Game 3 Update: Half and Half Nots

Here's an interesting little group of stats that I didn't notice after game 3.

1. Although the Suns lost the offensive rebounding battle for the game 19-6, they actually won it in the second half 6-4. Overall, the Suns out-rebounded the Lakers 21-19 in the second half.
2. The Suns had 14 fewer free throw attempts for the game, but only got 5 fewer attempts in the second half.
3. Both teams had the same amount of fouls in the second half with 8 each.
4. The turnovers were even at 8 in the first half. The second half was a different story, though, as Phoenix had 8 and LA had only 4.

I'm not sure what to make of all that quite yet. I'm still mulling over other stats, which is keeping me up late into the night. (No, I do not have a life.) For instance, the Suns gave up 17 points off their 16 turnovers, but only capitalized on the Lakers 12 turnovers for a measly 8 points. LA dominated in the paint, scoring 52 points to the Suns' 30 for the game. I don't have half time stats for those...sorry. It makes it even harder to process all the new information, so the chances of anything coming of it are on a quantum scale at best.

One thing that does disturb me is the timeliness of the foul calls and who got them. Amare had 4 fouls called on him for the game, while Kwame had only 1. How does a starting center get away with a 2 block, 1 foul game? And similarly, how does Lamar Odom get 8 rebounds and 2 fouls in the first half, then get 8 more rebounds and zero fouls in the second half? Amare had 10 rebounds for the game (3 in the first - two fouls, 7 in the second - two fouls). Kwame Brown had 4 offensive rebounds in the first half when he picked up his lone foul, followed by 2 defensive rebounds and both blocks with no fouls in the second.

And how does Kobe Bryant's 7 of 9 two-point shooting in the first half translate into 3 fouls, then suddenly balloon to 6 of 14 two-point shooting and 10 foul shots in the second half? Obviously the Suns did a better job defensively on him in the second half because he made one fewer shot in one-and-a-half times the attempts. Yes, he was more aggressive in the second half, but does that not scream of a huge bail-out? (I'll remind you that one of the fouls he drew came on a late whistle that blew as the ball hit the floor, and that shot was about 12 feet away from the basket.)

Moreover, with all the aggressive trapping the Lakers did, shouldn't there have been a few more whistles in the Suns' favor...enough to put LA in the penalty early in the 3rd and 4th quarters? For instance, when Nash was trapped at mid-court, and he got it to Raja on the right sideline...Raja was being bumped out of bounds, so he tried tossing it back to Nash, only to see the ball go into the back court and out of bounds on the other side...should that have been a turnover on the Suns? Or that dubious offensive interference call on Amare, where the ball was clearly below the cylinder?

It's maddening, and I don't know what to make of it. As I said in the entry below, A foul call here, a rebound there, and a couple less turnovers...

Of course, none of this negates the fact that the Suns lost focus after building a huge lead and were out-rebounded by 14 offensive boards in the first half. I can't help but wonder if rewarding the aggressor also means punishing the defender.

All things considered, the Suns DID defend very well in the game. Take away each teams' decisive scoring quarter (1st for the Suns, 2nd for the Lakers), and the Suns held the Lakers to 37.5% shooting to their own 40%. Here is where it gets even more tricky. The Suns shot a blistering 72% (13-18) in the first quarter with two foul shots to show for it. The Lakers shot a decently hot 52% (13-25) in the second quarter, and they were rewarded with 3 foul shots. They got 12 attempts in the first quarter when they couldn't hit anything (5-20), including free throws (6-12).

In the second half, when the Suns held the Lakers to a very respectable 44.4%, the Lakers got 13 more attempts. The Suns? When they shot a similar 45% in the second quarter, they got 2 attempts for their trouble. Then they shot 37.8% (14-37) in the second half, and got all of 8 attempts. Do we see a dichotomous pattern emerging? I do. The worse the Lakers shot, the more free throws they were awarded. The Suns' favors never significantly improved when their shooting went south.

I can't buy into the conspiracy theories because of the associations they carry with them.

I'm a poor sport. I'm a whiner. I don't know anything about the game. Why do I only complain about the officials when my team loses? (Because I don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Other fans can handle the same task for their respective teams.)

Even in my post game (even during the play by play), I was diverting the blame onto the Suns as much as I could. I made the calls as I saw them, as I'm sure the referees did. But something smells like something old died somewhere dark and wet.

Do I think that the league is determining who makes it through to the Finals? No. If that were the case, only New York and Los Angeles would ever make it to the end of the postseason. And do you honestly think that I would believe the San Antonio Spurs are the kind of team the league wants to promote in order to bring in an audience? Or worse...the Miami Heat?

But there is a question of money. Namely, larger markets with big stars get the major network coverage that commands the highest advertising dollars. And the longer these teams hang around, however horrible and unwatchable they may be, the better it is for the league in terms of ad revenue and gate receipts.

SOMEONE has to pay for the overhaul the Lakers are about to undergo. And they can't afford to cost Dallas anymore money by preventing the series from returning from Oakland. They have an international star that helps keep the European audiences glued to the set. Same with San Antonio. How many Argentinians will be watching when Manu Ginobili is sent packing? South America is becoming a HUGE market with the emergence of Argentine and Brazilian stars.

And God forbid all the Kobe fans stop watching. He's the only reason that team gets the prime Sunday spot on ABC.

Look at the Houston versus Utah series. Does the league want to promote Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, or Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur? Whose home country has the bigger audience?

All my analysis shows one thing. The Suns could have won game 3, but didn't keep up the energy. Sure there were a lot of questionable calls, almost all of them favoring Los Angeles, but the officials allow the players to decide it in the end...the VERY end. The down teams in all three questionable games (Phoenix - 3, Golden State and Denver - 2) made furious fourth quarter comebacks. As is usually the case, though, it was a matter of too little, too late.

Only half the teams can make it through to the next round. And if they have a lot of star power (read: marketability), they are going to have a rough go of it. The bad teams with big stars are still going to be ousted, but not before the league squeezes as much money as is believably possible out of their appearances (fear not, Miami fans).

The Suns Will Rise Again

Are you worried? I'm not. Who could be after the Lakers played out of their minds and collective talent level in order to come up with a win...by a whopping six points? A foul call here, a rebound there, and a couple less turnovers, and we're talking about a Suns stranglehold on this series. Big wankin' deal, I say.

The best that the Lakers could muster was a night of 42% shooting, 4 steals, and 44 rebounds - one more than the Suns normally give up on average. The Suns, meanwhile, got five less (35) than their own season average. The Suns shot 72% in the first quarter, and finished with 48% for the game (40% the last three quarters). The Lakers shot 47.5% over the final three after shooting 25% (5-20) in the first.

Big wankin' deal.

Much of that 47.5% can be attributed to Kwame Brown being left alone when any other Laker got within 25 feet of the basket. No one rotated, and he got three straight dunks in the third quarter after allegedly spraining his ankle. Be honest...if YOU were playing and saw a guy go down like that, then watched as he limped back onto the court, you would have forgotten about him, too. I know I wouldn't have been too concerned about him.

Oops...my bad. Won't happen again. None of it will. How can it? Consider the untimeliness of this win for Los Angeles.

The Lakers poured their heart and soul into that game. They did things that they haven't done all season long. The Suns were pretty much blindsided by LA's energy, and could never regain their footing after they relaxed midway through the first quarter. (As we've seen so many times this season, once the Suns lose interest, they rarely get it back.) They found the intensity again eventually -- too little, too late. The Suns still only lost by six.

It's lost. You got to throw it out the window. You just brush off your shoulders and leave it behind. Live and learn.

- Shawn Marion

Exactly. And the Suns have three days to forget it. Three days to put it behind them. In the playoffs, three days is an eternity.

And the Lakers? They have three days to try and remember how they won the game. The Lakers - the team who, two days earlier, were feeling sorry for themselves and yelling at each other on the court. Who two days before that were doing the same thing. It is their modus operandi. It's who they are this year. A team with cellophane thin chemistry and erratic focus is supposed to remember how they won game 3?

Good luck with that.

Sunday's game 4 may be another dogfight, or it may be another blow out. One thing that it won't be is another Laker win. I can feel it, just like I felt the outcome before games 2 and 3.

Are you worried? I'm not.

Suns-Lakers Round 1 Game 3

Pregame

I don't really know what to expect with this game. Sam Cassell seems to think that Kobe is going to go off for 55 or 60 (which is entirely plausible) and that the Lakers will win (so much for his NBA street cred). Chuck isn't so much in the Suns' corner as he just has to accept the fact that the Lakers just aren't that good. Personally, I don't think it matters what Los Angeles does. They have no answers for the Phoenix offense -- how many times does it need to be said? I've said it before -- there is only one team in the league that can beat the Phoenix Suns right now, and that team is the Phoenix Suns. As long as they push the tempo, share the ball, and work their asses off on the defensive end, there is no one, least of all the Lakers, who can stop them. It's just that simple.

One thing I do worry about, though, is the officiating. We all remember game 4 last year. I just hope that Dick Bavetta and Bennett Salvatore have the night off, especially after that job Salvatore pulled on Golden State in the third quarter last night. I won't get in to that here. Still, I feel that the Suns can overcome even a game crewed by Bavetta, Salvatore, and Violet Palmer if they have to. Their focus should be on their game - not LA's, not the refs.

Los Angeles is always tough because the normally laid back crowds get vicious in the playoffs. Lamar Odom and Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw seem to be taking the low road already, as they want to see Leandro Barbosa hit the deck a few times to discourage his penetration. Look...I understand the mentality. Don't let anyone get an easy lay up on your home floor. But there are two things to consider here.

1. If not for the Lakers' own porous, ineffectual, almost nonexistent defense, Leandro wouldn't be getting into the lane so easily. Don't take your frustrations with yourselves out on someone who is just doing his job. You think any of the Lakers wouldn't be doing the same thing in LB's position?

2. Leandro Barbosa hits the deck ALL THE TIME! We've seen him drive to the basket, get the ball in the hole, then slam to the floor behind the basket. He always gets right back up and keeps playing. They've seen game tape, haven't they? The tactic won't work on him.

The only thing that will prevent him from going to the rack is if someone hammers him so hard that he has to be taken off the court on a stretcher. Is that what the Lakers REALLY want? Is that what they're saying when they tell the media that Leandro has to go down hard? If it happens, then I pray that the series goes five games, just so I can gather the troops and wait for the Lakers outside of USAC. I'm not a violent person, but if anything happens to Leandro, someone is going to pay with their career.

