Remember The Barkley Years

Just one win...please?

2008-02-27T14:50:00.000-08:00

OK we beat the Grizz. Ho Hum.

Shaq had a double-double. I guess the Darko + Kwame combo is as bad as advertised.

Amare, Nash, and Hill all had good games. And Boris Diaw actually made the trip to Memphis. Amazing.

In case anyone missed it - the game was close until the fourth quarter (a one point game after three)...and then guess what - Shaquille O'Neal got benched. Just like magic - the Suns outscored Memphis 37-24 in the third and get a 14 point win.

I'd much rather see Shaq like this:

Than like this:

Next up is the Hornets. Yes, the Same ~~Charlotte~~ er... ~~Oklahoma~~ er...New Orleans Hornets that have beaten us three times this year.

Tyson Chandler has killed us.

Chris Paul has killed us.

Even Predrag Stojackitup has killed us. I'm sorry, but nobody that looks like this picture should even be in the NBA - much less hit a game winning shot:

Should be a good game tonight...as long as Shaq is on the bench.

Deeeeetroit Baaasketball

2008-02-25T21:42:00.000-08:00

Man is there a more annoying chant than the Pistons' moron PA Announcer screaming DEEEEEEEEETROIT BAAAAAAAAAASKETBALL?

Yes, it's more annoying when annoying Pistons fans somehow get tickets in an opposing arena and start doing that as the home team is getting beat by 30 points.

The amount of opposing fans I've seen in the building the last three games is sickening. How can you be a ticket holder and sell your seats to opposing fans? An fan of an opposing team shouldn't be able to get a ticket to a big game.

Detroit is definately much better than Boston's collection of overrated, overhyped "superstars" They play as a TEAM. Garnett and Paul Pierce are guys that are just there for the stats (and the paychecks). Neither of them has ever been a winner. Just a couple of guys that always put up big numbers on horrible teams. But, Garnett screams a lot, so apparently people think he has heart. The dude's a joke. He's been in the NBA for 14 years, and he is the highest paid player in the NBA - and he's won as many playoff games as Amare has in his four years...what a joke. Celtics fans will see what this dude's all about when he goes ghost in the playoffs.

Now about our team and the debacle that it has become... This game proved every bad thought I had about the Marion trade.

Our shooting got worse - Shaq takes away the open looks that the Suns perimeter guys get in the fast breaking, motion offense. He prevents the pick & roll between Steve and Amare from being successful because he takes up too much space inside. He also makes it impossible for Steve to penetrate and dish. We have shot under 43% in each of the last two games.

Not having Marion for easy dunks & putbacks also hurts the FG%

Our team defense got worse - There's no way in hell you can improve your team defense by trading your best defender. It just can't happen. Despite everything that the Suns management wants you to believe, Shaq makes it more difficult for the Suns to recover on defense. He can't cover quick guys when other teams do a pick & roll. He can't really even cover quick guys when they go in the lane. He's too slow at this point in his career to provide much help defense from the weak side. He also makes Amare a worse defender (if that's possible)...Amare was very good at getting blocks from the weak side, but since Shaq is clogging up the lane he isn't able to get over there to provide the help defense. Losing Marion also forces Nash to have to cover every PG. Matrix could cover guys like Tony Parker and we were able to hide Nash on worse offensive players like Bruce Bowen.

The fast break is gone - With Shaq in the lineup it's impossible to fast break. He can't even get down the court quickly enough to be a finisher. He is horrible at throwing an outlet pass. With Shaq out of the lineup we're missing the most important piece to our fast break offense. Matrix was amazing at getting a key rebound or block, and either sprinting down the court to get an ally oop or easy pass for a bucket. We don't have the finisher now so the fast break goes like this...Steve dribbles down the court, looks for someone to pass to...then dribbles back out to the three point line to get set in a halfcourt offense that we don't have. I wonder what all these people that think that this was a great trade are thinking tonight. We're going to be one-and-done in the playoffs with this team. It's so awful as a fan to see what the brainless tag team of $arver and Kerr has done to a team that was one of the best in the NBA. In case anyone forgot, we had the best record in the West at the time of this trade.

Next up we have the Grizz.

They have apparently given up on the season by trading for the most worthless player in the NBA - Kwame Brown...but they'll probably beat us. After all, even Darko and Kwame are better than Shaquille O'Neal at this point in his career.

Check out Three Shades of Blue to see what the Grizz fans think of the game tomorrow night.

2008: A New Look

2008-02-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

If anyone has been checking in on this blog since the end of the playoffs last year you've noticed that I haven't updated it.

My anger, dismay, and hatred of David $tern haven't subsided, but I have decided to pick it up again.

It's amazing what can happen in just a few months. The Suns have a totally different team.

James Jones and Kurt Thomas were sold off by Robert $arver's greedy ass for some beer money.

We signed Grant Hill, who has turned out to be a great pickup.

And...

Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks were traded for Shaquille O'Neal.

I'm still having a tough time writing this last one. Shaq is now a member of the Phoenix Suns

I have always been a huge Shawn Marion fan. He is a great defender. He guards quick point guards, big centers, and everyone in between. He is one of the NBA's best rebounders, he is one of the best finishers in the league. He has one of the best all-around games in NBA history. Over the past 3+ years he's been just as important to the Suns' success as Steve Nash.

At the time of the trade the Suns had the best record in the West. They had won 70% of their games. They were on pace for a 57 win season. So is that the time to trade one of their best players for a old center with limited mobility and an injured hip? Only time will tell.

The First game after the trade really proved everything I was worried about. The Suns lost to the Fakers and their classless douchebag #24 130-124. A higher scoring game than I expected with Shaq on the floor slowing down the fast paced Suns. The defense was horrible. Pau Gasol, who many people confused with a roll of charmin during his tenure in Memphis, scored 28 points. Shawn Marion would have come in very handy in shutting down the soft Spaniard.

Our best defender of the Grim Raper, Raja Bell, went down after the Grim Raper committed an uncalled offensive foul that threw Raja's head into Shaq's elbow, knocking Bell out cold. Again, this would have been a situation where Shawn Marion would have come in handy - guarding against the Grim Raper's antics with Raja in the locker room saying "mama".

Game Two of the "Shaq Era" featured the Boston Celtics and the overrated, overhyped Kevin Garnett.
The man that earns more money than any player in the NBA, yet has only been out of the first round once in his entire career. Garnett has an annoying habit of screaming during games and crying during TV interviews so people think he has heart. However the stacks of playoff losses are more of an indication of a lack of heart in my book. In Garnett's 14 year NBA career he's won exactly 17 playoff games - or the same number won by Amare Stoudemire in his 4 year career. Heart? I think not. He's nothing but an overpaid career loser.

Anyway, back to the game...

The Suns and Boston played a boring, slow, defensive battle. The Suns came out on top 85-77. In a normal Suns game this is a 3rd quarter score, but not on this night. The Suns committed 24 turnovers, Steve Nash only had five assists.

Normally this would be a game that the Suns would lose - however the Suns outrebounded the Celtics 50-32 and forced Boston into shooting 38%. Shaq did a great defensive job, and Amare played better defense than he has played all season.

Now - what Suns team will we see for the rest of the season? Will Shaq get more comfortbale in the offense and will it flow better?

I'm anxious to see what happens. In the West we will need to win against quality teams night in and night out. There aren't many grind it out defensive teams in the Western Conference. We can't win consistantly with Steve Nash getting just 8 assists.

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't forsee this trade being a positive for the Suns.

This looks strange

The Seven Stages of Grief

2007-05-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Stage One: Shock
It still is hard to believe that the NBA would bend the Suns over and fuck the franchise up the ass like they did. How can a dirty team like the Spurs get away with the shit that happened in this series? How can Robert Horry be rewarded with another ring for trying to take out Steve Nash?
Stage Two: Denial
Really, it couldn't have happened like that, could it have? This was our year. We were supposed to be having a parade in downtown Phoenix. We were supposed to win. David Stern CAN'T be that big of a jackass, can he?
Stage Three: Anger
Fucking piece of shit David Stern and his fucking piece of shit league. Damn dirty Spurs team. I hope Duncan breaks his leg, Ginobili flops off the top of the AT&T Center, and Tony Parker gets deported.
Stage Four: Barganing
OK, maybe if we win a championship next year this all would have been worth it. Maybe nobody would care anymore if we win the whole thing next year. Yeah. Next year.
Stage Five: Guilt
I should have done my part as a fan. I should have cheered louder. I should have screamed more at game 5. I should have gone to San Antonio for game 6 to support my team. I shouldn't have worn an Amare jersey to game 5 because I had worn a Marion jersey during game 4 and we won. I should have found Ginobili at the Ritz Carlton in Phoenix and kicked his ass.
Stage Six: Depression
I can't take it. Another season of dissapointment. I can't watch the NBA anymore. This is garbage. My summer has been ruined.
Stage Seven: Acceptance and Hope
Well, I guess that's it. I guess our season is over. Maybe next year we can win it. Maybe something stupid like an injury or a dumb suspension won't happen.

Is This the End?

2007-05-17T22:41:00.001-07:00

I was waiting to post my postgame comments on game five until my anger and frustration had subsided so I could make an objective analysis of this game...but I'm even more angry after a full day.

What David Stern and Stu Jackson did to the Suns was obviously sickening - but the game was in reach for the Suns.

Phoenix had a lead for the entire game until the final three minutes. Shawn Marion was doing everything in the first half...he had 20 points and 11 rebounds at halftime and was playing excellent defense. Marion, however, was guarding the talentless Oberto and didn't have to use much energy on defense...so his offense was able to excel in the first half.

Unfortunately, in the second half I feel that Mike D'Antoni made a terrible decision by switching Marion to guard Tony Parker. Marion is a good, no, great defender. He is able to guard anyone from power forwards to point guards. Sometimes his versatility is a detriment to him however, as it was the case in game five. When D'Antoni switched The Matrix onto Parker he effectively took away the offensive game of Shawn Marion. By guarding Parker and following around a quicker smaller guard, Matrix had little energy left for the offensive end of the court - he scored only four points in the second half. Also, by sticking on Parker, Marion is away from the basket on defense. If anyone watches the Suns on a regular basis you'd know that The Matrix is best around the basket where he can rebound and block shots.

