr. Everythingsgonnabealright

Via With Leather by way of Shoals at The Sporting Blog comes the below video. Keywords: Lakers, Prince, gay, dancing, awesome, hilarious.

I won't ruin the surprise for you but if you want to get to it right away, fast forward to the 2:30 mark.






















Assless chaps - never not funny.

Fear the Bench

As I write this the Kings have gone on a run and the Suns are no longer up 30 or so. Hopefully I'm not jinxing them and they start playing some defense again.



I felt compelled to post after watching Giricek light it up in the second quarter. With Boris, LB and now Giricek coming off the bench (and Skinner making an occassional appearance,) what was once viewed as a weakness is slowly but surely becoming a strength.

Diaw is maddeningly inconsistent but he's begun to put it together the last couple of weeks. Take away his boneheaded 4th quarter turnover against the Jazz and it's hard to argue with his performance. LB has clearly taken a step back this year but he's still one of the most dangerous scorers in the league.

If Giricek is able to average 8 to 10 a night in limited minutes, that's a damn good second unit Coach D can trot out there. It still may not go as deep as the Lakers or Rockets, but it's a valuable weapon nonetheless.

Just another reason to get excited about the remainder of the season and the upcoming playoffs.

Incredibly awesome Giricek pic found via Simmons' links

Friday Link Dump

If you know your way around the internet, you've most likely seen all of these. If not, I'm happy to help.

-one game suspension for everyone's favorite Spur, Bruce Bowen. The beauty part of the league finally laying down the law on this habitual line-stepper is his consecutive games streak is snapped not by an injury but because he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

-Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News is a crybaby. (via TrueHoop)

-nice article from SI's Paul Forrester on KJ's mayoral run. His accountability is admirable.

-humorous take on Shaq diving into the stands for loose balls.

-Nash toweling off Amare, much to Craig Sager's chagrin. Brett Edwards is right, Sager should invest in a magician hanky next time he's doing a Suns game.

-Shaq thinks highly of his passing ability. The Big Saguaro is definitely better than average but his comment is hubris at its finest.

-great follow-up and notes from last night's win over the Warriors. Ellis was just 8 for 22. I'm right every once in a while.

-this week's guest column for AZSportsHub.

Time to Come Out and Play...

The name of the game tonight and once again primary focus for the Suns is defense. They're going to get their points against the Warriors...everyone does.

The Suns have yet to beat the Warriors with Steven Jackson and Al Harrington in the lineup but this overstates their importance. While they are both solid and sometimes explosive players, Monta Ellis and Baron Davis are really the keys in every Suns/Warriors matchup.

As Coach D mentioned in his post-practice comments the other night, Nellie is the master of getting mismatches for his team. The funny thing here is everyone can see these mismatches, not just the bloated, chubby guy stumbling in front of the Warriors bench.

Ellis is incredibly fast, almost matching LB's quickness. The main difference between the two is Ellis lights it up between the free throw line and three point line. His ability to knock down the 15-footer makes it all the more difficult to prevent him from penetrating and finishing at the rim, another one of his specialties. The Suns have no one to guard him. Nash has looked lost in past efforts and Raja isn't quick enough.

Which brings us to another mismatch, Baron Davis against the Suns guards. The bearded one is big and strong and has no issues using his significant size advantage to put up crazy numbers. In this instance, Nash doesn't stand a chance for Baron will barrel right through him or back him down. Raja will surely see some time on Davis tonight but a perfect solution for stopping Davis and Ellis does not exist.

One option would be for Coach D to swallow his pride and give DJ some time tonight (riiiiight.) The other option is to take one of them out of the game and hope for the best, feeding the Warriors a steady diet of Shaq on the other end.

The Warriors tend to go through stretches of stupidity and Baron Davis (with Stephen Jackson a close second,) is their ringleader. Keep him on the perimeter and let him chuck. He can be made to crack, so Raja will need to be sure his mouthpiece is nice and snug.

It's strange how the Warriors have taken the reins from the Suns in being the NBA's most explosive team. It's rare the Suns have to adjust but this is one of those occasions. Tough defense, points in the paint and intelligent basketball will get the Suns the victory tonight.

Reason #2,643 to Hate Bruce Bowen

The kick is reason #2,642. It's the holding up of the arms and the proclamation of innocence that makes my blood boil.

Bruce, you kicked him. Everyone saw it. Everyone hates your friggin' guts.



Thank you, Basketbawful.

More reasons to hate Bruce Bowen:

Alright Fellas, Bring It In

Great practice tonight, great practice. Good to see you guys bring the effort and really put in the work. Everyone be sure and thank Iavaroni for coming by, it will really mean a lot to him. He's pretty down in the dumps these days and misses all of you. Especially you, Amare. I guess you at least pretended to listen when he barked out defensive instructions.