On a related side note...I find it somewhat disconcerting that Laker fans - the ones who complained on blogs about Kobe getting booed after turning his ankle - are on board with this "play WWE Smack Down on Barbosa" thing. The LA Times blogs are full of comments from these lowlifes talking about how how LB needs to pay for going into the lane. It is one thing to seek vengeance on an arrogant, jerk of a player who keeps waltzing to the hole. It is quite another to expect the team to exact retribution on a guy who, for all his stunning talents, is just doing what a basketball player is supposed to do. LB is not taunting anyone. He's not rubbing their faces in it. He is just taking what the defense gives him, which is a ton of open space.

I have a somewhat uneasy feeling going into this game. I just get the sense that, with Laker fan stupidity as well as Laker player stupidity (Teflon), this will be a very ugly game. The Lakers will probably try to take the Suns out of their game, and it will have less to do with basketball than pure thuggery. They can't get into the Suns' heads, so they will try to get into their bodies. Let's hope that I am wrong.

We need NBA photographers on the sidelines. The pictures I found on suns.com just didn't do justice to Amare's presence in the paint on Tuesday. I found a great one on eastvalleytribune.com yesterday, which I'll share later. No time or space for links in these live sessions. *Update: I put two up on the side for now. I'll do it properly later.

Steve Nash expresses himself through his passing. If an assist is a song, then Nash is Leonard Cohen. He evokes memories of Magic Johnson, which is just what the Laker fans don't want to see. Too bad. So sad. Sorry for ya.

And someone really needs to talk to Leander. This whole "Greatest Show on Sneakers" routine got old quick, and was never that cool to begin with. The guy tries too hard. He had a good one with "Solar Express", but he ripped off Steven Spielberg for that one. Maybe he should watch more movies. Might I recommend, A Clockwork Orange?

Staples Center. Man...what happened to the good old days when arenas, stadiums, and ball parks had a personality all their own? I hate having to think about buying a plane ticket or office supplies when watching a game. What's next? Auto Zone Elementary School? Church of Christ and Coca Cola? Meet my son, Nextel, Jr.? Bah...the old days are gone, I guess. Time to move forward and distance myself even more from corporate America. Let's roll.

First Quarter

9:36 Suns in their road orange. No need to wear the same color as the home team. A Clockwork Orange in full effect. Tip off controlled by Suns as Raja gets it to Nash. Raja's first attempt it a nice high arc rainbow that sweeps the bottom of the net. Kobe gets an offensive foul. Nash makes him pay. No signs of evil empire as the Suns are on fire starting 3-3. EJ questions the mobility of the net. Teflon tries to handle the rock against Amare. Some people never learn. Four Suns have hit a shot as the Suns have yet to miss. And it's another block party for Amare who gets the lob from Nash and throws it down HARD! Laker fans are quiet. Nope...now they're booing. They seem to think that Amare's second block was a goal tend. It's possible, but their team can't score anyway. 20 second time out Zenerella.

7:41Amare gets popped going for the steal, but he's jumping like an 18 year old in a free brothel. Suns turnover, but Raja accepts responsibility. Kobe makes a tough one over Raja...falling backwards and it barely clears the rim. The ball is moving, and Nash leans in for a three. Jones tips the rebound out, preventing Teflon from grabbing it. Kobe is definitely impatient. He's taking matters into his own hands and hits again. Amare shoots over Teflon. BIG surprise. Odom drives on Marion and gets his shot tipped out. Amare gets his second foul on a pump fake by Teflon, who hits everything but the net. One of two, and the rebound goes right back to him.

6:05 Odom lowers his shoulder into Raja, but it's a blocking foul. EJ lets us know the name Derrick Stafford. Odom gets the continuation? 1-2, Suns lead 13-6. Man...Kurt needs to take his contacts out. Nice...Kobe gets stripped by Bell, who feeds Nash on the break for the easy deuce. Lovely. Odom bricks one over Marion, and this game should be over soon. Thomas posts Farmar and scores. You've got to be kidding me. My fears are realized as Kobe and Teflon work the screen and roll. Kwame bowls over Marion, but inexplicably gets the benefit of the doubt. Here comes LB and Diaw. 17-7

5:25 They're going to let Kurt shoot all day, it seems, and he says,"Thank you for the two." Geez...Lakers can't hit anything, and it takes about a day and a half for the ref to call the jump ball. TV timeout, Suns up 19-7.

Room Store reminds us all that Butler is alive and well. I'm thinking of turning to TNT for the half time (yes, I'm that far ahead already because this game is just a formality at this point). Charles shouldn't have much to say because the Lakers really do suck, but I'm sure he'll manage a few thousand words (mostly "first of all" and "the problem is").

3:45 What a surprise. The gimpy Odom out jumps the senior citizen. Kobe falls away and misses, but LB forgets to block out Cab Door. Kurt decides to throw the in bounds to Farmar. Good thing Bynum has no clue how to get the ball in the hoop. Nash gets in the middle, and Raja gets a three. Farmar posts the MVP, and draws a foul? Since when does a rookie get that call?

2:29 Suns are getting sloppy as they seem to be viewing this game like I am. Ahead by 11, and this is a formality. That's fine for me, but I'm not playing. Kobe makes the highlight reel again, and LB is golden outside the arc. So much for the highlight. Odom is attacking the rack early and often, but he isn't making much of it. Kurt gets the step on Bynum...too bad he missed. Nice move by Kobe as we go to the TV time out.

My ass! That car did not just outrun a Lexus falling at 120 miles per hour! Corporate America...always preying on the ignorance of the masses.

1:05 Refs are keeping the Lakers in this one. Six fouls to one, 8 free throw attempts to none. Make that 10 attempts. Lakers are packing it in the paint, but the Suns are hot, including the Matrix. THAT'S how you challenge for the rebound LB! WOW! His shot is SOOOO sweet and smooth! LB FOR THREE! Lakers posting Bynum, and Farmar air balls a shot jumper with Diaw closing in. Suns are challenging everything, even if they're not getting every rebound. Raja gets mugged in the lane and misses the first free throw, but not the second. 31-14

CLANK! Goes Bryant. LB skies for the carom. But then Kobe cans a trey from the corner after a Raja miss. It's all about pride, young man. Suns offense is stagnant when KT takes a dribble to get inside the three point arc for the jumper that is out of his range. Kobe lobs to Bynum, but the rim isn't his friend. Refs are, though. Another foul. I would complain more, but we're up too much. He misses both freebies, anyway...and I'm not surprised. Both teams shooting 50% from the free throw line, but the Suns have only 2 attempts to the Lakers' 12. Suns end the quarter up 31-17.

Cute brunette makes dorks believe that Subway is perfect game food. Gorilla pays for Majerle's lunch.

How pretentious is this? Lakers present a Laker birthday cake to Jack Nicholson at mid-court for the big seven-oh.

2nd Quarter

10:04 NBA rules dictate that the game must continue, so Teflon finds the bucket when he's close enough. LB gets mugged by a Laker, but he left his wallet at home. They turn it over, anyway. Suns need to get their act together and put this one away. A strange sentiment up by 12, but we don't want them believing that this is a game. Leandro makes it to the rack in transition, and Odom is disappointed. A three by Cook, but Suns don't care as Stat hits a 15 footer. Suddenly a crappy offensive line up is putting points on the board. Teflon is a retard trying to draw an Amare foul on the perimeter.

8:49 Shammond Williams is 33? Kwame's hook sticks to form as he misses. Suns are just chucking. They need to calm down and stick with the game plan. They should be creating distance at this point with Kobe on the bench. 10 offensive rebounds for the Lakers should cause Coach some concern. Suns by 9, 35-26, and we have our first D-3 violation against the Lakers. Television says we need to see some commercials.

Question...how does a dude with a bulbous plastic head and foot long pointy nose get a hot blonde? Jack...you da man. She must like his big yellow hat.

Kwame starts a line of high schoolers taken first over all in the draft. Followed by LeBron and Dwight Howard. Talk about a historical footnote.

8:30 Suns getting erratic on the offense and Amare heaves a late clock shot. Kobe turns it over, and the refs are confused. It's a travel, not a foul on Princess. Coach wants to take a few seconds to talk things over. The Lakers are trying their damnedest to draw Amare's third foul. They're swarming him everywhere, challenging him to lower his shoulder. He ain't dumb, guys. That's Kwame's job.

7:15 Boris continuously refuses to take a shot, and he keeps passing it back out to the perimeter as soon as he touches it. He needs to get his act together, or this will be a long game. Nice feed by Stat to Boris under the basket. He has no choice but to shoot, and he scores. Can someone tell me how Kwame keeps scoring? Lakers trap Nash out, but somehow manage to get back to cover Amare. It draws another D-3.

5:59 Marion gets away with a travel, but misses the layup. Bob Delaney is blind, as Amare gets called for offensive interference when the ball just falls off the rim. Can we say ugly? Kobe gets fouled, and the delusional fans of L.A. chant MVP! How dissonant are these people? Points do not = value, my friends. That's only a small part of hit. Kobe hits them both. Lakers within 5. Amare stops the bleeding momentarily. Shammond, you can't move your feet on a ball fake. Odom comes out to guard Nash who gives it to Raja. He's bumped out of bounds, but tosses the ball into the back court. Shades of Game 4 on that one. Only TV tells us when to stop playing momentarily.

Suns are shooting the lights out, but the Lakers own the offensive glass with an 11 to 1 advantage. The Lakers are playing physical, but the Suns aren't responding. The 17 point lead is down to 7, and something needs to change. Diaw needs to sit. I'm tired of him passing out.

5:07Kwame still hasn't learned. A half-ass spin move results in a travel. Michael Jordan must be proud. Marion gets to the spot before Lamar, and Odom gets the charge. These officials are stinking up the joint. The ball is moving again, which I like. Leandro patrols the perimeter, but Smush comes from behind and leads Kobe for the And-1 against Raja. Lakers fans are still stupid. 40-36 Suns.

2:51 Amare shuts the fans up with a wicked jam. Somehow the refs swallow their whistle on Odom's travel. Consistency would be nice, considering they called it on Amare a minute ago. Wow. Kobe gets popped for the offensive foul, but it's only his second. Nash draws the charge, and proves once again that his defense is underrated. Amare can't capitalize, but Kobe does and it's a 2 point game. LB misses the three, and Kobe gets a boner for the ball. No three for the Lakers. Bell misses a three, and Marion gets raped on the rebound. The ball goes out of bound, and the refs politely award it to the Suns. I'm left wondering what a foul is in this game. If Marion getting his arms ripped off isn't one, then what else can the Lakers get away with.

Suns just need to catch their breath, realize that they knew it was going to be a tough game, and fight through it. If they can prove to the refs that they can deal with the rough calls, they'll start getting some breaks. We have under three minutes before half time, and the Suns should aim to get the lead back to 7 at least.

Phoenix is the Southwest Airlines feature destination. A lot of good that does for us. What are we going to do, circle the airport three times?