In my opinion, however, this was not the biggest blunder of the night by Mike D'Antoni. Taking Kurt Thomas out of the game for offensive purposes in the last two minutes of the game absolutely KILLED the Suns. Thomas had 14 points and 12 rebounds and did an excellent job of guarding the dangerous whiner Tim Duncan. KT is the only Sun capable of guarding Duncan one on one over the course of an entire game. Duncan will get his points regardless of who guards him...he's that good...however, with Kurt Thomas on him Duncan's points didn't come so easily. So what happened late in the fourth quarter? Thomas was on the bench.

Marion was stuck with the defensive assignment on Duncan, and other Suns like Nash and Bell had to help and double - leaving their men alone for wide open threes.

When you don't guard guys like Bruce Bowen, Rat Ginobili, and Mike Finley they will knock down their jumpers. Why D'Antoni decided on this strategy is beyond me - but it didn't work. Even without Amare and Diaw the Suns had a chance for this win.

Could the Suns season come to an end tomorrow night? What happens next? We go back to San Antonio down 3-2 and the Spurs have a chance to close us out in their own building. We need to come out with the same passion and fire that we had in game four. I have cautious optimism that the Suns will win...however, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't. We shall see on Friday night.

The NBA - It's SHAM-tastic

2007-05-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

OK, I am convinced that the NBA is a fucking sham. It's as scripted as the WWE.
The unoffical (at this point) report is that Robert Horry was suspended for two games while the Suns Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw are out for one game each.
If I'm a Spurs fan, I'm dancing in the streets. The NBA just handed my team a championship on a fucking silver platter.
My solution: Put Pat Burke in the starting lineup for game 5 and have him take out Tim Duncan's knees. Sounds drastic? Well that's what the league has decided is the right thing to do. If you are a dirty team and your players cheap shot people you get the advantage in the NBA playoffs. So what if we lose Pat Burke for a game or two? If he injures Duncan it would be worth the loss, right? After all...that's basically what the Spurs did by trying to take out Steve Nash.
Amare and Boris stepped onto the court to check out what was happening to their teammate who had just been laid out by a classless thug. For this they get suspended? Where's the justice? Where's the fairness?
And what happens to Duncan and Bowen who did the EXACT same thing earlier in the game when Francisco Elson went down due to some incidental contact by James Jones? Oh yeah, that's right...nothing happes to them...they play for the fucking Spurs.

I really thought this was it...I really thought that winning game 4 put the Suns over the hump...but I guess the ol' fix is in.
Good job Spurs. Good job NBA. Good job David Stern. Fuck all of you.

I encourage ALL Suns fans to call the NBA office and voice your concerns: 212-407-8000. I called and spoke with Stu Jackson's secretary. I'm sure she didn't care but I felt better.

SUNS Fight Back!

2007-05-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Suns took every shot the Dirty Spurs had to offer in game four and were able to even the series with a 104-98 victory.

Despite outrebounding the Spurs 39-32 and getting to the free throw line ten more times, the Suns trailed by 8 going into the third...that's when the Suns took over.

The Suns were able to draw a fifth foul on Tim Duncan, and Steve Nash went to work. Nash finished with 24 points and 15 assists. Shawn Marion also played a huge role in the fourth quarter with 12 of his 9 points coming in the final period.

The game was marred by an ugly incident. The Spurs proved their critics right by showing what a dirty, classless bunch of thugs their team is. With the Suns up three with 32 seconds left, Robert Horry body checked Steve Nash into the scorer's table. Horry was ejected and will most likely be suspended for game 5, however the most important thing that happened in the altercation was the fact that Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw may have left the bench in the chaos.

Nash jumped up and Raja Bell got into Horry's face, but Stoudemire and Diaw were not in the game at the time. NBA rules dictate that a player leaving the bench during a fight is suspended for the next game. If the NBA sticks to the letter of the law, we won't see Amare or Boris in game 5 back at the US Airways Center on Wednesday night. As Charles Barkley said, that would be quite unfair for the Suns to let a dirty play by a Spurs player dictate the outcome of this series. The Spurs have already won one game in Phoenix, and if the Suns don't have Amare or Boris, chances are that the Suns won't win. The Spurs must be ecstatic at the prospect of trading a talentless bum like Horry for and all NBA First Teamer like Amare Stoudemire plus Boris Diaw. We'll see what the league hands down on Tuesday. All of Phoenix is hoping for the best.

~~16 15 14 13 12 11~~ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

MORE WINS

Duncan Domination

2007-05-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

Two words sum up game three of the Suns-Spurs series: Tim Duncan. The Spurs big man proved to be too much for the Suns to handle, scoring 33 points on 9-14 shooting and grabbing 19 boards.
The Suns couldn't stop Duncan from hitting his patented turn around jumper off the glass. Kurt Thomas wasn't as effective as he was in game two, and Amare Stoudemire was saddled with foul trouble for the entire game. Amare scored 21 points on 7-11 shooting, but was only to play 20 minutes after picking up four fouls early in the third quarter. He played just 19 seconds in the fourth before picking up his fifth foul, and didn't return to the game until very late in the contest.
The Suns were able to get out to an early lead - they ended the first quarter up 30-25, despite a poor half from Steve Nash. Nash was scoreless in the first half.
With Nash not shooting the ball, and Amare in foul trouble the Suns looked to the trio of Shawn Marion, Raja Bell, and Boris Diaw to keep them in the game. Bell had 12 first half points and was a perfect 4-4 from three point range. Diaw looked like the Diaw of last year with aggressive moves to the basket. Marion was back to his normal self - scoring on a variety of jumpers and dunks.
In the second half, the Suns defense failed them as did their offense. Diaw and Bell were nowhere to be found. Nash's shooting woes continued. He ended 6-17 from the field.
The Spurs were able to do anything they wanted on offense. Weather it was Duncan scoring in close, or Bruce Bowen - the NBA's dirtiest player - hitting threes in the corner.
The Rat Bastard Ginobili also got into the act. The Suns left him relatively unguarded and he scored 24 points on 8-19 shooting including a number of his patented out of control drives through the lane.
Overall, the Suns shouldn't be too dissapointed. Their two first team All-NBA players - Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire were relatively taken out of the game and they only fell by 7 points. I can't imagine Nash will hae such a bad game - and Amare can't commit stupid fouls like he did tonight.

Game four on Monday is a must win for the Suns - I'm confident that they'll come out with the same fire they did in game two. After all - we just need one win in San Antonio.

PHX Storms Back!

2007-05-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Suns tied their Western Conference Semifinal series at 1-1 last night with a 101-81 drubbing of the San Antonio Spurs at US Airways Center.

PHX was led by a strong defensive performance by Kurt Thomas, who was inserted in the starting lineup by Mike D'Antoni. Thomas did an excellent job guarding Tim Duncan. Duncan did score 29 points in the Spurs loss, however Thomas was able to guard the Spurs All-Star one on one, and allow the other Suns to stick with their assignments. Kurt's presence in the paint also allowed Amare Stoudemire to stay out of the foul trouble that saddled him in game one. Amare responded big, with 27 points, including a 15 point third quarter. Shawn Marion also had a big defensive game. After giving up over 30 points to Tony Parker in game one, The Matrix bounced back - holding the French point guard to just 13 points on 5-14 shooting while only notching three assists. Marion also forced Parker into four turnovers and blocked three shots.

The Suns tried to establish the tempo early, jumping out to a 7-1 lead in the opening minutes of the game. After a Spurs timeout, the men in black bounced back and took a 25-19 lead going into the second quarter.

The Suns took control in the second, outscoring the Spurs 30-17 while getting the fast breaks that the Suns are used to.

The third quarter was a draw, but the Suns really put their foot down in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Spurs 30-17 over the final 12 minutes. The Suns were able to establish their tempo by forcing the Spurs into bad shots (other than Duncan) - The Spurs shot just 42% on the night. Free throw shooting also hurt the Spurs. They shot just 9-16 from the stripe.

The real story though was the Suns defense. After getting outrebounded by a large margin in game one, the Suns cut the bigger Spurs advantage on the boards to just one. The Suns also forced San Antonio into 18 turnovers and were able to take advantage with the fast breaks that weren't available in game one.

After the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said "I thought we were supposed to be the defensive team"

The series heads to San Antonio and resumes on Saturday. The Suns need to keep the defensive intensity that they displayed last night and hopefully get at least one win in San Antonio. It's a tough place to win (especially for the Suns) but a 20 point victory will do wonders for their confidence.

This series is shaping up to be as good as advertised.

~~16 15 14 13 12~~ 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

More Wins

A Bloody Mess

2007-05-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals goes to the San Antonio Spurs by the final score of 111-106. The story of this game wasn't something that happened on the court, but what went on around the bench area in the fourth quarter. Steve Nash, the Suns' two time defending MVP, had a gash on his nose opened up that required six stitches to close. The suns training staff tried everything they could to get the bleeding to stop but were not successful. Nash missed the last five minutes of the game, costing the Suns an opening game victory in this best of seven series. Now the Spurs have stolen the home court advantage and gained valuable momentum.

As usual when the Suns play the whiny bitches from San Antonio, the officials played a major role in the game. The Suns had a number of horrible calls against them. On one play in particular, Amare Stoudemire was called for his third foul late in the second quarter when Tim Duncan fell and pulled him down. The Suns were at the other end of the court on a fast break, and then the three blind mice decided to call the foul on Stoudemire. The Suns bench was so outraged by this call that assistant coach Mark Ivaroni was called for a techincal foul. During halftime! The Suns ended the first half up by two.

The Spurs opened up the third quarter with a free throw as a result of the technical foul, and then whined and complained their way to a four point lead after the third.

