The moment it happened - Jumaine Jones played

Nov 11, 2006 - Phoenix, AZ - Phoenix Suns 96, Memphis Grizzlies 87 - Box Score

Well... after Coach D'Antoni promised we'd see more grit and effort from our beloved Suns. We did. And without our heartbeat, Raja Bell. The Suns made cupcakes out of the Memphis Grizzlies. Going on a stretch of the game between the 2nd and 3rd quarters where the Suns outscored the Grizz 55-12!

Everyone is talking about Amar-knee Stoudemire's knee except him. He's talking about a monster night he had making the Grizzlies crap their pants and on the boards to go along with his 25 point performance on 10-14 shooting. First post-surgery double-double if you're counting from home (first of many more).

The actual moment it all came together for the Suns - I'm talking about how the Suns season took a dramatic change in the second quarter when Coach D pulled the Jumaine Jones card - Now I like Jumaine, he's a dirt worker and he plays hard; just imagine if he was good!

Jumaine James got his first action in a Suns jersey and it was the turning point of the season. I mean it. My wife pondered angrily "what the hell is HE doing out there?" Then it hit me... The rest of the Suns were probably thinking the same thing. It woke them up. It caught them off guard (all of us too!)

Jumaine let his presence be felt on the stat sheet too! 0-7 shooting (0-5 from 3pt land), a travelling call, 2 fouls and 3 rebounds in 13 special minutes. 0 points couldn't have been more effective.

It was 39-38 Grizzlies up when Jumaine Jones came out of the game for a breather. It was 86-54 when supersub Pat Burke came into the game during the third quarter for his first action this season. Mop up time! Yeah, he went 0-3 pretending to play shooter instead of a 6'10" big body and banger. Then Eric Piatkowski came in to make any argument for his entry into the 3pt contest (0-3 in 4 minutes) go far, far away.

The Suns bench guys blew it bigtime. Amare, Nash, Marion, Barbosa and Diaw had to close the game out and the Suns finished with 7 points for the quarter...Seven.

So Coach clearly sent two messages in the game. #1) You need to play hard. If you don't Jumaine Jones will for you. And #2) The scrubs need to play hard. Or you won't and the starters will for sure.

Memphis scouting report: Mike Miller is either gay or wants us to think he is. That hairband he wears is super-beyond ridiculous. Sixth man all right. Maybe he should switch jerseys with #22.

The Rookie looked like he's gonna be good. He looked like a rookie at times, but 14 and 9, that's not bad.

I'll always remember Stromile Swift as a Houston Rocket.

Chucky Atkins - consummate pro. He had 20 pts, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in a yeoman's effort.

Maybe I'm being blatently sarcastic, but I think the Grizz miss Pau Gasol. But yeaaahh.... Umm cough cough... The FIBA World Championships are ummm... cough cough... still a great idea.


Six days off!!! Six whole days!!!

next game - Saturday home against Philly and then to complete ANOTHER back-to-back, at Utah on Saturday...

I don't know what to say...

Nov 9, 2006 - Phoenix, AZ - Dallas Mavericks 119, Phoenix Suns 112 - Box Score

First off, can we just call him Amar-knee Stoudemire already? I want to puke EVERY time the stupid announcers talk about his freeking knee. It's fine, already!!! His LEFT knee (the one with the microfracture surgery) was fine LAST SEASON! Remember when he came back for 3 games last season? He shut it down to get minor arthroscopic surgery on the other knee because he was over compensating.

Guess what? There ARE successful microfracture surgeries taking place in the world. Reeeeally, there are. Amare's knee wasn't as bad as Jason Kidd's or Penny Hardaway's. They didn't drill anywhere near as deep into Amare's knee as the did on Jamal Mashburn or Chris Webber and (here's the kicker) he was a LOT younger than any of those dudes when they got their surgery. So SURPRISE!!! He recovered faster than any of those yokels. So PLEASE for the love of GOD, PLEASE stop with the knee-knee-knee-knee-knee talk. It's been OVER a year. Use some of the talent they pay you for and give us what's going on NOW.

Needless to say, Amar-knee played 33 minutes tonight. Needless to say, Amar-knee had some MONSTER dunks, looked explosive and Amar-knee even played some D. And we still lost... what the...

Steve Nash was one assist away from a triple double! 20 points, 9 assists, 10 turnovers!!! Eeek!

Leandro Barbosa played really good on both ends. Got his stroke back and led all scorers.