1:53 In bounds play works nicely. Kwame pulls a quick spin on Amare, but not without help from the left arm. No call, but Nash answers with a three, and the crowd shuts up momentarily. Two minutes in the half. Suns get a D-3 as Shawn gets caught in no-man's land. 47-43

Who is Kwame guarding? No one? Thought so. CAN'T JUST STAND IN THE PAINT LOOKING LIKE HANSEL AND GRETEL! No call, but Nash gets the hoop. Kwame can't hit a shot at the rim in three tries. Raja knocks the ball off Odom and it rolls harmlessly out of bounds. Thomas enters with under a minute to go. Lakers scramble everywhere, and KT hits an open jumper. Kobe holds up for the last shot of the quarter. He gets it to a wide open Odom who nails a three. Apparently he got some treatment on that shoulder. Suns lead 51-48. If not for that three, Suns would have had the better cushion.

A quick break, and I shall return. Chuck looks happy. He must love when the Suns struggle. He applauds himself for stating the obvious previously. Too bad he forgot that he recommended that the Lakers run with the Suns. What a tool. Back in a minute.

Halftime

So everything's going as predicted. The Lakers are playing physical ball, the refs are being inconsistent, and the Staples Center crowd are full of themselves. It's been ugly so far, even when the Suns were up by 17. The Suns just need to come out of the tunnel loose and free-wheeling, and not fall for the bait the Lakers are dangling. The Suns are not a physical team, but they can still hurt a team if they need to. Suns are shooting 58% to the Lakers' 40%, but offensive rebounding and free throws are keeping LA in this one. The refs usually do an about face in the third quarter, and that bodes well for Phoenix. Lakers have 7 fouls to the Suns 10, but mysteriously, the Suns only have 4 free throw attempts - two on D-3 technicals. That has to change. It's not like the Suns aren't attacking the paint and glass. They're just not getting the calls.

The Lakers are playing gimmick defense a la Don Nelson, scrambling and trapping. The Suns just have to be patient and find the open man. At least two of them are always open. Again, this works in the Suns' favor because the Lakers will get tired doing all that running on defense. Still, they need to box out a lot better and get some of those rebounds to fall their way. The offensive rebounding difference makes sense, since the Suns are shooting so well. They only have 13 defensive rebounds to the Lakers' 15 on the offensive glass. I have to admit, the Lakers are hustling. But again, that will come back to bite them as they wear down in the end.

I don't understand these Jeep Patriot commercials. Some giant wreaks havoc on hapless wilderness buffs, and that has what to do with an SUV that profits from the war? Something about big, bad bullies picking on the little guy, maybe.

Does anyone REALLY believe that Doug Collins is still a blond? He states the obvious, anyway, for casual fans who don't know. One good point - the Suns came out so fast that they got complacent. They feel they should win this game on principle alone, and that's a recipe for disaster. I'm sure Coach D'Antoni will remind the team that they have to earn every win. This could prove to be a valuable lesson in the later rounds, especially if they get early series leads.

3rd Quarter

9:42 Kobe shooting 8 for 10, which means the Suns have to make it a LOT harder for him. Odom shoots a three over Nash and misses. You got the match up you want, and you settle for a three. That'll get you a loss every time. Suns using up too much clock, as Junior's three bounces over the back board as time expires. Kobe makes a nice pass to Walton underneath, butTeflon was sitting in the lane too long. Kobe gives Nash a man hug and is called for his third foul. Oh...NOW MArion gets the travel on his quick first step. I hate that call. Vader's kid scores over Jones. Nash finds Junior under the basket, but Odom causes him to fall off balance. The ball goes back out, and Raja misses from 18 feet. Farmar steps out of bounds. Amare fixes it all.

7:18 Marion gets his defensive groove on, and tips Odom's interior pass out of bounds. That man can sky to do that against a 7-footer. Walton finds his three stroke, and we have a tie at 53. Nash plays Bob Cousy, opening an opportunity for Junior to fix his stroke. Suns are too hesitant on the shooting. Nash's pass is tipped out of bounds by Odom, but the refs believe otherwise. Ridiculous. Kobe draws a three shot foul on Raja. Lakers have their first lead, 56-55.

6:01 Lakers should not be feeling like they have a chance. Odom wants the rebound more than Amare, but no one checks Nash on the other end. Pretty move by Shawn as Raja leaves the ball high for him. Suns retake the lead by a point. Keep this up, and we're talking about a huge run. If they continue to run on everything, then the Lakers will lose that confidence again real quick. Time out from the throne.

4:32 For some reason, the Lakers are running the offense through Teflon in the post. He dishes to a streaking Kobe, but he doesn't see Matrix flying in for the block. Kobe looks possessed as Amare forgets to rotate. The ball slips out of Nash's hands, and the shot clock blows up. EJ makes a good point...the Suns aren't being aggressive. Teflon falls down hurting, and Marion gets the break away dunk. Looks like he nailed his ankle again. That's what happens when you try to score on Black Jesus. Don't expect his healing powers to save you, son. Boo Boo time out.

1:42 Suns gather the troops awaiting for Teflon to come back in. Leander compares him to Willis Reed, and should expect a pink slip in the morning. Teflon gets a dunk. Then so does Amare. Odom feeds Teflon to make him feel better as the Suns refuse to let Princess penetrate. Teflon looks happy as the fans cheer him on. Delusional. LB's shot is off still. He's not getting enough touches, with only 8 points tonight. He doesn't miss that one from Diaw. MEEP MEEP!!! Kwame's living off Suns double teams. Walton is not that much of a threat, Stat. Don't let Teflon beat you. Suddenly the refs feel sorry for Teflon as he hits his 18th point over Amare, who gets called for the foul. Suns down, 71-68. Don't expect much more of this.

LA is 9-16 in the quarter, Suns are 8-16. Lakers are getting easy shots on the Suns scrambling defense. They're overplaying too much. The Lakers don't have a lot of scorers, so there's no reason to double the ball every time out.

Laker dad teaches son the benefits of the beer hat at an early age.

1:13 I smell a Suns run coming soon, so long as they gather themselves. Teflon hits the freebie, and they're up 4. Leandro misses the leaner, and Princess draws another foul under the hoop. Free throws make it a 6 point game.

What the hell? Boris sends a weak pass back to the paint from under the basket. Fortunately, Farmar isn't any smarter on the other end. Walton dry humps Diaw, which probably isn't the right thing to do with a Frenchman. Your pager will be blowing up after the game. He makes up for it by tripping Boris on a drive. Can Boris make up for his bad decisions in the paint? He makes one. Teflon sits down to rousing applause. Again...delusional. Boris makes the second, 74-70 LA. Kobe isolates for the last play, squaring of against Matrix. Not a good thing, especially when you miss. LB travels on a spin move, leaving LA with 0.1 seconds to shoot. The buzzer goes off too early...seriously. 0.1 seconds, and the buzzer was too quick. Well, that was pointless. lakers outscore Suns 26-19.

As well as they're playing on the defensive end, the Lakers are only up by four. They like that, though, because it gives Kobe a chance to take the scoring load. So be it. It's Suns against Kobe for 12 minutes, Lakers' life on the line. If the Suns outscore him by 5, they have a stranglehold on this series. If not, they have to play in LA on Sunday anyway. Expect Steve Nash to impose his will.

4th Quarter

8:46 Suns inbound per NBA rules. They won the tip at the beginning, they get the ball in the 4th. Marion misses a short spinning jumper. The Suns just refuse to box out for some reason, and Bynum gets fouled on the backboard. Miraculously, he makes both for the 76-70 lead. Late call, but it's about damn time. Cook bumps Boris at the perimeter. Can't hold Leandro down for long, and he hits the three. Kobe gets left alone for SOME reason, and hits the jumper. Barbosa gets the friendly road roll. Kobe's early facilitating has helped as his three is good. Kurt boxes out the kid, but the ball bounces too far out. Suns need to call a timeout. Good thing he didn't call one as Raja hits a thee. Still down by 5, but lots of time left.

Kobe spins and misses badly, and the ref waits until the ball hits the floor before blowing his whistle. That should never happen. It's either a foul when he's shooting, or it's not a foul. Regardless if the ball goes in or not. Foul shots favor the Lakers, 24-6. Explain that one.

Jey could use a break to gather himself, but I'm die hard. I can wait another 20 minutes. Maybe I should open the front door and get a different view. Nah. The game is back, and we get to see the laser pass of the game. And it's not even worth it, as it's a Laker play. That makes sense. After all, this is only a Suns broadcast.

7:42 Kobe goes to the line, thanks to that oddly late whistle. This makes the foul shooting 26-6 in favor of Los Angeles. Remember the Golden State game last night? I do. Boris scores on Cook, which should happen a LOT more often. LB goes high for the Kobe miss, his fourth in a row. Boris hesitates on everything, and the clock winds down again. Smush bails the Suns out as he fouls Leandro on the drive. Little Canadian honkey is back in, and gets it to a slashing Leandro. he's hammered hard, but stays on his feet. The first freebie goes in, but it's afraid of heights and promptly pops out. The second one isn't so acrophobic.

5:33 Leandro freaks out Kobe, forcing the travel call. Diaw gets in the way of Nash's pass to Raja, and Kobe picks it up and goes for the open court lay in. Nash finds Frenchy under the basket, and amazingly he scores. Lamar misses another three, and LB is a rebounding machine tonight. Boris gets stupid again as he forgets to jump under the basket. Nash sets up Marion, who gets hacked cutting to the rack. The ball teases him as it hangs on the front of the rim, but then breaks his heart as it falls out. Two free ones coming after the break. 87-83 Lakers.

The Suns are getting what they want. The Lakers are discombobulated on offense as they're not sure which Kobe they're playing with. Is he still passing, or is it Shooter McKobe again? The Suns are missing their easy one in no small part to Diaw's lax play. What the hell is he thinking about? A Burger King Croissanwich?

Southwest High Flyers shows us all the plays we've already seen. For some reason, watching Teflon Brown throw it down doesn't exactly get me pumped up.

3:48 Key stat of the game...Shawn only has three rebounds. I said THREE REBOUNDS! Marion goes half and half at the line, down 3. Nash gets it to Marion, but goes too early on Browns right hand. Teflon looks gimpy. Amare comes down the lane and forgets to dribble. Back and forth with the bad decisions on both sides, Amare gets a couple of hustle rebounds. Nothing comes of it, and Kobe drives for 2. 41 points, he has. Amare goes against a 7 foot brick wall, but he has to understand that the refs aren't calling anything on this end. Best just to be smart and kick it back to Nash. Ball goes out of bounds, possession Phoenix. Amare looks perplexed. I wonder why. Maybe we should ask Baron Davis.

I just realized that I forgot to save the third quarter box score. That sucks, as I rely on those to make my analyses of games. And that's going to suck big time because there will be a lot to look at for this game. If the Suns can pull it out, I won't worry about it much. 89-84 Lakers. Remember when we were up by 17? Yeah...me neither.