The fourth quarter was a hard fought and exciting. The Suns tied the game a couple of times and

did their best to take the lead, but the loss of Nash, the Suns leading scorer for the game, was too much.

With the Suns down by three with 27 seconds left, Amare Stoudemire attempted to drive the land instead of kick the ball out to an open teammate for a game tying three pointer. Amare was fouled, made both free throws, and cut the lead to one.

Next, there was another questionable call - Leandro Barbosa was called for a foul before the ball was inbounded as Mike Finley decided to fall on his own. As a result of the foul before the play, Finley went to the line for a free throw and the Spurs regained possession. After the ball was inbounded, Rat Bastard Ginobili made one of two free throws after being fouled by Raja Bell.

Again, the Suns found themselves down by three with a chance to tie the game with 20 seconds left. Without their floor leader it was every man for himself. Amare Stoudemire decided it was best to drive the lane for a two instead of kicking out to a wide open Raja Bell for three and the tie. Amare missed the layup attempt and that was all she wrote.

Boris Diaw was his usual non factor self. He had seven points and just two rebounds and two assists. He also had two turnovers. I fully believe that Steve Nash was referring to Diaw when he said that some of the Suns didn't play their hardest.

Game two is Tuesday night. Look for the Suns to come out of the gate and try to establish the tempo and run the Spurs out of the building.

I hope that Mike D'Antoni makes an adjustment and puts Raja Bell defending Tony Longoria. If not, it is important to not let Longoria kill the Suns with penetrating drives. He kills the Suns every time they play the whiny bitches.

Round Two: The Spurs

2007-05-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last night's game was monumental for a number of reasons. First of all, I took my two month old son to his first basketball game. He got to see a great game played by the Suns and also got to see the Fakers getting knocked out of the playoffs with a 119-110 Suns win in game five. The Suns are now undefeated when he is in the building, so I may need to bring him to all remaining playoff games.
It was great to see the Suns take care of business last night. They were able to keep their composure and show that killer instinct that championship teams are made of.
Just a few hours after his first son was born, Raja Bell came out of the gate and set the tone early - scoring eight points in the opening minutes of the game. Those were all the points he would get but his defense on the Grim Raper proved to be the deciding factor in the game. All night long, Raja harrassed the Grim Raper into taking bad shot after bad shot. The Grim Raper shot 13 for 33 from the field (That's 39.4% for you ASU grads out there) and had six turnovers and just one assist - and a technical foul for crying more than my infant son. Sure he scored 34 points, as most clueless Faker fans will point out, but anyone can score if they don't pass the damn ball.
The only Faker that had a decent game was Lamar Odom - 33 points on 13-21 shooting and 10 rebounds. Luckily for the Suns he was in foul trouble most of the night. Who knows what he could have done if the game was called by actual officials that had a clue.
The officiating was awful for both teams . The Fakers had two players foul out and two more with four fouls - and the Suns had two players with five fouls. It seems that in the NBA the officials want to be as much a part of the game as the players. Either that or they are just so old and slow that they can't keep up and guess on most of the calls.

Anyway, back to the game...
The Suns held off a late Fakers run to pull away at the end. The Fakers got within 3 points when the Grim Raper went on a late run hitting a couple of the bad shots he kept jacking up...but then he kept shooting...and missing...and the Suns pulled away. Amare Stoudemire was a beast - 27 points and 16 rebounds. Matrix was his normal effective self - 26 pts 10 rebounds. Nash didn't have his best game...but the Suns got good performances all around to offset his 7 turnovers.

The next round will be the toughest for the Suns. The Spurs are a team that gives the Suns more trouble than any other team in the NBA. I feel that whoever wins this series will win the NBA title. With Dallas playing like a WNBA team agains the Warriors, they don't have the look of a champion. The Spurs lost their opener but then dominated a hot Denver team.
The two clubs met three times this season...with the Spurs winning the two games at San Antonio by close margins and the Suns dominating in Phoenix.
The Spurs first win came during the Suns awful 1-5 start. Raja Bell missed a free throw that would have won the game for the Suns, and the Spurs took the game in OT.
The next meeting was a typical Suns win at the US Airways Center. The Suns dictated the tempo and ran all over the Spurs.
The final game came in San Antonio. The Suns lost the game due to one bad quarter...it was a slow, close game, and the Suns were down by just four with two minutes to go...but made a couple of bad plays and ended up losing by eight. That game, in my mind, proved that if the Suns execute, they can beat the Spurs in a slower tempo game.

This will be a great series...the Spurs have a couple of guys that are almost as hated by Suns fans as The Grim Raper - Robert Horry and Rat Bastard Ginobili.
I can't wait until Sunday!

~~16 15 14 13~~ 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

More Wins

Phoenix Rises

2007-04-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Suns were able to bounce back from a sub-par performance to win Game Four in L.A. rather handily, by the final score of 113-100.

An MVP-like, 23 assist performance by Steve Nash led the Suns who also got a combined 49 points and 32 rebounds from the frontcourt All-Star tandem of Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion.

Amare took Kwame Brown's game three performance personal and dominated the paint - pulling down a Barkley-like 21 boards. Marion was his typical Matrix self, getting his 22 points on a variety of dunks and putbacks.

The Lakers used all 12 of their players, and none of them really showed much of an effort. As a team the Lakers had 21 assists, two short of Nash's individual total. After dominating the boards in game three the Fakers were outrebounded 44-39 by the smaller, quicker Suns. It appears things are back to normal in Fakerland. The Grim Raper took 25 shots - scored 31 points - and the rest of them stood around watching. All day long, The Grim Raper whined and cried as he put up bad shot after bad shot and the Fakers hopes and dreams that developed after game three faded away into oblivion.

The series returns to US Airways Center on Wednesday night for the Fakers last game of the 2006-07 season.

~~16 15 14~~ 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

More Wins

They're Not Dead Yet

2007-04-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

Despite what everyone thought was going to happen, the Fakers didn't roll over and die last night. After the Suns started the game on an 11-0 run, the Fakers (and the officials) came storming back.

Behind what perhaps was the first strong performance of Kwame Brown's life, the Fakers were able to hold off the Suns and take a 95-89 victory in game three. The Suns still lead the series 2-1 with game 4 coming in L.A. on Sunday.

There was really three main components to the Fakers win.

1) Kwame Brown

After faking an ankle injury, Brown had three straight dunks in the third quarter as the Fakers pulled ahead. Amare Stoudemire decided to lay off of Brown and allowed him to have the game of his life. For some reason, Kwame decided to actually CATCH the ball in the post for once. This most likely isn't something that the Fakers should be able to count on happening ever again. Kwame Brown is still the worst #1 overall pick in the history in the NBA, and in game 4 should go back to his normal self of dropping passes and missing layups.

2) Rebounding

It seemed that every time the Fakers missed a shot they were able to get the offensive rebound. They outrebounded the Suns 44-30 and were able to pull down 19 offensive boards, compared to the Suns 6. Despite the Suns outshooting the Fakers 48% to 42%, the Fakers second and third chances were more than able to make up for this deficit.

3) Officiating

The Fakers took 28 free throws to the Suns 12. The Suns were not able to play any defense on The Grim Raper because if he missed a shot a foul was called. There was one play in the fourth quarter when the Grim Raper missed a shot, the Suns got the rebound, were halfway up the court, and the official called a foul AFTER the fact. The Grim Raper shot 13 free throws himself, compared with the Suns 12. It was almost like Joey Crawford was officiating that game.

I'm pretty confident that the Suns will win game 4. Things always even up in a series, and a classless, talentless team like the Fakers won't win more than one game due to poor officiating.

Now, a note about Fakers fans

Obviously, I haven't met every Fakers fan in the world, but judging from the ones I have met, Fakers fans seem to be the most unintelligent people on the face of the earth.

None of them can make a valid argument, so they resort to the same old, tired argument they have always used - "We have rings"

News flash - you people don't have Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Wilt Chamberlain on the court. Your team is not good anymore. Your team will never win another championship until you actually get some good players, and the Grim Raper is not on your team any longer.

Reading the responses in my blog, you can see the mentality of the Faker fans. Dallas fans make intelligent basketball arguments. Faker fans make personal attacks and can't say anything coherent. The Fakers are a joke. Fakers fans are a joke. You people are the reason that the Fakers are the most hated team in the NBA.

Get the Hell Out of Town Kobe!

2007-04-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

Recipe for a Suns victory:
Attack the basket - Check
Hit jumpers - Check
Play defense - Check
Demoralize opponent - Big Check

Game two was a dominating performance by the Suns. The Fakers had no chance from the opening tip to the ending buzzer. The Suns started the game by going to the hole early. By attacking the basket, the outside was opened up for the jumpers to fall. After one quarter the Suns were up 31-25. The second quarter was where it began to fall apart for the guys from L.A. - It's not a coincidence that the second quarter is when the new NBA 6th Man of the Year Leandro Barbosa entered the game. It took him a few shots to get going, but Barbosa picked up where he left off in game one - another 26 point performance on 11-18 shooting including 4 from three point land. Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion dominated the paint - Amare with 26 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks - The Matrix chipped in with his standard 17 points and 10 boards.
At halftime the Suns had a commanding 68-47 lead. That's when Kobe Bryant quit.
In a move that reminded many of game seven of last year's playoffs, Kobe only scored two points in the second half, on a breakaway showboating dunk that cut the Suns lead to 24.
After the game Kobe said that his teammates aren't too talented.
This guy is a complete joke.
He shot his team out of game one, and in game two he quit. Until Jerry Buss realizes what a douchebag Kobe Bryant is, the Fakers will never win again - not that I'm complaining.

Game Three will be tomorrow in Los Angeles. If the Suns play half as well as they did last night it will be an easy win.
Some stats:
Points in the paint
Suns 56
Fakers 34

Fast Break points
Suns 39
Fakers 7

FG %
Suns 54.3%
41.4%

~~16 15~~ 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
More Wins

Barbosaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

2007-04-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

Game one goes to the Suns. Final score 95-87. Just three more wins to go send this garbage Fakers team fishing for the summer.