Shawn Marion had one of the meanest dunks I've ever seen him throw down (an oop ON Dirk Nowitzki's noggin).

And enough about Boris Diaw being fat... sidebar alert!!!

Specifically, Sports Guy - you have NO idea what you are talking about - just admit you fear the Suns, you're jealous of the Suns and that you really have NO idea what you're talking about (Southern Cali has decimated your abilities). There was NO way TimThomas was gonna re-sign here (with Amar-knee AND Krazy Eyes coming back) he wasn't going to sign here for the money we gave Marcus Banks (a pretty good defender for a jack-'em-up guy) and we didn't want him - he's STILL Tim Thomas, afterall. ESPECIALLY when another Tim Thomas-like player would bounce our way eventua... Whoops!!! Lookee, it's Jalen Rose looking for a shot at a title! And we didn't need Eddie House back (oh, yeah... he'll miss the whole season anyway).

One last thing, Sports Guy - You used to write you like were baking us chocolate chip, sugar, macadamia AND peanut butter cookies... now the same old cookie is starting to taste like a cracker. (Stop relying on your readers and friends to give you your ideas)

We really missed Raja Bell's tenacity (he'll miss at least one more game with bruised ribs). And we lost.

We lost the turnover battle, we lost the rebound battles (by 12), we lost the battle at the free throw line (by 17), so we lost the game. One and Five. How 'bout that for a record?

Just didn't look like the Suns out there but for a few flashes. The Mavs had a 25-4 run to close out the first and both teams shot really well from the field. But it all comes down to one thing for the Suns to be successful. Keep the game MOVING! They need defensive 'bounds to start the break. They need to stop giving the game away to the other teams by sending them to the line. We've led EVERY game this year in the 4th quarter and under 4 minutes left. And we've lost every game but one. If you take away the difference in free throws, we win every game...

Interesting note: SI writer Jack McCallum has a new book coming out next week about the Suns called :07 seconds or less about his stint as an assistant during last season and apparently a few excerpts from it really pissed off Amar-knee. There some questioning of Amar-knee's rehab habits, Amar-knee says it was completely out of context and Coach D'Antoni agreed. Goes to show you aspiring writers out there; if a team lets you "guest coach" don't expect to get FULL access. And if you do write a book about your insights, expect to look foolish. But it's supposedly still a good read by one of the better SI writers.

Randomness about Business I need to get out of my head:

-Adidas: your new warm-ups are pretty damned ugly. They look like a sports bra from the back.

-Dodge: your stupid truck commercial; when the guy asks for a jump, then the guy with the Dodge truck hits the gas, the car blows up and comes back down, you know that one? Stop it. A) it's stupid A2) Stop running it twice during EVERY commercial break you sponsor and B) it REALLY freaks my 14 month old son out, EVERY TIME! He turns toward the TV in horror when it comes on...

Dallas scouting report: Screw the Mavs. Before I just wanted to beat the Spurs in the playoffs, but now I want the Suns to beat the Spurs AND the Mavs in the playoffs.

Next game: Home vs. Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, then a little break until next Friday before ANOTHER back-to-back!

Yeah! We made it to .200!!!

Nov 8, 2006 - San Antonio, TX - San Antonio Spurs 111, Phoenix Suns 106 (OT) - Box Score

Suns are now 1-4 (.200 winning percentage!)

Damn it! I didn't get to see the game last night until the last 5 seconds of regulation and the OT. Iwas out playing basketball myself, going 1-80 from the field and ready to cut my mutinous hands right off of my arms...(a story for another time) But I did get to hear most of the 4th quarter on the radio on the way home. Vinny Del Negro is the color guy along side of former TV play-by-play man/old coot Al McCoy. I still love McCoy, he's a little nutty and his "shazam!" every time someone nails a three pointer still gets me, every time. But Vinny Del Negro is like a broken record. He says "move the ball side to side" at least 45 times a game. Either they are "moving the ball side to side" or they need to "move the ball side to side". Great insight.

Meanwhile on TV, my FAVORITE color analyst, Eddie Johnson tells it just like it is. He is one of the best I have ever heard. I get the idea he doesn't want to go national and commentate on a big network channel, but he'd be great! He is so insightful, all the players know and love him. And when he doesn't do the color commentating, Dan Majerle does! He's extremely entertaining! Both Eddie and Dan are very cool cats that make watching a game a little more fun (especially because they're both HUGE Suns homers!)