2:00 Raja gets the in bounds lob to Amare. He doesn't get close enough to catch and dunk, but he actually gets fouled on his way up anyway. Amare's first free throw of the night. What a crock of something stinky. He and Allen Iverson should meet up after the game. Shammond Williams jacks one up for some reason. Suns rebound, but turn it over on the break. Why? I don't know. Way to bail out the 31 year old nobody. Odom complains about a non-call as Marion gets the rebound. Shut up and play. You've gotten enough calls, jackass. Leandro is money from the corner. 89 all.

1:09 Odom gets a tough one to go. Marion drives the other end, but doesn't get it to go. Foul? I didn't hear a whistle, so no. Williams drives, throwing his forearm into Nash. Steve hits the deck, and it's a blocking foul on the MVP. Unbelievable. 91-89 LA.

The Suns aren't doing themselves any favors by not protecting the glass. Down by 2, despite a 12 point discrepency at the line. That's how things go in Los Angeles. It seems to have been the theme of Game 3s this round.

20.8 Kobe goes one-on-one, and it's a four point Laker lead. Barbosa makes a bad decision under the basket, and this game is ugly. I hate when I'm right. Princess draws another foul call. The MVP chants are louder as he makes the first. 95-89 Lakers with 20 seconds to go. We've been here before against better teams and won. Time out Coach D.

12.0 It's not that I'm surprised about all this. I mean, I DID call it an hour before the game started. I just hate when this kind of game comes about. I have so many complaints, but I have to lay it on the Suns for not fighting for more rebounds. We expected at least one loss in this series, but we'll see. LB misses two tries at a three with 12 seconds left. Could all that rest in game 2 have hurt the Suns? It was such an easy win, maybe they just forgot how they even got it. They'll bounce back in game 4. At least now my boy B and I can catch a Suns/Lakers game.

So they call the play for Amare to shoot the three, and he misses twice. Smush gets stupid and goes for a jam as the clock winds down. What a lack of class. Raja fouls him, and the refs are looking to see if there is any time left. Leander reminds me that Junior did something similar in game 2. The difference is that the Suns still had a shot clock running. All LA had to do was hold the ball. Officials decide that there was no time on the clock, and Raja is off the hook. All I'll say for now is...don't expect this on Sunday. Suns will win in another dogfight, then come home and beat the living rodents out of the Lakers at the Purple Palace.

Postgame

Well, this is an interesting stat...Kwame Brown plays 36 minutes, only 1 foul. Amare plays 32 minutes, 4 fouls. I have to believe that those stats won't repeat themselves. I don't like blaming officials for costing us a game, but they make it so hard to be objective about it when the statistics have glaring discrepencies like that. The fouls were fairly even, 15-18, but the free throw attempts would break the scales of justice. 28-12 in favor of Los Angeles. A lot of that had to do with where the fouls occurred. Apparently, the Lakers only foul on the perimeter, and Kwame Brown, that Tim Duncan of Los Angeles, never fouls. This is a guy who can't move, has exactly zero finesse game, and carries all the subtlety of a Mack truck at a drive in.

I want so bad to blame the Suns for not rebounding more, which I did over the course of the game. But how can Amare and Shawn be expected to get those numbers when they are being mauled under the basket with no calls going their way? I watched the game. It's not like they weren't aggressive. They were in the mix of everything, but Lamar Odom and Teflon Hands were allowed to push and shove our front line to the floor with reckless abandon. Hard to get rebounds when the refs don't keep the paint work in check. And that is the only way that officials are allowed to influence a game - by making sure that players don't get too rough inside, and keeping the calls consistent at both ends of the floor. If they had done their job, the Suns may not have had more rebounds, but they certainly would have had more free throws.

But enough of that. Steve Nash echoes what I said earlier about the Suns defense. They weren't working on it. They didn't bring the energy that they did the first two games of the series. They played sloppy and gave up too many turn overs. That's why I can't blame the referees for the loss. Despite being close in the face of such a huge free throw disparity, the Suns were close the entire game. They didn't do what they were supposed to do, which is take care of the ball. There were a lot of unforced turn overs, as the Lakers only had 4 steals and forced maybe 2 shot clock violations. That isn't Suns basketball. So in the end, we have to accept the fact that the Suns lost this game on their own. There were plenty of ways to overcome the officiating, and they didn't do themselves any favors with their careless play.

I'm also less than thrilled with the play of Boris Diaw. Sure, he went 3 of 4 for 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. But how many times in the first half did Nash get him the ball in the lane, and Boris passed it righ back out? Normally Diaw finds the open man in that situation, and there is no reason he should be kicking it back out to the guy who fed him the ball. He has to learn to make the officials make the call, even when they've swallowed their whistles.

None of this is to take away from the Lakers' defense. They did a fine job at that end of the floor, even though they couldn't hit a shot in the first half. But the Suns just would not continue attacking. Someone in that locker room needs to grab Diaw by the ears, and remind him that he is the player who had a phenomenal postseason last year. Where is that Diaw? He isn't on the floor with Amare as much, so is he now subjugating himself to Leandro? Not to blame the loss on him alone. It was a team effort to lose this one, but it has to start somewhere. And the only person not doing his job was Boris Diaw.

Still, I expect the Suns to come back on Sunday afternoon and do what they do best. I have all the faith that the coaches will review the tape for hours and hours, living off Starbucks and Krispy Kreme. The guys will suck it up, realize who they are, and forget this whole mess of a game three ever happened on their way into game four. The Suns are the best team in this series, if not the entire playoffs, and they are smart enough to know what they did wrong. They are also accountable enough not to turn into the Lakers of games one and two and start blaming each other. They won the first two games as a team, and they lost this game as a team.

The Lakers did what they were supposed to do...what they were expected to do. They came home pumped up, and protected their home court. But they did it by playing out of their minds on the defensive end. The Suns should be encouraged that they held the Lakers to 42% shooting, which means that they just need to play their offensive game. If they do that, then this Laker win will be the meat in a first round exit sandwich.

Suns in 5.

The Good: Well, the Suns jumped on the Lakers early. That was pretty good. Not much thereafter was, though. I guess we can be happy that the Suns were still in the game despite all the foul difficulty and rebounding disadvantage. I'll give props to Amare, though, for having a 24 and 10 night to go with 3 assists and a pair of blocked shots. I'll forgive him for the turnovers because the callas were anything but consistent. He was called for a travel on a move similar to one that Lamar Odom got away with. Also of note is that Phoenix held Los Angeles to 42% shooting for the game.

The Bad: The Suns didn't protect the defensive backboards, they played sloppy offense, and just didn't seem focused in the midst of building a 31-17 first quarter lead. They checked out early, and it came back to bite them in the end.

The Ugly: I wonder about something. Is Phil Jackson still crafty after all these years? When Teflon Brown went down with a rolled ankle, the game seemed to be shifting in the Suns' favor. When he came back in, the Suns were leaving him alone to double the ball, and he was getting easy baskets. I said it during the play by play. A little later, he was gimping around again. Could it be that Phil had Teflon fake it just so the Suns would leave him alone under the basket? Watching the play, it wasn't even a bad roll. It was well within the normal range of motion for the human ankle, even if he did have a bruised bone however long ago. Teflon was gimping around, yet somehow found the explosiveness to dunk the ball several times in a row. Could the Suns have been had?

The Greatest Game I Never Saw

Sometimes I get so caught up in playoff basketball that I forget some of the other important things in life. Food, sleep, human contact -- baseball.

I had never been a fan of baseball until the Commissioner awarded Arizona its own franchise in the spring of 1995. I never had a reason to watch otherwise for the same reason most non-fans don't watch -- it is a slow and boring game. Still, I was excited at the prospect because the ownership group was headed by Jerry Colangelo, at the time the president and CEO of the Phoenix Suns. I figured that, if he could bring quality basketball to the Valley, then certainly his baseball team would be good enough to get behind. I was going to support my new home team.

Two months after the decision was announced, I moved to Chicago, but not before buying a Bugs Bunny Diamondbacks jersey at Target. I was moving to a legitimate baseball town, and I wanted to represent.

I didn't watch much baseball that summer. I still didn't like the game, and I only wanted to back my own team. One afternoon that October, I was sitting in some ugly chick's dorm room at a small private college north of Milwaukee (long story, don't ask). She was in class, so I was just sitting on her bunk bed watching TV when I happened upon a playoff game -- ALCS Game 6, Mariners versus Indians, I believe.

Randy Johnson was on the mound. I knew who he was because I remember hearing about this 6'9" strikeout machine in Seattle from all the sports highlight shows. I didn't care much about the game itself -- I just wanted to get a heads up on what awaited me in two and a half years. So I sat, and I watched...mesmerized.

I don't remember much about the game itself, other than my first lessons on a Randy Johnson fastball. His fire and intensity jumped at me from the little 19" screen, and I thought to myself that I just might like it after all.

In 1998, I was back in Wisconsin, living there this time (even longer story). I missed opening day, the first pitch by Andy Benes, the first home run by soon-to-be NL Rookie of the Year Travis Lee, the first everything. I moved back to Arizona in July, arriving on a Greyhound bus on a 117 degree afternoon. I moved in with my sister and her husband, and he caught me up on the season, and taught me the basics of the game. We watched every game, and I remember just soaking up everything. I didn't care whether they won or lost...I barely even noticed because I was enthralled by the nuances of the game that I was slowly discovering.

Then it happened. My mom happened upon two tickets, and presented them to me and my brother-in-law. He tried to snake them, saying he was going to go with my sister, despite my protests that the tickets were for both of us. But I "got lucky" because he ended up having to work that day.

July 28, 1995. Arizona Diamondbacks versus Chicago Cubs. Perfect. I sat in the right field bleachers, giddy as a school boy because I never thought I would get to see a game in person (the way I grew up, it was difficult to imagine doing anything that most people take for granted). I ended up taking the 17 year old girl who babysat my nephews because I had no one else to go with. She was cute, but twitchy. Something just wasn't right with her. Must have been the drugs (which I did not do at the time...marijuana is not a drug).

Omar Daal was the starting pitcher, and I liked him a lot because he seemed to be the most effective member of the rotation. He would fan his glove in front of him as he went into his wind up. He had a delayed stretch that emphasized his methodical and deliberate approach. "Throw the damn ball already!"

None of the batters had much success, not even Sammy Sosa who was in the middle of a historic race with Mark McGuire to break Roger Maris' 36 year old single season home run record. My first baseball game ever, and I was sitting fifteen feet behind baseball history. He had a big ass, and he reminded me of a cow in the pasture the way he chewed on a wad of gum with a complete disregard for social manner. We made fun of him loudly, hoping that he would turn around so that we could wave at him. He never did.