This game wasn't as easy as expected. In the first half the Suns struggled to find their offense. The shots weren't falling, meanwhile on the defensive end of the court nothing was working. The Grim Rapist kept shooting, and kept hitting. He hit shot after shot in the first half despite being off balance, fading away, or being double teamed. Going into the locker room at halftime the Grim Raper had 28 points and his Fakers had a 48-39 lead.

In the second half, the Suns defense and the offense of Leandro Barbosa took over. In the third quarter the Suns outscored the Fakers 35-29, capped with Barbosa's three pointer at the buzzer. Barbosa finished with 26 points - 19 in the second half.

That Rapist guy? He was ice cold. He only scored 11 second half points, highlited by a dreadful 1-11 fourth quarter performance. If you ask me I'd rather get hot in the fourth quarter than the second quarter...but I'm not the most arrogant individual on earth.

Let's face it. The Grim Raper will never win. He is too cocky. Too arrogant. Who takes 33 shots in a game when the ball isn't going in? Who takes fadeaway three pointers against double teams when four teammates are standing 10-15 feet closer to the basket wide open? Nobody but the Grim Raper.

The Suns played some great defense, and Leandro Barbosa had a huge performance, but the Grim Raper's second half exploits are as much of a factor in the Suns win than anything else.

I'm pumped about game two, on Tuesday night. Let's hope the Suns shooting returns and that the game isn't as close.

Once Again - It's On!

2007-04-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

It's playoff time in the NBA again, and this year the Suns first round opponent will be a familiar one - the hated rival Los Angeles Fakers. The Suns are hoping for a quick series in order to prepare for a possible matchup against the tough San Antonio Spurs in the second round. In case you forgot about last year's matchup - these two teams met in a hard fought seven game series that included the following:

The Grim Raper throwing elbows

Raja's retaliation

Officials stealing a game from the Suns

Luke Walton playing dirty

The emergence of Leandro Barbosa

Tim Thomas saving the season

The Suns fighting back down 3-1

The Grim Raper quitting on his teammates in game 7

Now...I'm hoping that this series doesn't have quite all that excitement. In fact, a 4 game sweep would be nice.

Honestly though, I think the Fakers may win one game. But that's it. The Suns are better in every aspect of the game than the Fakers (except throwing elbows).

I can't wait until Sunday.

See ya later, Asshole!

2007-04-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

JOEY CRAWFORD IS SUSPENDED!!!

Now if you're not a huge Suns fan as I am, this may not mean anything to you. If you follow the Suns intently you'll know that our chances to win a championship this year just got easier.

Joey Crawford is the WORST official in the NBA. He holds grudges, is arrogant, and generally is a piece of crap. He HATES the Suns for some reason. Every time the Suns are involved in a game in which Joey Crawford officiates, the Suns lose. I don't know why, it just is. He sucks, and he hates the Suns.

Apparently though he hates the Spurs even more. On Sunday he called two technical fouls on Tim Duncan...while Duncan was on the bench. The second tech was the result of Duncan laughing. Yes, I said it. He kicked a guy out of an NBA game for LAUGHING. ON THE BENCH!

According do Duncan, Crawford also challenged him to a fight.

Justice was served today, however. Joey Douchebag Crawford was suspended for the rest of the season, including playoffs and the Finals. I can't imagine he'll be back next year after these antics.

This amount this helps the Suns is unknown, because we don't know what his playoff assignments would have been...but no doubt it is a positive!

A Nice Email I Got From a Blog Reader

2007-04-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Someone named mehul rupani Sent me this email. This person apparently was quite upset after the Suns beat the Fakers last night.

I have a feeling this particular person looks something like the fat loser in the picture on this posting.

Feel free to email him at mehul.rupani@hotmail.com if you wish to comment:

Your a complete ignorant moron. Seriously, reading your ridiculous blog
about the best player in the games today, Kobe Bryant, makes me wonder what kind
of idiot are you. Why in he hell would you say he is a rapist when he wasnt even
convicted. Saying that he payed off that slut Faber or whatever her redneck name
is. You dont even know shit about basketball and i think you need to see a damn
doctor. You never support your facts about any of arguements. I go on niketalk
everyday and see you suck the Phoenix Bums penis's and ride Steve Trash's jock
strap. Dude shoudnt of even been MVP. What did he do? Cant play defense for
shitt, all he can do is pass. The Bums suck. In the past 30 years, what have
they done? Made the playoffs 9 times out of 30 years. hahahahahahahhahahahahaha.
what a sucky fucking team. the lakers have gone to finals 4 out of the 7
seasons since 2000. the suns just wave the division title. Shawn Marion sucks
ass. Amare is the only person i respect. Raja Tinkerbell sucks as well. Saying
Kobe is a punk. What kind of immature idiot closelines someone. If he was a real
man, he would sock him. Also, saying Kevin "the beast" Garnett has no heart?
What kind of complete idiot are you?? He suits up every night, plays 1000% every
night. Puts up monster numbers while steve trash sucks D'Tonis cock. Yea SUNS
WILL NEVER WILL WIN!!!!! I hope your son doesnt end up like you. Go kill
yourself

Why Kobe Bryant is a Douchebag

2007-04-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

Being that the Suns play the Fakers again tonight I thought I'd post where my intense hatred for the Grim Raper came from.

It's not what you think. I hated the dude long before he raped an innocent white girl. I have hated the pompous arrogant individual from the day he was drafted.

In case you forgot, the Grim Raper wasn't drafted by the Fakers. In fact, he was drafted by the Charlotte (Now New Orleans) Hornets.

As a punk ass high school kid, the piece of shit said he wouldn't play for any NBA team but the Fakers. Instead of telling the cocky bastard to shut the fuck up or not get paid, the Hornets gave the little baby his bottle and traded him to the Fakers for Vlade Divac.

This kindled my hatred of the single most arrogant person in the history of professional sports.

As soon as he came into the league he showed no ability to play team basketball. In fact, he airballed a three pointer in the playoffs during his rookie year when his team needed the shot to win a game. Maybe it's just me, but rookies don't take game winning threes in the playoffs...especially rookies just a few months removed from going to the prom.

Soon the Fakers won some championships...and the hate for the Grim Raper grew. Everyone that knows anything could see that Shaquille O'Neal was responsible for the Fakers success...however, the Grim Raper decided that he could not share the spotlight. So what did the Fakers do? They traded the most dominant player in the NBA so the Grim Raper wouldn't have to defer. The Fakers have seen lots of success since the Raper took over as the #1 and only option for their team...one lottery appearance, one first round exit as the #8 seed, and this year they're in danger of missing the playoffs once again. Shaq? Oh yeah, he won a championship with the Heat. Where was The Grim Raper in the playoffs last year? Quitting on his teammates in game 7.

Now...I haven't even mentioned the rape yet...and I hate the guy.

Let's talk about the Colorado rape case.

The Grim Raper's people leaked this girl's name to the press so she would suffer even more than she suffered from his heinous acts. Then the Bastard paid her off to drop the charges so he could go on with his NBA career making millions of dollars.

Now, again, maybe it's just me...but if you were accused of rape...and you KNEW you didn't do it...wouldn't you want to clear your name in a court of law? Paying her off just proved his guilt. Rapists deserve to die...just like murderers. He should stand trial and be put to death, not make millions in the NBA and have his own shoe.

I am sickened when children wear #8 or #24 jerseys. What kind of parent would let their kids represent this piece of human waste?

I will be at the Suns - Fakers game tonight...and you know that the "KOBE SUCKS" chant will be in full effect. I just hope that Raja can injure him.

Down goes the Rapist!

2007-04-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

Another game vs. the Fakers, another Suns win.
It seems that every time the Suns play the Lakers when a certain Rapist plays, the Suns win. The Rapist took lots of shots, scored 34 points, and his team lost. That's what usually happens when the Suns play this team. Raja Bell did a great job...making the Rapist take bad shots all game long. Steve Nash was baalin'...he scored, he dished, he did everything an MVP should do in leading the Suns to the win.
It was especially comical when the Fakers fans started the MVP chant when the Rapist went to the free throw line late in the game. Do these morons not realize that a team that is the #7 seed in the playoffs can NOT have the MVP.
The Fakers may not even make the playoffs. They keep losing games down the stretch...It would be nice to see the Rapist make a lottery appearence. It would shut all those Faker fans the hell up that don't know anything about basketball.
Maybe they'll finally realize that #24 is a cancer and their team - and the NBA in general - is better off without him.

NBA Awards: My take

2007-04-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Who said the Suns don't play defense?

Well, the regular season is coming to an end (finally) and it's almost time to hand out the hardware. So here are the much anticipated NBA award picks from me. (I have anticipated making this post).

MVP: Is there any question? STEVE NASH is hands down the Most Valuable Player in the NBA. He is having his best season, better than the previous two years...and he was MVP those years. Besides, why would I want to give any award to that soft German in Dallas? Seriously though, Steve has always hit the big shots when we've needed him. He continues to step up and lead this team to new heights. He is more important to the Suns than any player is to his respective team in the league.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: THE MATRIX (SHAWN MARION). Why? He blocks shots. He gets rebounds. He gets steals. He defends guards, small forwards, and power forwards. He is not only the most versatile defender in the league, but one of the best. His defense is underrated due to the Suns high octane style of play, but he is as good of a defender as there is in the NBA.

COACH OF THE YEAR: This is a tough one - but I'm going with Jerry Sloan. The Jazz have had a great season, but due to the success of the Suns and Dallas they have been all but forgotten. If it weren't for the injury to Carlos Loozer, they'd be among the top records in the league. He has done a great job with a team that lacks depth and must rely on 3 players (Boozer, Williams, and Okur).