Anyway, the game. My wife watched the whole thing and said Amare must've read what I wrote about him. She said he came out ferocious and attacked. Too bad foul trouble held him to 15 minutes and knocked him out of the game with 4+ minutes in the 4th quarter (although Al McCoy said it was a bad, bad, bad call by the ref since a shot clock violation should have occurred BEFORE the foul call). Of course, once Amare was out, the game went downhill.

Overall, the Suns played pretty good defense, but basically lost the game (again) at the charity stripe

I don't know what it is about this team. they have led every single game this season LATE in the 4th quarter and won only one. hey haven't closed out games. The killer instinct isn't there. Now, the Spurs just seem to do this to us every time for the 5+ years. I'm kinda getting nauseous recalling all of the games we "should have" beaten the Spurs. Hmmm... Oh yeah, that Tim Duncan guy is pretty good. Except at sealing games from the free throw line

Raja Bell was bigtime clutch with the game on the line last night, hitting a 3 pointer with 7 seconds left when were down 4, then he took the ball to the rack and got fouled down one with 1.6 seconds left. Made the first and then NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! He choked the second!

So to OT we went. We had it, man we had it!

So Bell got sandwiched on an elbow to the ribs from Parker and slammed into Tim Duncan early in OT and had to leave the game in obvious pain. Got the wind knocked out of him, and absolutely took the wind out of the sails of the Suns in OT. Dude is tough, but when he is in pain like that, you know it hurts.

Great quote after the game from Raja: “I hit the ground wrong, and when I fell I heard a crunch. Thank goodness the X-ray was negative,” Bell said while his ribs were being wrapped in an ice bag.
“I thought it was a break, but I thought the second free throw was in the basket. So what do I know?”

So back home tonight against the 0-4 Mavericks. WOW! What a re-match of last year's Conference Finals this should be! 1-4 vs. 0-4!!! Raise your hand if you saw this coming, liars!

Interesting fact #37875: The Suns have started the season 1-3 EACH of the last 5 seasons... however, this was the first time in that streak that they failed to win game #5. Hmmm... Each of the previous 4 seasons, the Suns failed to win the Championship, maybe this losing game #5 thing is the key to winning it all.

All in all, it's probably best that the Suns didn't start out on a hot streak. They were picked by many to win it all and were on everyone's radars. now they aren't such the target.

Spurs scouting report: Fabricio Oberto played the PERFECT game last night 11-11 and 10 rebounds. Coach Popovich said "He's the ugliest productive player I've ever been around," Popovich said. "He looks like a bull in a china shop out there."

Yes, I'll say it again, Tim Duncan is still very, very good and for the most part, I can't stand Tony Parker.

Next game: finish off the back-to-back home against the Mavericks.

Uh, Phoenix... we have a problem...

Amare Stoudemire is starting tonight at San Antonio. Some people around these parts are excited about it. I'm a little concerned. Not for the typical physical reasons. Yeah, maybe it's Coach D'Antoni is trying to get Amare rolling against the team he last played great against (the Spurs in the 2004-05 conference finals) or making matchups work (even though Kurt Thomas has always played Tim Duncan tough). Maybe this is a way to spark Amare a get a fire under his butt. Maybe this just Coach trying to pick and patch a lineup that works, but I see right through it.

I'm as big a fan of #1 as anyone but I said before, Amare needs to get his head right. That was a veiled way of saying that Amare needs to stop be a pouting, little pussy and play basketball. He has been way too snippy and throwing glares at Coach D when he's been taken out. Amare is clearly in his own head. He needs to get over the fact that he isn't the monster he was right now., but he CAN still be a very effective player. He should just stop thinking and do what he is told to do. He's not the whole team. A thumb cannot pick up a boulder by itself. The thumb needs help from all the fingers, often from the other hand as well... this season is the boulder.

Obviously, Amare needs to adapt, change and overcome his struggles with the knees. One day he says he's 100% the next he says he's hurting. He's merely a young buck raring to go and be dominant like he was. Have some patience, Grasshopper... You're not another Penny Hardaway or Chris Webber, you'll get over the knee stuff, but either way, your game STILL needs to adapt or else...