Over nine innings, the Diamondbacks scored four runs. A massive pop fly came sailing towards me and landed in the hands of a fan a few seats to my right. I was scared to death. I didn't have a glove, and I had no idea how hard that thing might be coming in. It was indeed exciting.

The same nine innings, and the Cubs failed to score a single run against Omar Daal. Fifteen feet behind Major League history, smack dab in the middle of Diamondbacks history, I had witnessed first hand the first complete game shut out thrown by an Arizona pitcher. I hadn't missed the first everything, after all. I guess I really did get lucky.

From that day forward, I was completely hooked. I only manage to get to one game a year, but it's always special to me. Every game I have attended has been a Diamondbacks win. I watch as many as I can on TV, though, unless the Suns are on a playoff run (more on that later). Still, I've lived and died with my baseball team. Win or lose, I did not care.

When Randy Johnson was traded to Houston in 1998, I remember wishing so badly that he would come to Arizona instead. Imagine my excitement when he announced that he had narrowed his choices in the off season to one of the expansion teams. It was baseball nirvana when he signed with us, and my hopes were realized as he won 4 consecutive Cy Young awards with the team. He took us to the playoffs his first year, and although the Mets took us out in the NLDS, I knew that this was going to be a special team.

The following year, they traded Travis Lee for Curt Schilling, and I felt betrayed. The first Diamondback...traded to the Phillies...for an injured pitcher. We missed the playoffs in 2000, and I was sorely disappointed. But we bounced back in 2001 in a BIG way. It was the year that Mystique and Aura were just dancers at a nightclub.

Luis Gonzalez had a career year, belting 35 home runs before the All Star break, where he won the annual Home Run Derby and won a house for some lucky schmo. Mark Grace, the fabled Cubs first baseman who had more hits in the 1990s than any player in the majors, signed on. Reggie Sanders signed as a free agent. Matt Williams and Jay Bell led the team.

The season was delayed a week after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. It was this event that prompted the media to pronounce that the Yankees had a "mystique" and "aura" about them...it was their destiny to win this one for the city of New York to help the healing.

The D-Backs took the first two games of the World Series at BOB. Brian Anderson gave a valiant effort in game three at Yankee Stadium, but he was going against a future Hall of Famer and active career strikeout leader in Roger Clemens. MAN that game was close! The pitching in that series was unbelievable. Randy Johnson. Curt Schilling. Andy Pettitte. Mike Mussina. Mariano Rivera. And...Byung-Hyun Kim?!

The 22 year old Korean rookie reliever sure made things interesting in games 4 and 5 (the first ever World Series game played in November when the clock struck midnight in the final inning) as he gave up a game winning home run, then a game tying home run on consecutive games. Brenly was fried in the papers for that one. That was so heartbreaking to see him crouch on the mound in tears as Mark Grace came up to comfort and encourage him. The poor kid was under the brightest of spotlights in the world of Major League Baseball, and he cost the Diamondbacks two games in a row. Games the team should have won. But not to fear, as the Series went back to Arizona for games 6 and 7, into the powerful arms of the duel aces of the Arizona staff.

The D-Backs hammered the Yankees in game 6 behind Randy Johnson, who allowed a measly 2 runs to the Diamondbacks 15. It was a shellacking the likes of which had never been seen, and it was done by the upstart team over the most historic franchise in the game.

Curt Schilling took the mound for game 7 against Roger Clemens. It was a masterpiece of pitching, as the Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 6th, then lost it as the Yankees scored a run each in the 7th and 8th. I was on the edge of my seat the entire game. Here we were, desert dwelling nobodies challenging the storied city sophisticates for the title of world champion.

But there was something special in the air that November night. A small wind blew onto the field through the open roof during the 6th inning. Infield dirt scattered, and some papers rose gently into the air. A few light drops of rain fell onto the field, and the commentators wondered if the rain would begin to fall harder, delaying the game. Curt Schilling paused in the moment, gathering himself as the Yankees threatened to tear the game apart. He escaped the inning with the game tied at 1.

It was a scene out of an Academy Award winning film, and it sent chills through me to the point that I could feel the electricity in the air. A storm was brewing.

Bottom of the 9th, down 2-1, and Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in postseason history is on the mound. He had never blown a save opportunity when it counted, and the Yankees and their fans were rightfully confident that this one was in the books. The Diamondbacks had other plans. The winds were still blowing, only the air on the field was eerily - prophetically - calm.

The newly acquired Cubby, Mark Grace singled to start things off. David Delucci was the pinch runner taking over for him on the base paths. He moved to second when Damian Miller's offering went right back to the mound, and none other than Rivera himself booted the throw to cut off the lead runner. Delucci was thrown out at third when Jay Bell's bunt went too far, and Rivera was able to handle the throw.

Then came Tony Womack, the undersized short stop who hit a game winning grand slam on Father's Day in honor of his own father who died earlier that year. I sat there on the edge of my chair, glued to the TV and shaking like a leaf in a cold breeze. Double down the right field line, and Miller scored the tying run as Jay Bell moved to third. The Greatest Closer suddenly became human again, as his pitch hit Craig Counsell, the man who scored the winning run in the Florida Marlins' game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians four years earlier. The bases are loaded, and suddenly Aura and Mystique are no longer dancers in a nightclub. They are, in fact, surrounding the entire state of Arizona as the All Star home run champion took the batter's box.

Luis Gonzalez hit a career high 57 home runs in 2001. The Diamondbacks traded Karim Garcia and a sack of hot roasted peanuts for the lefty left fielder during the 1999 season, and he had quickly become a fan favorite. This at bat would make him a legend in his own time. The set up was perfect.

Bottom of the 9th. One out. Bases loaded. Tie ball game. Arizona versus New York. Desert versus City. New versus old. Future versus history. David versus Goliath. Gonzalez versus Rivera.

After Gracie was replaced by Delucci, he walked into the dugout and informed the players that they should choke up and pray for contact against the Yankee closer. It was their best bet because he threw a hard biting split finger fastball that dove in hard on left handed hitters. It was a bat breaker of a pitch, and the bread and butter of Rivera's arsenal.

The Yankee infielders moved in to protect the plate from a Jay Bell score on a squeeze bunt. It proved to be an even bigger mistake than any pitch BK Kim threw in games 4 and 5.

Gonzo choked up for the 0-1 pitch. The fans were praying for a home run to wrap up this story book game and package it for Hollywood. What they got was a soft single that sailed gently over the heads of the Yankees who were protecting the infield grass. Luis skipped high in the air on his way to first as the ball landed harmlessly in the outfield grass, his fist clenched in the air, "YEAH! YEAH!" Jay Bell had to hold onto his batting helmet in disbelief as he crossed home plate and jumped into the arms of an ecstatic Matt Williams, the former Cleveland Indian and first player taken by the Diamondbacks in the expansion draft after the 1997 season.

"DIAMONDBACKS WIN! THEY ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!"

The entire state of Arizona jumped out of their seats in collective exuberance. We laughed and cried at the same time -- we had blown up the Death Star, overthrown Stalin, unseated the Evil Empire.

It was the most amazing display I had ever seen in professional sports, and I fell in love.

The Diamondbacks have undergone many changes since that fateful November night in 2001. All the players are gone (although Randy Johnson has returned to finish his career with the franchise that elevated him more than any other). We have a new Cy Young winner in the young Brandon Webb (my favorite player after Randy Johnson). The kid has a wicked sinker that, by all accounts, feels like a bowling ball hitting the bat. The movement on his pitches is breathtaking, a beautiful contrast to the hard throwing RJ.

Brandon Webb pitched last night against the San Diego Padres' own young ace, Jake Peavy. Peavy has become a Diamondback killer in his short career, but I love watching him work just the same. It's my favorite thing about baseball -- the defense. It is fluid and poetic, a stark contrast to the bullish thuggery that passes as defense in the NBA.

And the boys pitched a gem last night. Both pitchers got a no decision. Peavy left in the 7th with a 2-0 lead, and Webb left in the 8th with a 2-1 deficit. Another future Hall of Famer and career saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, took the mound in the bottom of the ninth. Chad Tracy (my favorite position player) walked with one out. Eric Byrnes popped out. Then the rookie phenom, Stephen Drew, the player 9 teams passed on because they were afraid of his agent, took to the plate.

Rookie against legend all over again, and a 3-1 change up rocketed into the right field bleachers, right where I sat for my very first game. Diamondbacks win, 3-2. I can't believe I missed that for playoff basketball, and the Suns weren't even playing.

Leandro: King Cobra

Somewhere between the 5:37 and 4:21 marks of the third quarter, an amazing image was emblazoned in my memory. I saw something that I am not sure I have seen before. There was a moment -- a single, shining moment -- in Leandro Barbosa's meteoric rise to super-stardom that should be the cornerstone of every Blur highlight reel ever edited for the rest of his career.

Leandro was calm. He was confident. He had the look of a shark in bloody waters. He stared down his defender, looking him square in the eye -- or maybe through them to the net 25 feet behind. Leandro stood there on the right wing, just beyond the three point arc. Leaning slightly forward with the ball in his grasp, he barely moved as he surveyed the court, running his myriad options through his mind as quickly as his own first step.

His defender stood bent over deeply, eyes wide like a deer in the middle of a remote highway, the headlights barrelling down at 100 miles per hour. His arm raised in front of him, occasionally jerking left and right, up and down. His head didn't move, and his eyes never blinked. It was obvious that he knew that Leandro needed only the 1/10 second to blow right by him. So he stood there, expecting the worst and praying for luck. His legs twitched uncontrollably as Leandro continued to stare him down.

Leandro ball-faked. His defender jerked. Leandro moved the ball slowly in front of his hips. His defender didn't even try to swipe at it. Leandro lifted his head. His defender jostled. Leandro had transfixed his opponent, like a cobra lifting its head and spreading its cape, opening its jaws in anticipation of its victim's first sign of weakness. No other defender was coming to help, and Leandro's options were infinite. He could shoot, he could drive left or right, he could dish to a moving team mate.

Leandro chose the latter, and the ball made its way inside to Amare Stoudemire for an easy two. The Suns ran back on defense.

I find it amazing that Leandro Barbosa has earned his deadly reputation so quickly. The Lakers know they don't have an answer for him, and LB knows it. Leandro is cool, he's calm, he's confident. It doesn't matter who is facing him, Leandro has absolutely no fear. How do I know?

That defender was Kobe Bryant. Yes -- Black Mamba, himself.

Now, my testosterone told me that he should have just taken Kobe to the rack and clowned him on national television. But that particular hormone has never been associated with the improvement of one's I.Q. (just look at any NFL linebacker or Barry Bonds for evidence). Instead, Leandro kept his head in the game and got the ball to the open man for the easy score.