MOST IMPROVED: Josh Smith. This guy used to be a dude that dunked and did nothing else. He has really expanded his game to become more of a complete player. He's become a good defender. If he gets a jump shot he'll be a star one day.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: They all suck but I give it to Brandon Roy. He's the best of a bad group (Nice trade Kevin McHale)

It's been a long time

2007-03-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

So I haven't updated this thing in a while...well I have some good reasons. There's been a lot going on in my life...first I went into the hospital for a week (nothing serious, altough I gusee going into the hospital is serious in itself). While I was there my son was born. I couldn't be there for the birth because I was a patient in the hospital and they didn't want to risk him or my wife getting sick. Crazy stuff.
Don't worry, he's already got some Suns gear he'll be sporting during the playoffs. Anyway, soon after I got out of the hospital, Spring Training started and I work for one of the teams that trains here in the Valley.
But enough about my life...this blog is dedicated to the PHOENIX SUNS.

So...what have the Suns been up to?
Well, they haven't been playing that well...but they clinched the Pacific Division for the third consecutive year, and currently stand 53-17. Last season they won 53 games all year. If the Suns can win 10 of their remaining 12 games, they can break the all time franchise record for wins in a season with 63.
While all that is fine & dandy, they still sit in 2nd place overall in the Western Conference. Unless something drastic happens to Dallas, it doesn't look like the Suns will catch the Mavs for the #1 seed in the West. So...that means that if the West Finals match up the Suns and Mavs again, Dallas will once again have home court advantage.
The Suns proved they can beat the Mavs a couple of weeks ago with a 2OT win in Dallas. They match up again on April 1, this time in Phoenix, for the final time in the regular season. I think it would do a lot of good for the Suns to win that game and even the season series between the two teams.
The long regular season is wrapping up soon, and the playoffs will soon begin...at that point anything can happen.

Phoenix Suns Blog (presented by insert corporate sponsor here)

2007-02-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

My favorite basketball team has always been the Phoenix Suns. This year, I have a new favorite team.
They are now the Phoenix Suns Presented by Casino Arizona.
What?
How dumb is that? If you have been on the Suns website, gone to a Suns game, or watched the Suns on one of the local broadcasts you would know about this change. When the Suns come out on the court to warm up before the game, the PA Annoucner says "Now coming onto the court: YOUR PHOENIX SUNS presented by Casino Arizona"

This corporate sponsorship is getting out of hand.
It's one thing to have the arena named for a sponsor, although that opens it up to name changes such as we had last year - America West Arena to US Airways Center...but to use a corporate sponsor to talk about the team is over the line.
Is the team that hard up for money? Robert Sarver paid $405 million for the team...is he not getting a good return on his investment?
If the NBA ever allows advertising on the uniforms like the overseas leagues do, I may quit being a fan.
What's next? The Phoenix Casinos?

What a ride!

2007-02-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't had the time to update this thing in a while, but the Suns have been rolling lately.
After putting together two seperate winning streaks of 15 and 17 games, the Suns currently sit with the second best record in the NBA after their win over Portland last night. The Suns are 39-10, only one half game behind Dallas (39-9) for the top spot in the West.

Amare has come back strong...he seems to have put his injuries behind him. Steve Nash is on his way to a third straight MVP with career highs in FG%, scoring, and assists. Shawn Marion is The Matrix. His all around game has earned him his fourth all-star spot alongside his teammates Nash and Amare.

Mike D'Antoni and his staff will coach the all-star team, thanks to the Pat Riley rule. One coach can not coach in the all star game for two consecutive years, and since Avery Johnson coached last year, the spot goes to the Suns staff. (At the cutoff for the head coach to be named, the Suns had the best record anyway).

The only major injury has been hard luck Kurt Thomas. KT is out with an elbow injury...he should return soon after the all star break.

Overall it has been a great first half for the run & fun Suns. I'm looking forward to more great basketball in the second half as the Suns continue their run for their first championship.

Dissapointing start and the New Guy

2006-11-04T22:49:00.000-08:00

The Suns lost to the Clippers tonight, running their record to a disturbing 1-3.

They lost on opening night to the Fakers, and again last night to the Jazz. Turnovers have been a big problem early (although tonight they only had 10). The Suns have shown an ability to not box anyone out or play any interior defense in the early games.

Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, two keys to last year's success have shown little of the game that the Suns relied upon so much last year. Bell hasn't shot the ball well and Diaw, well, he hasn't done much of anything.

Hopefully this team will pull it together and get on a roll, but the schedule won't be kind. After playing their first four games in five nights, they have back to back games against Western Conference powers San Antonio and Dallas on Wed. and Thurs. night before playing home vs. Memphis next saturday. If they continue to struggle they have a chance to start 1-5 which would not be good.

On another note, the Suns expect to sign veteran swingman Jalen Rose on Monday, pending his physical. Rose was cut by the Knicks in preseason (insert joke here). I'm hoping for a Tim Thomas - like situation where a veteran comes in and energizes this team and plays better than he has ever played before, but I'm not quite sure what to expect. Rose has a career avg. of almost 15 points and almost 4 assists, so he's capable, but his best years seem to be behind him. I'm not counting on much, but I'm hoping for the best from him.

THE AMARE REPORT:

Amare has looked good at times and bad at times. His best game was the home opener vs. the Clippers, but overall he looks scared to go up strong and very tentative around the hoop. He only is playing about 17 minutes a game and most of his minutes seem to come in the first half. Will we ever see the old Amare? I'm starting to wonder.

Not quite what we expected

2006-11-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

Opening night for the Suns wasn’t quite what was expected. After getting out to a 19 point lead in the first quarter, the Suns blew the lead and were defeated by the Evil Empire of the Lakers 114-106. The Suns scored 41 points in the first quarter, and then seemed to quit playing. They were dominated by Lamar Odom, who scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. He also had 6 assists just for good measure. The real story of this game was second year center Andrew Bynum. The 10 year old Laker scored 18 points. I have shoes older than Andrew Bynum.
The Suns decided after the first quarter that rebounding, defense, and fast breaking were no longer important. The Lakers proved why Kobe Bryant is a cancer. The Grim Raper didn’t play, contributing to the Lakers win. With Kobe in the game the Suns would have had an easy win, as the Grim Raper would have turned the game into a one on one battle with his mortal enemy, Raja Bell. Instead, the Lakers showed balance and team play, and were able to beat the Suns from the inside out.
Tonight, the Clippers and former Suns playoff hero Tim Thomas come to town. The Suns need to show the ability to bounce back and take their home opener.
Amare note: Stoudemire scored just 6 points in only 11 minutes of playing time. He did have one nice highlight dunk.

FINALLY! The season is here!

2006-10-26T10:36:00.001-07:00

Training camp is over, the preseason is over, and now, FINALLY, it’s time for the 2006-07 NBA Season to begin.
There are high expectations for the Suns this year. A number of publications, including Sports Illustrated, have picked the NBA championship to come to Phoenix this year. Much of the success will depend on the knees of Amare Stoudemire. There have been three preseason games at home (two of which I have attended) and Amare has shown flashes of his former self at times. At other times, however, he has looked tentative and scared to go up strong to crash the boards and take the ball to the basket. He seems to only go strong to the hole when there’s nobody in his way. Hopefully that will get better as the season goes on. Right now, Amare is the highest paid sixth man in the NBA, as the Suns are using a starting lineup of Nash, Bell, Diaw, Kurt Thomas, and Marion.
The Suns went 4-4 in the preseason, with losses to the Sixers, Lakers, Sonics, and Clippers. Not that any of that matters. Preseason is for trying different lineups and working out the kinks. Not to mention getting new guys used to the run run run style of Phoenix Suns basketball
Some observations of preseason: Leandro Barbosa will have an excellent season. He doesn’t have to worry about playing the point this year with the addition of Marcus Banks. This allows him to concentrate on scoring and getting to the basket and using his speed as a weapon. Barbosa probably won’t ever be a point guard, but he’s a very good shooter and an excellent scorer in the lane.
Marcus Banks has looked like he’s not quite sure what to do in the Suns system. He’s almost playing too fast for his own good. His shot hasn’t fallen and he’s had a high number of turnovers. He’s an upgrade from Eddie House, but he’ll really need to start shooting better in order to take the pressure off of Steve Nash.
The regular season starts on Halloween, as the Suns go to Los Angeles to play the Lakers. That should be fun. The next night the Clippers are in Phoenix as the Suns have their nationally televised home opener.

Back in the USA

2006-10-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Suns completed their European trip yesterday, beating an Israeli team, Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv, in Cologne, Germany. They won two of the three games they played in Europe, with their lone loss coming at the hands of the only NBA team they faced, the Sixers. The most important thing that happened was the fact that Amare Stoudemire played two games on back to back days and reported no problems with the knee.
Amare played 19 minutes against the Sixers and played 25 minutes against Maccabi Tel Aviv. He looked slow on defense, and had some trouble with turnovers, but he did show some flashes of the vintage Amare, even dunking over a Maccabi player.
Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa, the Suns two emerging stars from last year's playoffs both played well. Diaw is in the final year of his contract and if he does not sign an extension before Oct. 31, he will become a restricted free agent after this season. This concerns the Suns because they don't want a repeat of the Joe Johnson situation. Diaw and the Suns do not appear close on a contract. This makes me wonder if Diaw and his agent may think they'll test the waters next summer. I also wonder if Diaw would be as good in another system as he is in the Suns run & gun style.
Speaking of the run & gun, the most important signing of the summer was backup guard Marcus Banks. Banks could start at PG for many NBA teams, in fact he did start most of the second half for Minnesota. The Suns success rests on the back of Steve Nash, and having a legit backup PG will help Mike D'Antoni get Nash out of the game and not worry about the team faltering, like last year when Eddie House came in the game.
The first home preseason game is next week. I can't wait to see this team play.