So Mike D'Antoni decided to slap Amare into the starting spot, basically to let him:
A) Quit his bitching
B) Start playing like a basketball player and not like a whiny bitch
C) Stop Thinking and let the game flow to/through him
D) or fall flat on his face against San Antone and Dallas, get humbled to the point he HAS to bend to the program

The tell tale sign is in a Steve Nash quote. He was asked what it meant to move Kurt Thomas to the bench and start Amare. Nash stated "I guess it's worth a shot". That sums it up. When Nash is geting tired of the act, he won't hold back about it. He's hoping that Amare gets his ass in gear without his head in it. That's why I love the MVP. He's cool, calm, never gets too excited about things, but he knows what needs to take place. Guys need to get on board and play "Suns Basketball" for more than one quarter at a time.

Thank GOD Krazy-Eyes Kurt is a consummate pro and can handle doing what the team needs (as far as the basketball part goes, anyway)

Now, if we can just get Diaw in form. He's out of the starting lineup in exchange for Barbosa. This actually makes sense from a basketball perspective, not as much for behavioral reasons. Bringing Diaw off the bench as a point-forward makes Diaw a tough matchup for the Spurs AND gets Barbosa'a speed into the starting lineup.

And lastly, let's break Marcus Banks of the jack-it-up mentality. Psst... Marcus. Come 'ere a minute... Suns basketball works like this. Push, push, push, penetrate and get the ball to the easiest shot... it's ok to shoot, but make sure it's the best shot available on the floor before you hoist it up. Just firing up long jumpers ISN'T Suns basketball...

It's not a big game and it is tonight... huge if we win and hopefully something we can build on if we lose (that sounds like loser talk, eh?)

Go Suns!

The Answers to "Fudging with Numbers" (Nov 6, 2006)

From this article on ArmchairGM

"Paul" is Joseph Paul DiMaggio, 1941 stats

"Sam" is Theodore Samuel Williams, 1941 stats

Games are (+ 10) each
Avg, OBP, hits and OPS are (x .75)
2Bs are (- 10 each)
3Bs, , SBs and BB are (x .5)
K's are (x 4) (I had to super multiply them to keep people off of the impossibly low 13 K's for Joe and 27 K's for Ted that year

Of course, Joe D won the MVP that year, and it's still fishy to this day, especially when you look at the REAL stats.... 56 game hitting streak is nice and all, but .406 for a SEASON?!?!?!? That's ridiculous!


"Eric" is David Americo (Arias) Ortiz in 2006

"Andy" is Derek Sanderson Jeter in 2006

Games are (- 10) each

AVG, OBP, Hits, HRs and RBI are (x .9)

SBs are (x 1)

BB, Ks and OPS are (x .9)

And we won't know for a couple of days who will win this one (if it is even one of these two guys!?!?!?)

There you go... "Fudging with Numbers" Thanks for playing. I still don't know what to make of it...

A Tale of Two Teams

Nov 4, 2006 - Lose Angeles, CA - Lose Angeles Clippers 114, Phoenix Suns 108 - Box Score

Suns record to date: 1-3

Man, this team has been VERY Jekyl and Hyde so far this year. It's like there's two different teams wearing Suns unis. Sure they're a different team when Steve Nash is in versus when he is resting on the bench. But tonight there was several "other" teams playing for the Suns. I'm gonna chalk it up to it being early in the season and still having some training camp in Europe hangover.

The Suns played too much like other teams and not enough like themselves tonight. The settled for jumpers, they fouled WAY too much (Kurt Thomas, Raja Bell and Leandro Barbosa all fouled out). Kurt Thomas had a good game and Shawn Marion played his usual great (25pts, 15 rebounds) and also logged his 1000th career steal. The Suns just missed too many opportunities. They settled for taking too many ill-advised long jumpers. Hell, they had about 5 airballs!

The Suns are a team of runs, good and bad. Cocach D'Antoni is still playing mad scientist, trying to find units that will flow and play "Suns basketball". It's there at times, but they haven't sustained their style for more than one quarter in any game yet in this young season.

It seems the Suns want to play to the level of their competition. That's not agood thing considering how tough the Western Conference is this year. On the plus side, we get to see Jalen Rose, who will officially sign with the Suns on Monday, try to find a way to mesh into the rotation. He may be JUST what we need right now on this mostly young team, some veteran leadership.