This is the same Kobe who manages to find himself on the NBA All-Defensive team year in and year out. The same guy who, although I believe his defense is highly overrated, takes the Michael Jordan approach of demanding the defensive assignment on the opposition's best perimeter threat. He prides himself, however misguided it may be, on taking on the challenge of shutting down a hot scorer.

More than the blinding blow-by moves, the back door cuts, the fearless three point shots, the timely deflections, and the uniquely soft touch he displays when he lays the ball high off the glass, this moment impressed me the most about Leandro. This moment showcased the essence of what Leandro has become -- a feared assassin among the NBA ranks.

*Update:

4:38 3rd Quarter

Seven Starter Army

Oooooh O-Oh uh ohhh ohhhhhh ohhhhhh



I can't get that opening acid guitar line out of my mind after last night's game. The Suns brought the chant back from their European tour last preseason, and it's been stuck in my head ever since. And, like that groove, so have visions of a championship.

Really. I get these flashes in my mind -- almost like deja vu. I've been here before, and I have seen what is about to happen. Steve Nash raising his fists in triumph as the court is flooded with players, personnel, and camera crews. Smiling ear to ear as his team mates crowd him in euphoric celebration. I see Amare with a 2007 NBA Champion hat tilted sideways on his head as he looks dazed in the spotlight. Marion is congratulating each of his team mates individually, finally able to let loose the cocky persona often hidden from public view.

The Suns are the champions.

Anyway...enough about my psychotic hallucinations.

I wanted to write last night after the game, but I was just too exhausted to sit up. After watching such an incredible performance by the Suns, I was just drained. It didn't help that I had only gotten four hours of sleep the night before. I accidentally fell asleep on the couch after watching the replay of Sunday's game one on a network which I will not name.

I don't know. It must have been between 2:30 and 3:00 in the morning when I checked out of consciousness. I would have been fine if not for the damn dog sticking his nose in my face and whimpering for a bathroom break at 5:00 a.m. It is not my responsibility to walk him in the mornings, and he's lucky I even let him back in after he does his deed in the back yard. I'm not sure how it started, but he somehow found reasoning in the rise of the morning sun. As soon as the first light breaks through the window, he thinks it's time for his daily constitutional around the neighborhood. Listen closely, Simba -- it is NOT MY JOB!

He does it again at 6:00 and then again at 7:00, and I had given up on sleep. The smart thing would have been to get my lazy ass up and go to bed, but I'm not the brightest of bulbs in the early mornings. So I sat up and thought about writing something to get everyone pumped up for the game, but I just never got around to it. I managed to catch a power nap before the game, but the sustained rush of utterly obliterating the Lakers proved to be too great a drain to overcome.

It's too bad, too, because I was thinking of some great stuff to write last night. When I'm that inspired, I'm a writing machine. But when I'm that tired...forget it. The brain may still be working, but the body will punch an early time clock. So I made a few mental notes, wrote up a draft in my brain, then filed it under "Will Do Tomorrow". So here we are, and I don't know where to begin.

A few notes on last night's game...

The Good: Everything. I'll go ahead and single out the Suns' defense, though, because it was as good as we have ever seen it. Amare and Junior were blocking just about everything, Shawn would not let Kobe get an inch of open space to shoot, and everyone was focusing on their assignments. When the Suns rotate and help each other out, they are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They just don't get the credit for it because, let's face it, it is not often that they put forth the necessary effort to prove it to anyone on a consistent basis. That's fine by me, though. It gives them room to pull an Ali and shock the world.

Note: I found the Suns' theme song for their defense. You can watch the video here, but it's probably just best to let the song play in the background. It has too much of an 80s hair metal look, even though the song itself isn't nearly that hard.

Say we'll never get anywhere
Well, they don't care
It's just not fair
But you know, and I know better

I think that encapsulates the feelings of the Suns, as Mike D'Antoni said after game one, "We've said it a thousand million times." No one listened. Now they know better.

The Bad: Everything good about the Suns was bad about the Lakers. The Suns scored at will on the Lakers' overrated and overstated defense, and Los Angeles could barely get off a clean shot in the face of a Suns defense that was even stingier than Charles Barkley guarding a box of Krispy Kremes.

The Ugly: I don't care how hated a player is, even if we have every reason to hate him, there is no excuse for fans booing Kobe as he lay fetal in the lane after hurting his ankle. Yes, it was his own fault for jumping in front of the lightning-quick Brazilian sensation, but injuries are not material for the boo birds. Those cat calls were better served for Lamar Odom's hard foul/bear hug on Steve Nash. I don't care how frustrated you are, Lamar, you don't put another player at risk of injury. That's just poor sportsmanship. You're a professional...act like one. Take your beat down like a man, and save the rough stuff for a guy who deserves it. Maybe start with your own team -- Kwame Brown comes to mind.

After reading everything available about game two, there really isn't much else to say. I said this on azcentral last night after the game, and Scott Bordow over at the East Valley Tribune echoed the sentiment -- the NBA needs to consider instituting the Mercy Rule on this series before anyone else gets hurt or humiliated. The Lakers don't even belong here, so why risk any ankles, shoulders, or egos getting bruised to the point of disrepair?

Let's hope that our Suns invoke the rule themselves and end this series quickly. Put Kobe and Phil out of their collective misery, and get on with life. Playoff rest is almost sacred when making a push for a championship, so we may as well end it all in Los Angeles in time to make it home for a Sunday evening barbecue. Don't let Kwame keep sticking his nose in your faces, whimpering like a spoiled pup who can't hold his own urine for two hours. Wrap it up, and bring it home.

Suns-Lakers Round 1 Game 2

Pregame

Here we go again. Game 2s have been a let down for Suns fans over the last 10 years, as the Suns have gone 1-10 in these situations, including 5 straight. But we've heard so much about that already, I'm not even going to bother.

So what do we expect in this game? I have no clue. It all depends on how the Suns come out of the tunnel -- loose and ready to fire, or tight and thinking about recent history? Personally, I expect some inside play by the Suns early, either giving it to Amare or letting the other guys drive to the basket. (Chants of KOBE SUCKS! behind Tom and TC begin, and we're all amused.)

As for the Lakers, I expect more ineptness from the bigs because Kwame sucks, too. If Kobe's supporting cast doesn't hit its shots, then this will be a quick game. So let's sit back and enjoy the pregame in the Bud Light Paseo.

Yes, I'm watching the local broadcasts so that I may spare myself the ignorance and pretentiousness of whomever TNT throws at us. Plus, I'll get to see our favorite Room Store commercials featuring Shawn Marion.


James Jones' keys to the game...

1. Contain Kobe

2. Shove Leandro down their throats

3. Play Suns basketball

Nice work, Junior. Now apply that to your jump shot, and this will be a Suns blow out.

Jey's keys to the game...

1. Run

2. Pass

3. Shoot

I like to keep things simple and to the point. If the Suns do all three, the Lakers don't have a Chihuahua's chance in Filiberto's.

I'm a crim'nalllllllllllllllllll set to swipe and steallllllllllllllllllll

Can you feel it? The energy from the Purple Palace permeates the valley, my heart and mind are a-buzz with a good feeling. The Suns should come out loose and firing. We got Tom and Dan calling the game, which is great. Tom "I can't think of a good nickname if my nuts depended on it" Leander makes a great foil for Thunder Dan's tell-it-like-it-is wit during the game. Majerle always makes the game fun, no matter how the Suns play. But this should be a good one all around. I can feel it. Can you?

Checking in with Chuck. His kissing buddy is the lead official for this one, but he's not telling. Not much going on, so it's back to the local cast. Why do we get so many auto parts commercials?

TROPHY GUY MUST DIE!!!

Leandro receives his Sixth Man of the Year award. Did I mention that I LOVE THIS KID?!?!

ARE YOU READYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

David Griffin says Leandro vibrates at a different frequency than anyone else, and Kevin Ray asks a question that Arturo Barbosa can't understand...Arturo is happy.

1st Quarter

9:48 Tip off...ball goes to Matrix who hands it off to Nash. Quick cut to the basket misses. Lakers go to Teflon hands, Farmar nails a three. Marion cuts again, and one from Nash. Kobe plays facilitator, and Odom hits a long jumper. Nash misses a long leaner. Walton tries to attack Junior, but the ball is sent into the seats. Nice work again, Junior. Amare breaks free, and it's OOPS UPSIDE YOUR HEAD! OHHHHH!!!! AND STAT REJECTS THE PRINCESS!!! Farmar fouls Nash.

7:46 Amare scores again. Leander needs to drop the "tissue soft" because it's just gay. Marion clanks a three try, ball comes back to the good guys. Amare faces Teflon, and nails it. Kobe's booed bad, he gives it to Odom, and Amare says NOT IN MY HIZZIE!!! Junior nails a three, then so does Kobe. Junior misses, and Amare gets busted trying to get intimate with Kobe. Weak call, but what can you do? Teflon goes for an up-and-under, but Junior bails him out. Should have just left him alone. He would have missed. Amazingly, he hits the first freebie...but not the second. Suns ball.

5:29 Nash's three goes in and out. Bell's doesn't. Nice. Tempo is to the Suns' liking, even as Kobe hits a deuce. Was that a pass or an air ball, Luke? You're lucky Lamar was there. Too bad you missed your assignment on the other end as Nash lays it in. Nash with 5 assists already, and Teflon can't score over Amare. But Amare can score on him...easily. Kobe's afraid of Marion's defense, so he passes to Farmar at the top. He clangs a three, and Odom fouls on the rebound. First time out. Yes, we like this a lot. Suns, 19-15

There's a lot of action in this one, and it's tough to keep up...especially when it takes six and a half minutes for a timeout to be called. But I'd rather have that than what the Lakers want. If Kobe's team mates keep missing, he's going to get impatient.

2:36 Diaw's in with LB, who misses his first three. But if Farmar keeps passing it back to the Suns, this won't be an issue. Kobe passes it into Walton in the post, and it's a miss. Nash over Teflon on the other end. Leandro's getting jobbed by the refs for the second straight trip. Suns in the penalty, and Darth Vader's son hits his free throws. LB passes up the baseline drive and misses another three. Kwame manages to hang onto it long enough to dunk. Raja's hitting his threes. Nice change from last game. Boris gets it in, hesitates, and it takes two tries to drop the lay in. Time out, Throne Sitter.

"I threw paper. I threw a rock." Can't get enough of those Bud Light commercials. I don't drink, but I do appreciate the entertainment value. Sun Devil Auto tries to convince us that their technicians can diagnose your car's issues by drinking used oil. I must mute the Peter Piper Pizza commercial, as I don't understand how "Tease me, cheese me, with toppings that'll please me" is kid-friendly.