The beginning of things

2006-10-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

Earlier today the Suns played their first exibition game against a team from Rome, Italy. As expected, the Suns came out on top with a 100-93 victory. The game wasn't that close as the Suns put it on cruise late in the game and got a look at some of thie bench players. Shawn Marion had 19 points to lead the Suns and Leandro Barbosa continued where he left off in last season's playoffs, scoring 18. The Suns shot the ball well, and hit their three pointers, which is how the Suns need to play to win during the regular season. The next game is in Germany vs. the Sixers, who lost their first exibition game against a European team.
The biggest concern for the Suns was not what happened on the court, but rather who wer NOT on the court for them. Yep, Amare Stoudemire missed this game, and has missed a couple of practices with knee soreness. This time he says both knees are sore. There is no swelling or structural damage in his knees, and word is that his teammates are getting sick and tired of his complaining and sitting out. I am starting to be skeptical if there is anything wrong, or just normal soreness from playing basketball. I don't think Amare has much of a pain tolerance. Everyone that plays basketball has knee soreness. Look at any post game locker room, every player ices their knees after games. I play basketball and my knees are sore and I don't play close to as hard or as often as an NBA player. It's part of the game.
The Suns started Nash, Marion, Bell, Diaw, and Kurt Thomas. I think the Suns can win with this group and their strong bench of Marcus Banks, Leandro Barbosa, James and Jumaine Jones, but not having Amare really hurts their interior depth, a department where they were in dire need of improvement last season.
It will be interesting to see what happens as the October 31 season opener against the Evil Lakers quickly approaches.

Training Camp

2006-09-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

Off to Italy.
Not me, the Suns. Training Camp 2006 will be in Italy. The Suns will play some preseason games against European teams and NBA teams. It should be interesting once they get back to see how the jetlag will affect them.
The Suns will bring 14 players to camp.
Jeff Varem, a former Washington State Cougar was scheduled to be the 14th man, but due to some visa problems from his native land, he can not go. Instead they will bring some guy Davin White from Cal St. Northridge.
No chance he will make the team...just an extra body for practice.

Amare had some soreness on his non microfracture knee the other day and had an MRI, which turned out negative. It will be interesting to see how he plays in training camp.

Roster Moves Completed (?)

2006-08-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

The Suns are in the process of signing Jumaine Jones, a swingman type player who played for the Charlotte Bobcats last year.
His signing completes the roster with 13 players.
Other than the fact that the moves brings a headbanded player to the Suns, it is a good move. Jones is a decent outside shooter and a good defender. He will definately help off the bench and can start in case of an injury to someone.
Here's the roster as it stands now:

Starters:
NASH
BELL
STAT
DIAW
MATRIX

Bench:
Barbosa
K. Thomas
Banks
James Jones
Jumaine Jones
Piatkowski
Burke

Inactive List:
Sean Marks

I'm not sure if this is going to be the roster when the season opens in November. The Jumaine Jones signing is interesting in terms of where it leaves James Jones' status. I like James Jones, but his inconsistancy hurt the Suns last year, and he really was a non factor in the playoffs when he was counted on due to the Raja Bell injury.
I don't know this for sure, and I haven't heard it in the media or from any inside sources, but I have a feeling that James Jones may be traded.
If the Suns can get a couple of future high draft picks that may be a good move. After all, Nash won't last forever. Although we do have Banks and Barbosa, I don't know if either of them are the PG for the future.

Feel free to send me comments or emails on anything regarding the Suns, this signing, or anything else!

Barbosa Signs...Stat Sits

2006-08-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

The past week brought some good news and some bad news to Suns fans.
First, the good...
The Suns were able to lock up guard Leandro Barbosa for five more years (his rookie contract was due to expire after this upcoming season) for the relatively low price of $33 million. That sounds like a ton but if Barbosa continues to progress like he did last year, it will look like a bargain when he would have been due for free agency next summer. After all, Francisco Elson, a bench warmer from the Nuggets got a 2 yr / $6 million contract from the Spurs.
Next, the Suns are looking to get a multi year deal done for Boris Diaw, the reigning NBA Most Improved Player.

Now...the bad.
Amare Stoudemire's rehab is not to the point where he had hoped it would be at this point. After a cautiously optimistic performance in the Summer League, Amare was left off the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Championships. USA Basketball officials said that Amare looked stiff and tentative when working out and scrimmaging this summer. It will be important to the Suns championship chances that he is near 100% for the season. Luckily, there are about 2 1/2 months until opening night, and Amare can continue to rehab.

2006-2007 Schedule Released

2006-08-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

The 2006-07 NBA schedule was released today. The Suns play 33 games on national TV, which I think is the most of any team.
The season begins in LA against the Rapers on Haloween. The home opener is November 1 against the real team in LA, the Clippers. It will be interesting to see the reception Tim Thomas gets in Phoenix.
Some other highlights of the schedule include:
Suns vs. World Champion Miami Heat Dec 13 @ Miami, and Jan 5 @ Phx.
Suns vs. Dallas in a rematch of the 2006 West Finals November 9th at US Airways Center.
Cleveland and LeBron James comes to town on January 11.
Kobe and the Rapers don't make their first appearance in the Valley until March 4. That game will be fun, as the chant of KOBE SUCKS will be alive and well.

The regular season ends on April 17 with the Clippers coming to town again.

I can't wait until the season starts and it's only August!

Depth Chart:

PG: Steve Nash, Marcus Banks
SG: Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa, James Jones
C: Amare Stoudemire. Kurt Thomas, Pat Burke
SF: Shawn Marion, Eric Piatkowski
PF: Boris Diaw, Sean Marks

Marcus Banks, Sean Marks, and STAT

2006-07-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

The Suns finished their offseason moves (hopefully) with the signing of Marcus Banks to be the backup PG and Sean Marks to be the backup benchwarmer.
Marks is not relevant so I really don't have anything to say about him other than he's a big oaf from New Zealand. He'll sit in the seat on the bench next to Pat Burke that was previously occupied by the now retired Rastafarian, Brian Grant.
I like the Banks deal. I haven't seen much of this guy play, but from what I have seen he will be a good fit into the Suns' system. He is definately an upgrade from Eddie CrackHouse. Of course, my cat would be an upgrade from House.
Banks could have commanded more money and probably a starting job from some other team (Lakers?) but chose to play in Phoenix. He went to UNLV so Phx is close to his Vegas home, and who wouldn't want to play for this team?
Banks will allow Barbosa to contine to be a #2 guard off the bench, and not play the PG, where he is less comfortable.

The most important acquisition the Suns made this summer so far isn't even a new pickup. It is the return of Amare Stoudemire. He played well in the Summer league and currently is training for Team USA for the World Championships. Hopefully he will be able to regain the explosiveness he had during his first three seasons. If Amare is at 90% (and the Suns don't make any dumb moves...I.E. Trading Shawn Marion), the Suns should be the favorite for the Western Conference Title.

Now What?

2006-07-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Tim Thomas is a Clipper.
The only good basketball team in L.A. gave him $24 million over 4 years. The Suns offered him $12 million over 3 years. That is what you would call a no brainer.
Tim did well in his brief stint with the Suns, and said all the right things leading up to free agency. The Suns offered him a fair offer, but the Clippers gave him an insanely large contract after losing Valdimir Radmanovic to that other team that plays in the Staples Center. So...where does that leave the Suns??
The loss of Tim is not that crushing of a blow for the Suns. The only reason he was signed to begin with was to compensate for the loss of Kurt Thomas, who will be back from his stress fractured foot. Oh yeah, there's that Amare guy who is coming back too. I hear he's pretty good.
The Suns key need right now is a backup point guard, so Steve Nash doesn't have to play 40 minutes a game for 82 games plus playoffs.
Unfortunately, in this summer of overblown contracts, the best available backup PG's have been given huge sums of money the Suns don't have under the salary cap to commit to a bench player. Speedy Claxton and Bobby Jackson got huge contracts to play backup roles in Atlanta and New Orleans / Oklahoma City respectively.
So...where does that leave the Suns?
We can go out and get another shooter, and keep what we've got...that means Barbosa would be the backup PG; a role he has clearly shown he is not suited for.
We can go and re-sign Eddie House (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't do that!!!)
Other than that, there's not much left out there.
Now that the free agent period is underway, the Suns selling their draft picks for cap space isn't looking as good as it did on draft night. Marcus Williams could have definately helped in the backup PG dept.
Well...we shall see what develops. Stay tuned.
On a more positive note (I hope), Suns summer league is beginning today. Amare Stoudemire is going to play against a bunch of scrubs from other teams. Hopefully his knee is fully healed and we will see the "old" Amare dominating a bunch of 12th men and rookies in Las Vegas. Three of the games are televised on NBATV so we will get to see how STAT looks. I'm cautiuosly optimistic.

When nothing is good

2006-06-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

The 2006 NBA draft was very memorable for the Suns. It's not too tough to remember nothing. That's exatly what the Suns got in the draft. In fact, the Suns left the draft with one less player than they had before the draft, despite having two picks in the first round.
Why am I not complaining?
Because that's exactly what the Suns needed to do. The Suns didn't need to waste money on some players that wouldn't play or get sent to the NBDL. By trading their draft picks for cash, they will have money to sign Tim Thomas, and maybe even get contract extensions for Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw (lets not get ahead of ourselves yet).
By getting rid of Brian Grant (and his salary) the Suns freed up some more money to possibly go after someone in the free agent market (Backup point guard, anyone?).
As it is the Suns' roster shapes up like this:

Steve Nash
Shawn Marion
Amare Stoudemire
Kurt Thomas
Boris Diaw
Raja Bell
Leandro Barbosa
James Jones
Pat Burke
Dijon Thompson
Tim Thomas (hopefully)

If the Suns can get a quality backup PG (Bobby Jackson?) they really would have no holes. As it is currently, this team is a championship contender. Add Amare Stoudemire to a team that was 2 wins from the Finals? That's better than any trade or draft pick a team could ask for.
Well, we'll see what happens the rest of the summer. I'm already excited for the 06-07 season.