We have quite the challenge coming up against Golden State in a couple of nights. If Monta Ellis blows up for 35 or some bullshit like that, so help me I'll think for half a second about sticking DJ on him. So let's come back tomorrow afternoon with our heads screwed on right and focus on our effort on the defensive end.

That fat bastard Nellie is three sheets to the wind most nights but he's a master of mismatches. Let's show them who's boss and punish them from the opening tip to the final whistle, we have to make him adjust to us.

Again, great effort tonight, gentlemen. Keep up the good work. Boris, stay away from those Scottsdale bimbos.

I Dislike Mike Miller's Face

You're probably thinking it's because of his long hair and that girly thing he wears to hold it back. I find that annoying, yes.

What really bugs me about Mike Miller is the giant mouthpiece he uses and that he's constantly pushing it in and out of his mouth. This picture bugs the hell out of me as well but take note of the mouthpiece during the Suns/Grizzlies practice this evening. You'll see it quite a bit, trust me (if the Suns don't have this game wrapped up by halftime they should be ashamed...the Celtics beat the Grizzlies by 30 on Saturday, in Memphis.)

I'm not so sure dead and spooky Geena Davis in BeetleJuice could fit that thing in his mouth.

Nutella is Delicious

It's true. Most people have never had it and if it weren't for my wife's affinity for this chocolatey spread, I'd still sneer at it when grabbing a jar of mouth-watering JIF peanut butter at the grocery store.



Despite all his shortcomings (any other day, I'd be pointing them out...and struggling to do so), Kobe knows how to top a piece of toast.

I Am Los Suns...

All other Western Conference teams must bow before the Suns. Yo soy Los Suns. For those of you who don't habla espanol, Los Suns is spanish for...

the Suns.

Observations from Center Court, Suns vs Jazz

A family friend was good enough to give me a ticket for last night's Suns/Jazz game. As always, I had a great time. Unfortunately, much like my last trip to US Airways Center, the visit ended with an absurd bank shot, heartbreak, and plenty of traffic.

Once again, the Suns offense wasn't an issue. The points came early and often, defense was an afterthought for both teams. Except for the 4th quarter that is. Leading by 9 with 12 minutes to go, the Suns looked to be in the driver's seat. Instead of cruising through the finish line with a nice home victory over a very good team, the Suns and Coach D skidded off the road into a concrete barrier.

The Jazz sped by without as much as a neck crane.

Quite a bit went wrong in the 4th quarter. The Suns had no defense for Deron Williams on the pick and roll. Kyle Korver got some open looks. Turnovers once again reared their ugly head. Last but not least, Coach D went to the well again, opting for a three-pointer with 25 seconds left instead of a quick two when down by four (if LB makes it, all is well...to be fair, he did have a good look.)

There were definitely some positives to take away from the game. Shaq played rather well and Raja was lights out for most of the game. Amare was a beast on offense and abused anyone Jerry Sloan threw at him. Most importantly, Coach D inserted a new wrinkle into the offense, where instead of running Shaq on the pick and roll (which is a universally reviled idea,) he started him on the low post and initiated the offense on the opposite elbow. The motion of the offense eventually found the ball in his hands, in position to back his man down or find the open man.

Again, plenty went right for the Suns in this game, putting points on the board wasn't a problem. However, once again, the lack of consistency, effort and basic strategy on the defensive end was their undoing. Mehmet Okur was left open behind the line far too many times and Deron Williams was hardly checked all game.

The game was of course entertaining and I wouldn't trade seeing a game in person for the nicest home theater setup in the world, but the ride home wasn't the most pleasant. Realizing your all-time favorite sports team is deeply flawed and in serious trouble is never a good feeling.

note: the last game I went to was last year against the Wizards when they first started rocking their gold/black pajamas. Arenas drilled a 3 from about five feet behind the line to win the game. Oh yeah, he was at the top of the key. That's right, he BANKED it.

Why Sacramento Needs KJ as its Next Mayor

From the wiki:

-Johnson is one of only four players in NBA history to have averaged at least 20.0 points and 10.0 assists per game in three different seasons.
-Johnson is one of four players to have averaged at least 15.0 points and 10.0 assists per game over the course of a season while shooting at least .500 from the field.
-Johnson is one of only two players (the other is Magic Johnson) to have averaged at least 20.0 points and 10.0 assists per game over the course of a season while shooting at least .500 from the field.

More importantly...

Mailing it In

I hate it when I'm right. Especially when the Suns do their best to make it so.