Tell Tom not to remind us of the Lakers' 19-0 run in the season opener. That's just bad Karma. Lamar misses over LB, and it's out of bounds to L.A. The Kobe boos start up as he makes it inside. Amazingly, Kurt is out there. LB keeps clanking, but he'll loosen up soon enough. He's the 6th MOY. He has to. Surprise, surprise...Lamar travels and actually gets called for it. Tom says that Suns have no turnovers...again...bad Karma. Diaw's fouled. See? LB hits from 20 feet, and all is right with the world. Bynum gets a miracle bounce as he's swarmed inside. LB FOR THREE!!! I LOVE THIS KID!!! Marion steals it, but the dribble is too high as Kobe gets it back. He misses a three, but Bynum loses it as the buzzer sounds. Suns, 31-25.

Ladies and gentlemen...this is Suns basketball.

Sex sells everything. Coke makes diner waitresses horny for you. Believe it. Refills are free. Butler's hopping out of his pants as the Matrix tells him that the Room Store is a slam dunk. Red Toyota Tundras out run grey brand name pick up trucks.

Just before the second quarter, the Suns are still up, 31-25. No one scored during the break.

2nd Quarter

8:24 Lakers in bound, per NBA rules. Marion deflects the up court pass, but the refs are blind. Kobe can't score on Marion. Someone better remind him, as he throws it away. Diaw posts, Raja slashes, Suns score. Kurt forgets to bend over for a rebound on an Evans miss, but someone fouls a Suns on the next rebound. Wow. LB plays decoy as Diaw gets free in the lane. He pump fakes, and Bynum bumps him as the ball goes in. Missed the free toss, though. He needs to work on that. Suns almost waste good defense, but KT gets the rebound, and LB hits a three in three. But then Bynum gets a dunk. Oops. LB's a bit gimpy, but he gets the steal. Tosses it ahead to Trix, and it's another dunk. Diaw lobs it to Thomas, who can't jump. He kicks it out. Junior's three went AWOL. But Cook's didn't. Leandro ran out of his sneakers, so the Suns call timeout. 40-30, Suns.

Arnold still can't pronounce "California", and he's the freakin' governor. Go figure.

7:05 Leandro ties his shoe, and we start up again. Smush tries to face guard him, but that's comical as LB blows by for the lay up. Cook posts Kurt, and a Diaw block is wasted as Dirty fouls. Shammond Williams comes in. No, I don't know who he is, either. Diaw HAS to take the open shot. He passes out, LB loses it, gets it back, and waddya know...a lay up. Junior blocks...I forget who...Odom, I think...but there's a scramble on the other end as LB lobs it to Marion. He misses, but fights for it. Junior gets it and is promptly fouled. Free throws are good. 46-32

5:58 LB is doing a great job running the point. He launches a 35 footer, but Junior gets it as Leander tells us that the Suns are shooting 54%. Amare misses, but Trix is there for the offensive rebound and put back. Brian Cook thinks he can score under Amare...HA! Travel, Suns ball, time out. 48-24, good purple.

This is getting out of hand for the Lakers, as the Suns just want the ball more. The referees are letting them play (Thank you, Dick "Chuck Smoocher" Bavetta), but won't let it get nuts. Some physical play, but nothing the Suns can't handle.

4:35 I'll say it again...the Lakers cannot guard Leandro. They have NO ONE. Amare makes a nice turn around in the lane. Teflon can't get inside position on Amare. What the hell is he thinking?! Meanwhile, Nash sends the ball high in the air, and Marion sends it home. Kobe still can't score on Marion. Nash gets the rebound, and LB is JUST ON FIRE according to Dan. I look up, and suddenly the Suns are up by 21. 55-34. Sick.

Bryant gets two gimmes, as Marion protests. It was on the floor, Dick! That is your name...DICK.

3:06 Smush manhandles Barbosa, but LB is unfazed. Marion can't hit a jumper. WOW! Screen and roll Nash to Marion who dumps it to Amare for another dunk! BEAUTIFUL team play! Oh...that's who Shammond Williams is. A three baller. Kwame's only answer is to grab Shawn's arm and pray Matrix doesn't explode in his face. Marion makes the first, and the Suns are up by 17. Weren't the Laker fans saying this would be a blow out? L.A. smog must have their vision skewed, as it seems they were half right. 58-41 Suns.

That's one smart fridge. How it steers with no hands is the greatest mystery of mankind. I won't even think about the pedals. So long as it gives us beer, we won't ask.

Little girl with the Purple, orange, and white clown wig. I'm not that much of a fan. Nash is ballin'. He has 9 assists and ZERO turnovers. Majerle isn't surprised, and neither am I. HE SHOULD WIN HIS THIRD MVP!!! TELL HIM DAN-O!!!

2:26 Marion makes the second, and we're up 18. Aggressive double teams on Kobe gets the ball out of his hands. Lamar likes it. He's fouled. Leandro takes a breather with 17 points. Not bad, says Dan. Diaw is in. Lakers can't hit a jump shot, but they're 9-10 from the line. Screen and roll pays dividends again. Amare slams it with both hands. Are you watching, Kwame? THAT's how it's done. Odom gets the call again, but still can't convert.

1:25 YAY JINX!!! Odom misses the first free toss...make that both. But Vader's kid gets it, and Kwame WAS watching. Amare leap frogs the worst finisher in basketball, then gets fouled by him on the other end on yet ANOTHER dunk attempt. Too bad he missed the second. Kwame Brown too strong? Only in reference to a lay up does that make sense. Nash's three goes in, but doesn't like the view, so it pops out. Stat rejects Luke, then Kobe gets the superstar call against Nash. Block, charge, who can tell with Bavetta on the floor?

KOBE SUCKS!!! WE HEAR YOU PALACE!!! Kobe doesn't care. He hits both.

Marion passes up the three and drives for the one hander. Good boy. That's what we want to see. Kwame never learns. Amare was between him and the basket, and Stat gets the rebound. Nash gets a long two, Lakers miss, Diaw gets the finish. THIS, my friends, is Suns basketball. If the Suns play like this every game, NO ONE can beat them. Amare misses a short jumper in transition to beat the clock, and he says, "AW SHUCKS!" Next time, Amare...next time.

Half Time

Suns outscore Los Angeles a ridiculous 36-22 for the 21 point half time lead. Phil's alternate game plan didn't work, so what do they do now? Not a DAMN thing, that's what. This Suns team is on a mission, and no pretender to the throne (pun intended) is going to stand in their way. I said it before the game...the Suns just have to play their game...run, pass, shoot. If they do that, there isn't a team in this league that can beat them. Hyperbolic? Maybe. But can anyone watch this pasting and declare otherwise? Not without sounding like a complete moron.

Kenny Smith says too many lay ups. What's with commentators and their expression of the obvious? They get paid for this? Meanwhile, the NBA reminds me that I'm breaking the law by providing play by play without their express written consent. Screw them. It's my life, my blog, my team. They don't own me!

Suns have 17 assists on 28 baskets. That's 60.7% for those counting at home. Lakers are shooting an abysmal 37.2%, and the Suns give a big Fuck You to the pundits and dimwits who say that the Suns can't play defense. Excuse me, but I've been saying that all year. The Suns are one of the best defensive teams in the league when they try. They're swarming Kobe, allowing only 8 shots, and Luke Walton is missing everything. Suns shoot 57.1%, which begs the question...weren't the Lakers applauding their defense in the first half on Sunday? Yeah...that's what happens when the Suns miss open looks. It makes the opposition look better than they are.

All the Suns have to do is keep running. The Lakers should take a knee and pray, but I doubt that God is listening. He's a Suns fan. I want to see Phoenix lay the hammer lock and blow these punks away. No need for them to think they "can play with this ball club".

3rd Quarter

9:48 Lakers inbound. Kobe misses and Marion rebounds. Amare's fouled as he runs out. He gets one of two, and we're back on D. Lamar just can't get the ball past Amare, but the pump fake draws the foul. Stat's excited, Odom's tight, Walton steps out of bounds. Farmar can't guard Marion, but Kwame's JUST tall enough to block him. Lakers double the ball everywhere, but Nash doesn't care. The ambidextrous lay up goes. Kobe is just not having a good night as Raja pokes it away. Marion scores. Kobe can't hit a three, and Odom tries to dry hump Nash on the rebound. What a homo.

8:20 Walton is swarmed on the break, and Nash gets an easy deuce. Kwame again? Can this guy even play basketball? Why is he running over Shawn? What a homo. Tom brings up a good point...where's Turiaf? Who cares. He can't help. Kobe goes for the highlight reel down by 24. JONES BEATS THE BUZZER!!! NICE! 27 point lead. Lakers are naked now, according to Tom. Amare blocks Walton AGAIN, but Matrix fouls him, ticky-tack as it may be.

5:37 He can't hit his free throws, but the bounce goes back to L.A. for a Walton three. Nash hands it back to Walton, but Kobe keeps hitting the front of the rim. Not a good night for him at all. The foul calling is getting inconsistent as Junior is stripped under the basket. Three point play. Time to buckle down, boys. Laker defense is improved, but that's not saying much. Suns still score as shot clock runs down. Walton hits a three, but he's no Nash. Fortunately, Nash is Nash and answers with a three of his own. They need to stop the open jumpers. Or just let Nash hit another three. His stroke is so smooth. Nice ball movement by L.A. is for naught as Farmar hits the front of the rim. Amare gets the offensive foul while I wasn't looking, so I can't complain about the officiating. Time out. Suns up 86-63.

The game's slowed down a bit as the Laker defense has picked up. Not much to worry about, as the Suns are just holding serve for now. LB should be coming in to fix it all.

4:21 Amare intercepts Luke's pass. LB is a teller as he works the bank. A thing of beauty, indeed. Diaw shoves his good buddy on the interior pass. I still say he looks like a pimp with the straightened hair. Very girly. Well, he's not the answer to the Laker's offensive woes. Even LB goes above him for the rebound. Kobe looks scared as he faces LB. But the ball goes inside to Amare for the score. And Amare gets another foul? On the perimeter?

2:33 In comes Dirty Kurt to get Amare out of trouble, but that foul puts the Suns over the limit. Farmar meets Jody Jackson as he can't decide whether to pass or shoot. Big mistake, as the Suns run back. Nash misses, but Kurt gets the rebound. Diaw inexplicably gets the offensive flop...I mean foul. Kobe misses another lay up. Too bad for him because Raja just nailed another one...three, actually. Then he gets an open court up and under. Suns up by 28, and this is becoming laughable. Television bails Phil out with a time out. 95-67 Suns.

29.9 Man...Shammond can't shoot over Leandro. AWWWWWWWW!!! Marion misses the Diaw lob. Would have been spetacular, as it was out of everyone's reach. Diaw needs to shoot under the basket. Who cares if he misses his foul shots in a game like this?! If some of these shots weren't popping out after going halfway in, the Suns would be up by 40. Odom bowls over Diaw on the offensive end, and we see a very disheartened Kobe on the bench. Another one pops out for Marion, but Odom's barely hits the rim. Lamar gets away with a goaltend, and the crowd is unhappy. But they like the missed free throw by Bynum. Don't we all?