Damn Rumors

2006-06-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

Well...another offseason...another round of Shawn Marion trade rumors.
This year there is talk of The Matrix going everywhere from Chicago to Seattle. There are a couple of other rumors as well.
Marion has been the heart & soul of the Suns organization for the past 6 years. He has suffered through the awful Stephon Marbury experiment. He has played with 3 different point guards, 4 different coaches, but has been able to put up big numbers every year throughout his career.
I don't get it. Marion scores. Marion rebounds. Marion defends. There's NOBODY in the NBA that can provide the things he can. Sure, someone may be a better scorer. Someone may be a better defender. Someone may be a better rebounder. But there is NOBODY in the league that has the combination of things that Marion brings to the table.
If he is traded I will be extremely dissapointed.
As a Suns fan, it's hard to root for a team that completely changes its core each and every year. I can't imagine, after being so close to an appearance in the Finals, that this team would take people away.
If you add Amare Stoudemire to this core, how can this team NOT be the favorite to win the championship?
I'll post next after the draft on Wednesday night.
We shall see.

The Ride Comes to an End.

2006-06-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

The magic carpet ride that was the 2006 NBA Playoffs has ended for the Phoenix Suns. I had hoped that I would be posting about a game 7 here today, but instead I must take a step back and reflect on what truly was a magical season for the Suns.
After losing Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson there were lots of question marks about this team. When Amare Stoudemire went down, the question marks became doubts about even making the playoffs from many people including myself. This team fought all year and overcame whatever challenges were put in front of them and made an incredible journey that included a second straight Pacific Division title, a second straight MVP award for Steve Nash, and a memorable playoff run that ended with one more win than last year's.

I gotta take my hat off to Dallas for winning a tough series. In the end they were able to out play the Suns when it mattered, overcoming an 18 point Suns lead to close out with a victory.
All the injuries and fatigue finally caught up to the Suns, and they just weren't able to hold on in the second half. Congrads to Dallas and their fans and good luck in the Finals.

There are a number of decisions to be made this summer for the Suns, most notably the free agency of Tim Thomas. Tim has said he'd take less money to remain a Sun, but sometimes the NBA's salary cap makes personnel decisions for teams. I'd like to see him in the purple & orange next year, but we'll see how this plays out.
I feel one of the Suns biggest needs is a backup point guard. Eddie House is definately NOT an option. Leandro Barbosa is much better in a scoring role. I want to see someone that can come in and run the offense, allowing Nash to get some rest.
I'll update this blog when things happen this summer, or when the rumors become rampant. Feel free to leave comments on the blog or anything Suns related, or you can email me at: kobesucks@cox.net

Here we go again

2006-06-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

THIS WAS A FOUL ON STEVE NASH?

Well once again the Suns are facing elimination. It seems they only can play well when their backs are against the wall. Or when the officials aren't wearing Dallas jerseys.

Game 5 was a good game until about midway through the fourth quarter. That's when Danny Crawford, Jack Neis, and Kenny Mauer decided to take this game into their own hands. On paper it looked like Dirk scored 50 points and led Dallas to a 16 point victory. On paper it looked like the Suns blew a 7 point third quarter lead. Games aren't played on paper. Let's look at what REALLY happened.

Suns up by 7. Shawn Marion is called for a phantom foul which happened to be his fourth. He goes to the bench...Dallas goes on a 10-0 run. Then things really got bad for the Suns. Dallas had a one point lead and Raja Bell was kicked by no talent Josh Howard, and Raja gets a technical foul. Mike D'Antoni voiced his displeasure with the call and was T'd up as well. From that point on, Dirk was allowed to do anything he wanted and whenever he missed a shot a foul was called on the Suns. It was a fuckshow.

How does the softest player in the HISTORY of the NBA get to the line 18 times? Dirk = 18 free throw attempts. The Suns TEAM = 20 free throw attempts. Suns lose by 16...hmmm...

Dirk does nothing but take fadeaway jumpers and three pointers. How the hell does a jump shooter get to the line 18 times? Insane.

Danny Crawford should turn in his whistle after that performance.

RAJA RAJA RAJA!!!!!!!

2006-05-31T11:44:00.000-07:00

It's funny how one player can make a difference. Take away Steve Nash from the Suns, and you have a team like the Timberwolves. Talented players with no direction. Steve Nash makes the Suns go. He runs the offense, finds open shots for his teammates, and provides on the floor leadership.
I never thought Raja Bell would be as important to the Suns as Steve Nash. With Raja sidelined for games 2 & 3, the Suns looked overmatched. The defense just wasn't there. They couldn't stop guys like Josh Howard & Devin Harris. Their double teams didn't have the same effectiveness on Dirk Nowitzki, and they didn't have the fire to go after loose balls.
Raja surprised everyone by suiting up and playing in game 4. His presence gave the Suns the fire they needed to pull even in the series with a 20 point victory. A loss in game 4 would have been devastating, but the Suns followed Raja's lead and came out with fire and passion to put the Mavs away in the 3rd quarter.
Raja has really made his place in Suns history during these playoffs. Everyone knows about his clothesline to Kobe Bryant.
Had he done that and the Suns lost the series, nobody in Phoenix would want anything to do with him. However, that play alone inspired the Suns to win game 6 on the Lakers floor, and fueled the beat down the Suns put on the Lakers in game 7.
Fast forward to the Clippers series: Game 5, Suns down 3 in OT, and Raja hits what may just be the biggest shot in Suns history to put the game into OT #2 where the Suns took control...another game 7, another spanking put on a team from LA.
Now, Raja comes back from an injury he probably should not have been playing on, and inspires his team to win by 20 over a team that had outplayed them for the 2 previous games. That's the stuff legends are made of.
I only hope the Suns can continue to play with that kind of passion and fire throughout this series. If we can go into Dallas and win game 5 you may as well make your reservations for the Finals.

Game 4: A Must Win

2006-05-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

The picture that is in this post should be a nightmare for Suns fans. Steve Nash on the bench. Raja Bell in street clothes.
What does this mean? Probably that Eddie House is in the game. Eddie House may be the worst player in the entire NBA. No, not juse because he went to Arizona State, although that may account for his lack of intelligence.
The Suns have been leading each game of the Western Conference Finals at halftime. At the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth, Mike D'Antoni has put Eddie House in the game to give MVP Steve Nash a rest. In games 2 and 3, the Suns lead evaporated during the time with House in the game.
Sure, he may get lucky and hit an off balance three pointer that he throws at the basket without being set, but he is a liability on every aspect of the game.
He can not defend anyone. Avery Johnson knows this so whomever House is guarding goes to the basket on every possession, and usually comes away with a basket.
He can not pass. The Mavs pressure him and most often come up with a turnover. He can not rebound. There was a loose ball late in game 3 that BOUNCED next to him, and he just looked at it. Either he is too dumb to pick up the ball, or he's being paid secretly by the Mavs. I go with option A.
His basketball IQ is below zero. He pulls up in transition and jacks up awful shots, or he'll throw a shot up when there are 3 guys on him and 4 other Suns standing there unguarded.
Now, back to game 4.
The Suns MUST win this game to stay in the series.
I know they can if they play with the intensity they need to. It is the playoffs. Who cares if you're tired? You have all summer to rest. It's time to empty the tank and leave EVERYTHING on the court.
Luckily, the Suns seem to be at their best with their backs against the wall. I'm confident for a victory tonight, and then it will be a tied 2-2 series, where anything can happen.
Do we want a game 7 at Dallas? Well, that's not the best scenario, but we definately can win there. 3 straight wins would be nice, but realisticly, We'll probably have to go in to Dallas and win a game 7.

All Tied Up

2006-05-26T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well after two close games the Western Conference Finals are tied at one game a piece going back to Phoenix for the next two. The Suns seem to be in the driver's seat now, taking home court advantage after a 3 point win in game one behind a huge performance from Boris Diaw. That win came with a huge price as Raja Bell went down with a tear in his calf muscle. His abscence was noticed in game two, as the Suns only managed to shoot 44% and allowed the Mavs to score almost at will in the second half. Raja's defense was especially missed on Josh Howard who, despite having the biggest lips in the history of basketball, scored 29 points.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 on 12-21 shooting, and did not attempt a three. It seems he may have gotten over his allergy to the post he previously had.
Shawn Marion used to do a great job on Dirk because Dirk absolutely REFUSED to take the ball down low. Now, he has realized that a 7 footer should NEVER take a 3 pointer and has abused the smaller Marion in the post.
I don't see why D'Antoni hasn't tried to go to Kurt Thomas, even for a few minutes, to bring some size in the lineup.
On the other hand, I must question his use of Eddie House, who may be the worst player in the NBA. This douchebag comes in the game to give Nash a rest, and jacks up 7 shots in just 14 minutes. Sure, he scored 7 points, but his basketball IQ is below zero. He jacks up bad shots in transition, and he cherry picks, so basically the other team has a 4 on 5 on every offensive possession. The Suns should seriously consider not allowing him on the charter back to Phoenix.

In any case, this is shaping up to be a great series. I predicted Suns in 6 and it looks like that may hold true. I am hopeful that Raja will return on Sunday, but if he doesn't the Suns need to go to the basket more (The Mavs shot 36 free throws and the Suns only shot 11. Part of that can be attributed to Joey Crawford, but the Suns have some responsibility for taking too many jumpers)

DALLAS HERE WE COME!!!!

2006-05-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

What a night! What a game! It seems like the SUNS come out at their best in game 7. The entire series was close, with no team winning consecutive games, but the Suns came out last night and put a spanking on the Clippers, sending them back to LA to go fishin with the Lakers. We were strong inside, holding even on the rebounds, but deadly from the outside. The Suns 3-point shooting won that game for them. They shot 15 of 27 (55%) from beyond the arc, including 5 long range bombs from The Matrix, and 4 from Mr. MVP.
Now, we go to Dallas. A team we beat in the playoffs last year. A team that holds a special place in the heart of Steve Nash after Mark Cuban didn't want to sign him a couple of summers ago. Nash loves to take it to Dallas. I expect a good series, with the Suns coming out on top. Dallas likes to run, which is bad news for them. Their big men aren't much of a threat, Dasagna Diop and Erick Dampier, and down low is where we struggle the most. Dirk always seems to choke against the Suns. I expect Matrix to continue his excellent defense against the big German, and since Irk (he has no D) can't guard anyone, 30 and 10 nights from the Matrix should be routine. Game 1 is Wednesday night in Dallas, get ready for a barnburner (or barnbarner as Charles Barkley likes to say)
Oh, and Scottie Pippen, just shut the hell up already.