In other Suns news: Leading Ownership Partner, Robert Sarver was the first team owner in the NBA to be fined for complaining about officiating under the league's new "No Tolerance" crackdown. The sub-billionaire was fined $25,000 (or approximately a lunch + tip) for bitching about crappy officiating during Wednesday's win against the Clippers at home. Good for him... maybe next time, he can send ME $25,000 and I'll write a whole article bitching about the crappy officiating (just an idea, Robert)

Clippers scouting report - Brand is the modern day morphed bastard spawn of Charles Barkley with Karl Malone; and a class individual to boot. Chris Kaman has to be one of the best five 7-footers in the league. Corey Maggette is one tough dude considering how much he gets hurt. Everything they say about Shaun Livingston is true including the fact that he can't shoot a jumper with any accuracy. Overall, I'm stil not concerned with the Clippers. Sure they're not your older brother's Clippers, but they're not going to win any Division titles anytime soon, either.

Next game - Monday at San Antonio... I'm licking my chops!

"Out of Synch"

Nov 3, 2006 - Phoenix, AZ Utah Jazz 108, Phoenix Suns 104 - Box Score

I said it before. The Jazz worried me. They are a tough team (Jerry Sloan coached team). They play everyone tough. And they seem to just plain have the Suns number. They have a way of getting the loose balls, fighting for every possession and roughing up players that stymies the Suns' rhythm.

The Suns were "Out of Synch" (Coach D's words). They weren't able to get out on the break, they were taken out of their game, they were pounded inside and when Leandro Barbosa's layup rimmed out with 9 seconds left, it was over.

The Suns went to the line ALOT tonight AND shot free throws very well. But, let's be honest, the Suns play best when the game doesn't get slowed down. The Jazz frustrated Amare, they rendered Boris useless. They clawed, scratched and just plain wanted this game more. But I'm still not worried. There are plenty of things to take away from this game.

Raja Bell kinda warmed up tonight. I'm not sure if it was him getting a rhythm or him just being fired up to play his old 'mates.

The Suns shot very well from the line (even though they're still whiffing from 3-land). Normally the Suns DOMINATE a game when they win the battle of Free Throws, but they were manhandled tonight by a very gritty team.

Leandro Barbosa has been a lion this year. He started tonight and boosted the team's energy. He ahas REALLY stepped up and played good this season. Hell, we'd be 0-3 if it wasn't for him! He shot threes, made plenty of nice defensive plays and he is THE quickest player in the NBA. The thing about him is he doesn't look fast until you see players run next to him. The man is effortless.

Shawn Marion - I've barely mentioned you this year, #31. Don't fret, you are a STUD, Matrix! Inch-for-Inch best rebounder in the League. Solid performance again tonight from the Human pogo stick. We'll get more pub here for you, Shawn!

Amare got frustrated tonight. The Jazz got into his mental framework and flustered him, clearly. Be patient young buck, it will come. (Amare will have a 50 point performance within a month... he's starting to get angry, and someone will pay)

Do you SERIOUSLY think the Suns will shoot 29% from 3 every game this year? If you do, start packing your fishing equipment. Mama said there'll be games like this...

Coach D admitted after the game that Boris Diaw is a bit hesitant in his play and just needs to get his flow back. Clearly, Boris is in his own head, too. Alot of people have been saying he got fat, he's out of shape... on top of this he just signed a fat new contract. 3D just needs to relax again and play the game, not try to live up to invisible expectations. Of course, he'll be fine. He's a fine character, a smart individual and a player with talents unlike any current player. I call him "Magic Junior"

All in all, I think tonight's game was GREAT for the Suns to experience. Yes, I said GREAT!!! They need to know EVERY TEAM will be gunning for them. Every team is going to:

-try to shut the run down
-try to show the Suns are "overrated"
-try to get a piece of the Suns since they are so highly rated.
-try to muscle the Suns (sorry, but THAT won't work for long)
-try to beat the Suns at their game if muscling them doesn't work (that won't work either)
-throw the kitchen sink & all their bigs at the Suns

The Suns have another tough game tomorrow in Lose Angeles against the Clippers (again). Me thinks they will take out some more frustration on the Clips and reassert themselves just in time for the Spurs-Mavs back to back coming up. We'll see how Jalen Rose fits into this squad. Maybe the Suns were thinking about that tonight too, instead of concentrating on the Jazz?

Hey, I still LOVE this team, their makeup, their future. I still have one small concern. I feel like I've been here before. This team is SET for the future. Lots of young talent, all signed to long contracts. Everything seems bright. But the fear of something messing this up before it develops is very prevalent within me. I pray that it isn't something tragic, but I'm scared for the worst to screw this all up - Nash's back, Amare's knees, Diaw's whatever... Coach D flipping out, grabbing a pile of guns and taking out a mall... I just hope that NOTHING keeps this from being a run of titles. I want it. They want it. Phoenix wants it. I just know how hard it is! Maybe, I'll just enjoy it each day, every day in the meantime (Oh, wait. That's what I AM doing!)