Joe Forte gets away with fouling Raja, who ends up heaving a one-handed three. D'Antoni's laughing, so I guess we all can, too. End of the third, and the Suns are just coasting in the good way. They're not giving up anything easily, and they're still answering whenever the Lakers find the net. We like this, yeah? Suns have their lowest scoring quarter of the game, with a measley 27 points. COME ON GUYS!!! PICK IT UP!!! 95 points is all you can muster against this weak ass defense?! Suns up 95-70, and we all share a big laugh as we are 12 minutes away from completely humiliating the Lakers. Suddenly, Amare's fourth foul doesn't seem so bad. He deserved a break. Will we see him again? Or will we get a dose of Burke-itis and his three-ballin' ways?

4th Quarter

10:55 Diaw opens with a jump shot. Raja isn't happy about Joe Forte's defense. No one wants to get hurt in a game like this. And just like that, MEEP MEEP!!! LB gets caught in the air, but gets it to KT who is fouled under the rack. He rolls in the first, and we have 100 FINALLY! 31 point game.

8:52 Maurice Evans gets a corner three, then LB gives a behind the back to Junior who promptly misses. Too bad. It was the Portugues Nash on that one. 10:03 left in the game, and we get our first D-3. Now THAT'S odd. HA! LB comes up with the loose ball, Smush or Shammond or SOMEONE was nailed to the half court floor. Leandro goes the unselfish route and gives Matrix the spectacular one handed jam. He comes back with a bomb, and it's the Bugs Bunny and Road Runner hour. Time out on the loose ball foul. The Suns score so fast that the espn box score can't keep up. They're stuck on 10:03. The update comes through, and it's 107-76. That would be a 31 point lead for the mathematically challenged.

Jalen Rose looks to be entering the game, and our laser pass is the Nash-Matrix-Amare Globetrotter impression. A thing of beauty, I say again. Leandro is a certified Laker killer.

7:59 Boris' pass is too soft and gets picked off. Rose wisely fouls on the floor, but then unwisely fouls Kobe the very next play. Evans is left alone in the corner. Amazingly, he hits it. Kobe's on the floor in pain as he tried to reach in on Leandro. Could this be his way of excusing himself from the game? That's what happens when you step underneath a man. You get your ankle stepped on. Dumb ass. He mans up and stays in.

5:44 Rose posts up and Kurt gets the offensive rebound and put back. Kurt is owning the kid on the boards, then sticks his jumper. About time he gets one of those to go. Jones dribbles in one step for the long two, and Boris is shoved out on the rebound opportunity. Leandro gets in trouble for sloppy dress, and it gives Marion and Bell a nice chuckle on the bench. Kids these days. Then he hits the 18 footer. The kid is amazing. He's tied his career playoff high with 26, and we have 6 minutes left. Diaw reminds us why he doesn't shoot threes. The backboard does not count as a bucket. Yes to the rebound, no to the shot clock.

I'm not a fan of Carlos Mencia, but he does make a good point about honesty. Women can be SO hypocritical.

Too bad Butler and I couldn't make this our game. Can you imagine two complete nutcases at THIS game? Majerle calls the high flyers, but there are just too many to follow. Matrix was ecstatic with the LB dish for the one-handed jam, though. When Shawn's smiling, the Suns are winning. Now...CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE!!! Kobe takes his bum ankle to the locker room.

4:07 Lakers stand around trying to post Bynum. God knows why. WE HAVE A BANKS SIGHTING!!! Good for him. It's been a disappointing season for him, and he deserves some playoff time. Too bad he could never get it together in this system. But, as I said earlier in the season, he's just a poor man's version of Leandro, and really has no place in Phoenix. He should have a good season in his next stop. This is just not the offense for him...too much thinking involved.

2:57 Rose still can't hit a three, but who cares at this point? It WOULD be nice if the bench played some perimeter defense. No reason the Laker rags should be nailing open threes. Banks gets a couple of free throws, and makes them. Welcome to the playoffs, young man. Good luck next year. Here's hoping you get to take some jewelry with you.

1:09 So my Internet Explorer crashed during the time out, and I lost my quartelry box scores. I guess it doesn't matter in a blow out. But I come back to see Pat Burke showing some nerves as he fumbles the rock, but he just got a lay in, so we're all good. This is what the Fitness Club signed for. They get a free ride to the title (hopefully), and get a few minutes for their resumes.

Turiaf makes two free throws, and it's 122-98 Suns. PIKE!!! Nice move cutting to the basket! He and Burke play some nice defense in the corner on some anonymous Laker (aren't they all anonymous, really?) Junior gets the evil eye for trying to dunk in garbage time. LET THE MAN HAVE HIS MOMENT! THIS IS FOR THE FANS! F-in French bastard. Junior gets the two points anyway and says "HA HA!" D'Antoni looks very content as the last 12 seconds tick away. This is one for the books and the ages. Congratulations Suns on breaking the Game 2 streak. You needed this...we needed this. Post game coming soonish.

Post Game

In honor of my Mormon homie, Dallin...

Suns rule, Lakers stink!

Seriously...this was exactly how this game should have gone. Nothing much to talk about because it was an absolute pasting of a team that fell off a cliff and landed on a jagged rock that is the seventh seed of the Western Conference Playoffs. The Lakers have no business being here, and the Suns are reminding them of the futility of the whole situation. The Suns are bar none the best team in all of basketball because the only team that can beat them is the Phoenix Suns. They can play through any defense as long as they move the ball, keep the tempo up, and make their open shots and free throws. There is no reason this Suns team shouldn't bring home the first championship in franchise history.

Yes, the Lakers are a horrible team masked by a lights-out scorer. But we saw the Suns play their style in the face of an angry foe. The Lakers could have put up more of a fight, but they just had their hearts ripped out by the Portuguese Road Runner on Sunday. Tonight, they got it from all other angles, as well. It just goes to show that one Suns player can beat another team by himself. When that player has help in the form of Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire, and Raja Bell, there is nothing anyone can do. It's just a matter of time.

Chuck says that the Lakers should go to plan B and run with the Suns. Is his ass really THAT big to be doing the thinking for him? Ernie tries to talk sense into him, but Charles just doesn't know.

Kenny Smith thinks that Kwame is a difference maker for the Lakers, but he's been hurting. Bull. Kwame can NOT play with Stat. Now Chuck says they gotta play better defense. Weren't these guys saying that the Lakers played great defense on Sunday? Chuck says he's big in Phoenix. Kenny reminds him that he's big everywhere. Does Charles really think he's loved here anymore? They're going through the highlights, and Barkley complains that the Suns got too many lay ups.

Come on, Chuck...the Lakers played defense as well as they ever will in that third quarter, when they held Phoenix to 27 points. The Suns defense swarmed all over the Lakers until the Fitness club came in. Even then, the Lakers couldn't win a quarter. Say it with me, Charles...the Lakers cannot play with the Suns. It is not possible. Admit it for the whole world to hear. You'll feel beter than you do after finding a box of Krispy Kremes in the middle of Broadway.

Now time to take care of business on the road. One game at a time, one win at a time. Losing is not an option. Let's just get this taken care of. It's all business from here on out. We haven't won anything yet, but we're on our way. Go Suns.

More on this game in another entry...if I can be bothered.

Leandrinho

Because I'm lazy, I'm posting a draft of something I wrote back in January. I've lost some of my poetic touch, and it's apparent in this piece. Still, I think it describes who Leandro Barbosa is and what he does on the court about as well as can be done. Honestly, though, words do not do Leandro justice. Unfortunately, as you all know, I have no access to Suns highlights. Otherwise, you would see a spectacular reel featuring the best of Leandro's blow-by's, threes, cross-overs, and back doors...all done to the Road Runner theme which can be found here.

So here is my homage to our newest Sixth Man of the Year, Leandro Barbosa.



Imagine that you're an NBA starting guard. You're a veteran - you've seen it all. You're a rookie - you've got a lot to learn. Think about the confidence you feel every time you step onto the painted hardwood. You're a star, you're not a star, it doesn't matter. You're in the league, and you're starting an NBA game.

Your focus stifles the thunderous noise of the arena to a distant murmur in the back of your mind as the ball floats straight up, waiting for your center to tap it to you. He gets it, the other guy gets it, it doesn't matter. This is the league, and it always comes back to you. You know that much.

Imagine your heart racing every time your opponent touches the ball. You don't want him to shoot, he's too good. You've got something to prove - to the fans, to yourself, it doesn't matter. You hang on his jersey and force him to pass - job well done.

You feel good. The win is a long way off still, and you're just now settling into your groove. The game ebbs and flows, and the tide turns as the lead changes. Back and forth, the ball moves like lightning through the clouds. You can't stop it, but your cover has yet to score. Clang! Missed three. You're on your game. You stay in front of him, you deny him the lane. He is having a very bad night, but he won't give up. That's fine. Neither will you. This is your league, and no one gets by you.

Imagine that your team is up by six just over halfway through the first quarter. You've kept the shooter in check, and the game is under control. It's taken on a rhythm that almost seems to live and breathe, and it's working in your favor. You look up at his coach, and he wants some new blood - the starter, the sixth man, it doesn't matter. This is the league, and you're better than the bench. That's why you're a starter. That's why you're a star.

The whistle blows, and you take a forty five second breather. Your coach is happy, but the job has just begun. You're not tired. You're a professional athlete, and you train every day for this. You're still good to go. The horn sounds, the time out is over.

You go back on defense, feeling like you can stop anybody in the league. You've manhandled their designated shooter, and he's sitting on the bench wondering about the defensive hurricane that swarmed all over him. But he's no longer your concern. You look up to see the ball in the hands of a small, lanky, baby-faced foreigner. Step back, let him shoot, it doesn't matter. Lets see what he's got. Swish, three.

Thirty seconds later, and your man has the ball. His shot looks funny, but you won't give him another chance to burn you. You know he can make it, so you bend your knees and put your hand up. "Not this time," you say with a knowing smile. Six points, three points, it doesn't matter. This is the league, and you have the lead.

Now imagine your focus vanishing. The lights flash in your eyes, and the crowd is roaring in your ear. What just happened? You were in a zone, now your feet are nailed to the floor. You're confused. Where did he go?

You turn your head over your right shoulder just in time to see him gliding to the rim. The ball melts out of his hand and drifts high off the glass. The nylon netting doesn't even whimper as it falls through. And one - you didn't even feel your hand slap his shoulder, it happened so fast. He was by you and in the air before the nerve impulse traveled from your hand to your brain. Now you know why they call him the Brazilian Blur. This is his league, and your lead is now gone.


Congratulations, Leandro. A more deserving talent and a more special human being has never graced the Suns organization.