GOTTA DO IT!!

2006-05-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

I didn't have time to post after game 3, but the Suns won a close one. Game 4 was a different story. The Suns shot under 40%, they missed a ton of threes, and got outrebounded (again) by more than 20. But they still had a chance to win at the end, cutting the lead to one point late in the 4th before Alien Cassell hit a big three that ended the Suns comeback plans.
So...it all comes down to this: a best of 3 series with the Suns having 2 possible home games. Sounds good.
Game 5 is a must win for the Suns. I don't advise going back to LA (Clipper Nation? I think not), down 3-2. The Suns must focus on the boards tonight, not letting the Clippers get second chance points.
The Suns have to knock down their jump shots. Other than Raja Bell, who shot 7-12 from three point territory (with that noted defender Vladimir Radmanovic "guarding" him), the rest of the Suns shot a dismal 3 of 24 from outside the arc. That's not going to win too many games. We shall see what happens tonight, but I expect a Suns win.

Time to rebound

2006-05-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

What can I say about game 2? The Suns were outrebounded 57-26. The Clippers had 19 offensive rebounds. The Suns? 5. When a team gets their rebound total more than doubled they can't win many games. So...what's the plan for game 3? Box out! Boxing out is one of the basic skills they teach when you play basketball in elementary school. How can a professional basketball team not box out? How can a team stand around while the other team grabs every damn rebound? There's not much else I can say about game 2. If the Suns can grab some boards they can win. If not, they're done. This isn't a team that won their division by accident, so I'm pretty sure they won't just roll over and die. All they need to do is win one game in LA, and the Suns get home court advantage back. We'll see on Friday night.

ROUND 2: THE HANGOVER

2006-05-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the second game of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Clippers (I still can't belive I am typing that...let me do it again...we are playing the Clippers tonight. In the playoffs). Game One was what happens after a big party (Lakers series), a hangover. The Suns and the fans just didn't seem to be in to the game. Sure, we won 130-123, but there wasn't the energy in the arena we had for game 7 of the Lakers series. Maybe because it was the Clippers. Maybe it was because of the emotions of the previous series...whatever it was, the Suns need to turn it up to win this series.
Elton Brand (I freaking hate Duke) scored 40. Sam (Mr. potato head / alien) scored 28. But the Suns were able to hold off the Clippers in the second half by scoring a ton of points and getting a couple of defensive stops (something nobody did for most of the game).
I still think the Suns will win this one in 6...but these ARE the Clippers we're talking about.

BEAT LA!!!! (AGAIN)

2006-05-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

On to the Clippers. As strange as it sounds, the Suns now are set to take on the LA Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals after defeating the hated Lakers in an anticlimactic game 7, 121-90.
Aside from a cheap elbow by the Grim Raper to the face of Raja Bell (again) and another cheap foul by Lamar Scrotum, there wasn't much fight by the Fakers last night. The US Airways Center was rocking, and the Lakers never responded.
The best part of the game was how we, the fans, got into the head of Kobe the Grim Raper. The Kobe Sucks chant was going on all night, and after a hot first half (23 pts) he decided to give up and only took 3 shots in the second half (one point). Is this the performance of someone people think is an MVP candidate? Is this the performance of a leader?
Kobe just showed exactly why he is a classless individual. Who quits on their team in a game 7? Would the Fakers have won if he shot more? Probably not. But wouldn't you at least want to compete if you think you are as good as Kobe thinks he is? After all, the Suns were only up by 15 at halftime. Sure, that's a big lead, but it is a lead that is very easy to come back from in the NBA. Instead, Kobe decided to go in the tank and the Suns won by 31. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
To add to his already classless persona, after the game the Grim Raper refused to shake hands with any of the Suns players. Classless.
The quote of the game came from Raja Bell's mother responding the Kobe's quip that Raja "must have not gotten hugged as a kid"
She saw him outside the locker room after the game and asked "Hey Kobe, you need a hug?"

TIM THOMAS FOR PRESIDENT!!! (Game 6 Review)

2006-05-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

WOW!!!!!!
What a game we had in game 6.
Back & forth, Suns - Lakers.
Suns got out to a big lead, then the cheap shot artist AKA The Grim Raper hit Leandro Barbosa in the face with an elbow, opening up a gash that needed 4 stitches to close (don't worry...Leandro got the better of the bastard).
With Barbosa out the Fakers jumped out to a lead, capped by The Grim Raper hitting a 3 to close out the 1st quarter with the Suns down by 7.
The Suns came storming back...the game was back & forth until the end...with 6 seconds left Tim Thomas hit the biggest three ball of his life, tying the game. But there was still too much time. Everyone knew the ball was going to the Grim Rapist to try to win it...but he came up short (with a little help from the Matrix)
OT was all Suns. 21 points. Only one scoreless possession in the extra session. That's all she wrote.
SUNS WIN SUNS WIN SUNS WIN!!!
I'll be there for Game 7 on Saturday cheering on the Suns as we take the Fakers and their cocky arrogant fans out.

Thanks Bulls, for letting us take Tim Thomas off your hands.

Game 5 Review

2006-05-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Raja Bell.
Raja Bell.
Here's a guy that I admire.
Raja Bell.
Keep saying that name.
Now, I'm not a violent guy. I don't usually condone violence. But Raja Bell put the little bitch Kobe in his place last night. Sure, his clothesline was a blatent cheap shot. But, Kobe deserved it. After all this is a guy who, after getting a technical foul while being guarded earlier in the year said "Raja Bell? I got bigger fish to fry than Raja Bell."
Well Rapist, who's being fried now?
Speaking of rape, The Lakers Kwame Brown is under investigation for rape.
How dumb is this guy? He plays for the Lakers, a team with a history of players raping women, and in the middle of the playoffs, he goes out and does that? Moron.

Back to Raja - Kobe...
Kobe had been elbowing Raja all night, and finally he had enough. He took the Grim Raper down by the neck and smacked him with his other hand. A good move in the WWE. A good move in an NBA game only if the opponent is the Grim Raper (Kobe Bryant).
So, today I have a much greater respect for Raja Bell than ever before. Hopefully he won't get suspended for it, but if he does...well...it was fun to watch.

2006 NBA PLAYOFFS

2006-05-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

Well I now have a blog.
This blog will be dedicated to the Phoenix Suns and what they are doing. I will try to update during the regular season, playoffs, and offseason.
I have been a Suns fan my entire life. When I was a little kid I used to go to basketball camps with Suns players such as Larry Nance, Walt Davis, Alvin Adams, Maurice Lucas, etc.
Currently, I am in my first full season of having my own season tickets and I love it. There's nothing better than going to an NBA game and watching your team win.

Well that brings me to the current state of affairs in Suns Nation (Is there a Suns nation?). We currently are down 3-1 to the hated, evil Los Angeles Lakers. A team that as all Suns fans know, has broken our hearts many times before.
After all, this is the team that knocked the Suns out of our first playoff appearance all the way back in 1970.
In the world of the NBA a 7 seed rarely beats a 2 seed. It just doesn't happen. But today we may be looking at one of those rare occasions.
On paper, it didn't look like much of a matchup. After all, the Suns had beaten the Lakers the previous 7 times they have played (I don't count the last regular season meeting...MVP Steve Nash did not play, nor did Raja Bell, the Suns' best defender).
We came out in game 1, didn't play well, but pulled out a narrow win at home. Game 2 was more of the same...poor Suns play, but the result was different. The Suns didn't score for the first 6 minutes of the 2nd quarter in that game.
Game 3...on to Los Angeles, and the Suns get beaten in another close one...
Then there was game 4.

Quite possible the worst game I have ever seen. The officials stole this game from the Suns. Anyone that watched that game knows it never should have gone to overtime, and when it did, the Lakers never should have had the ball at the end. Kobe Bryant, the biggest bastard in professional sports, should have NEVER had the opportunity to take the shot that stabbed Suns fans in the heart.
Maybe I'm bitter, maybe I'm realistic, but the fact is that the Suns got bent over and screwed in that game.

Game 5 is back at home on Tuesday. I'll be there supporting my team as always, but things are looking grim. I'll never say it can't be done, but I'd be surprised if we came back.
Of course, back in 1993 when the first round was best of 5, the Suns came back from being down 0-2 against the Lakers.

Remember The Barkley Years

Just one win...please?

Deeeeetroit Baaasketball

2008: A New Look

The Seven Stages of Grief

Is This the End?

The NBA - It's SHAM-tastic

SUNS Fight Back!

Duncan Domination

PHX Storms Back!

A Bloody Mess

Round Two: The Spurs

Phoenix Rises

They're Not Dead Yet

Get the Hell Out of Town Kobe!

Barbosaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

Once Again - It's On!

See ya later, Asshole!

A Nice Email I Got From a Blog Reader

Why Kobe Bryant is a Douchebag

Down goes the Rapist!

NBA Awards: My take

It's been a long time

Phoenix Suns Blog (presented by *insert corporate sponsor here*)

What a ride!

Dissapointing start and the New Guy

Not quite what we expected

FINALLY! The season is here!

Back in the USA

The beginning of things

Training Camp

Roster Moves Completed (?)

Barbosa Signs...Stat Sits

2006-2007 Schedule Released

Marcus Banks, Sean Marks, and STAT

Now What?

When nothing is good

Damn Rumors

The Ride Comes to an End.

Here we go again

RAJA RAJA RAJA!!!!!!!

Game 4: A Must Win

All Tied Up

DALLAS HERE WE COME!!!!

GOTTA DO IT!!

Time to rebound

ROUND 2: THE HANGOVER

BEAT LA!!!! (AGAIN)

TIM THOMAS FOR PRESIDENT!!! (Game 6 Review)

Game 5 Review

2006 NBA PLAYOFFS

Phoenix Suns Blog (presented by insert corporate sponsor here)