The effort tonight was yet again pathetic. We'll hear tomorrow from Coro and Jerry Brown that more time is needed and finishing up a back to back in Denver is never an easy task but I've had it with that nonsense.

Shrinks tell us body language is a great communicator and they aren't lying. Amare allowed Kenyon Martin to punk him, Nash let Anthony Carter (Anthony Carter!) frustrate him and Raja had no choice but to resort to head games with Carmelo.

More importantly, as soon as JR Smith started throwing in the kitchen sink and the Nuggets made their run, the Suns resigned themselves to another loss and looked forward to a night in their own beds.

A road loss on the back end of back to back is understandable but the lack of heart shown from this team is unacceptable. Let's hope Coach D doesn't pay just lip service and takes his team to account for their consistent lackluster performance.

Suns/Nuggets Preview

No Whammies, No Whammies...

It's that time of year again. Spring is upon us, flowers are blooming, and Chad Ford will soon be talking up the skills of European players destined to be out of the league not long after their rookie contracts are up (TSKITISVILI!)

Ford's Lottery Mock Draft Machine is a good time though. I just played the lottery 30 times in a row. That's right, 30 times in a row. With this exercise and having watched that new Gnarls Barkley video, I've hit my weekly quota for abusing my eyeballs (for more relaxing brain fun, try this one on for size.)

According to my "research," the Suns will be drafting Anthony Randolph and will have either the 11th or 12th pick in the draft. For shits and giggles, here's the breakdown:
-Anthony Randolph - 20 times
-"Sure Thing" OJ Mayo - 5
-Blake Griffin - 2
-Danilo Gallinari (please God, no) - 1
-Russel Westbrook - 1
-Derrick Rose - 1 (in this case the Suns reversed their fortunes from last year and ended up with the second pick.)

OJ Mayo? A miniscule chance at Derrick Rose? This is exciting. Coach D would have to play those kids, they bring...

WHAMMY!



Shit, shit, shit. So much for the bios I put together for Mayo and Randolph. Looks like Sarver is bound to strike again. Deep down I knew this would happen. Kerr has as much chance of holding on to this pick as I do of winning the real lottery tonight.

They're the Ones with the Thick Candy Shell

One-trick 'toni. Mike D'Anphoney. Mike Duh'toni. Duhmare Stoudemire. These are just a few of the nicknames Paola Boivin has heard for our fearless leader and Black Jesus. If you're dumb enough (as I sometimes am,) check out the comments section on azcentral and you'll be peppered with these and other examples.

I don't begrudge my fellow fans for being unhappy. Lord knows I've banged my head against the wall, wailing for effort on the defensive end and on the glass.

But I like to think that if I stooped to the level of a child and resorted to name-calling, I'd at least be creative enough to come up with an insulting nickname that garnered at the very least a chuckle.

Poopypants and kakaface are better alternatives than Duh'toni. I hope these morons fall under the tires of the bandwagon they're jumping off.

Guitar Hero 3 is Fun!

I know this because I turned the Suns game off Saturday night and between platefuls of pizza and wings and a few bottles of the High Life, I rocked my kids' faces off with my pretend guitar playing ability.

Back to the Suns game...that's right, I TURNED IT OFF. It was apparent from just about the opening tip the team didn't have any energy and was content watching the Sixers convert turnovers into fastbreak dunks. After the second (or was it third?) such instance in the first quarter, I put down my slice of pizza and turned the game off.

If they aren't going to put in the effort at home against a bottom-feeding Eastern Conference team, why should I? Besides, Guitar Hero really is a lot of fun. Sure, it's cheesy and goofy but I challenge anyone to grab the plastic ax and not enjoy themselves.

This current Suns team, on the other hand, is anything but a joy to watch. They're awful at the moment. Their offensive spacing is pathetic, it seems like they dip their hands into vats of melted butter before stepping on the court, and I'm not so sure they could stop the JV team from The School for the Blind and Limbless.

This week's schedule won't be giving them a breather (that's what the Sixers were supposed to do.) The Suns are off to Portland to face a floundering yet still dangerous Trail Blazers team and after a trip to Denver to match up with the only team that makes them look good on defense, the week ends with matchups at home against the Jazz and hated Spurs.

I never thought I'd say this, but 2-2 would be an acceptable week.

Sweaty Towel! 2 O'Clock!!!!

Via Basketbawful comes this hilarious video.



I'm not exactly sure what happened here but I love it, can't stop watching. My guess is she was having a good time, "oooh, look honey, it's Kobe Bryant" and then BAM! sweaty towel in the face.

She made the mistake of underestimating the Mamba's swift and deadly striking ability. She's just lucky they weren't in a hotel room.