Utah scouting report - FEAR the Jazz! I kid you not. they're gonna beat your team too! I'm a big as fan of Chris Paul as the next guy, Deron Williams was the right pick for the Jazz. Kid is the real deal and Jerry Sloan-worthy tough! Kirilenko is STILL a freek talent, Carlos Boozer is the Carlos Boozer the Jazz paid for (and he's very easy to hate) and Matt Harpring is the best football player in the NBA. I respect Jerry Sloan SO much. He has a roster of eh's and so what's and I legitimately fear playing them!!!

Next game - another back-to-back: tomorrow in L.A. against the Clippers (then we won't see them again 'til after the All-Star game.

Yeah! We made it to .500!!!

Nov 1, 2006 - Phoenix, AZ - Phoenix Suns 112, Lose Angeles Clippers 104 - Box Score

In came the Lose Angeles Clippers and out came win #1. The Phoenix Suns scratched and clawed their way, all the way back to .500

Geez, Tim Thomas certainly finds ways to help the Suns win, eh? Even in a Clips uni, Ole' #2 played like #2. But that wasn't the big story.

The BIG story was how good Amare Stoudemire is looking. He threw down a few mean jams, played tough and very strong on the inside and even played pretty good defense! Everyone is concerned with Amare's knees - I'm here to tell you something: his knees AREN'T the problem. He needs to get back into basketball shape, MENTALLY first and physically (handle, passing, rotating on D, stamina). Look, I've watched Amare his whole career. When he is confident he is a MONSTER. He's mean, he's physical, he's ferocious and other guys HATE to play against him. He's not there yet, it's all mental. He remembers HOW HARD he had to work to get to this point. He is concerned with having setbacks, but he is starting to show the fearlessness and reckless abandon that was his trademark. He may remember the pain and the hard work, but he also remembers how to crush the rim... progress will come in chunks, just like his rookie year. He builds confidence in spurts, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has a 50 point game within the month (and a bunch of 6-8 point games as well). As the season moves on, Amare's gonna be fine, and in my opinion, he's not the story at all...

The BIG story last night to me was Boris Diaw!!! Big Boy showed up last night... he is finally getting rolling. He got a little fat this summer (but a good percentage of muscle gain, too) and he played ball all summer for France. He stalled out in the preseason and played pretty bad against the Fakers, but 3D woke up in the second half last night. It was very good to see!

In the first half he continued to play unselfishly (almost to a fault) by taking the ball right to the rim and dishing out, but he also is starting to show a nice stroke on the jumper. He played smarter D and simply turned it on in the second half... Boris has the ability to dominate a game when he chooses and he is getting better daily.

One concern from last night, well maybe concern isn't the right word, but... let's get Raja Bell rolling!!! He is the guy that needs to warm up. Sure, it's only two games in but the engine is misfiring on one piston at this point. Raja still brings the toughness, but we need some of that 43% 3pt shooting back... Of course, he'll be fine and I'm just being critical as hell because I want them to play perfectly (even though they never will)

Nice to see JJ (James Jones) hit some key shots and play a little D, Barbosa is our secret weapon and Coach D'Antoni has a wonderful problem he probably never has had before - TOO much talent! Oh yeah, we still have TWO #1 picks coming from Atlanta in the Joe Johnson (I still wish Joe all the luck) deal... I still giggle and get all giddy over that deal - it was like something you could only pull off in a video game, but it was real!!!

So the two LA teams (2 of the few teams with enough bigs to pester the Suns into slowing down) have had their chance at revenge from last year's playoffs... and another team with bigs and a slow-it-down mentality is on the horizon... The Jazz... then we get a rematch with the Clippers again in LA, then on to Dallas and San Antonio...

Coach D said the toughest stretch they have to deal with all year is the first 10 games (3 sets of back-to-back games) but at least 10 of the first 16 are at home... time to open up a division lead!

In other Suns related news, the Suns threw a minimum contract at free agent Jalen Rose (since he's already getting $16mil from New York); word is, he is also interested in the Miami Heat (we'll see if he changed his mind since the opening game in Miami); don't discount Detroit since Rose is a Motor City native.

Next game - Friday against the Utah Jazz - I like the Jazz, but they scare me a little. They are TOUGH and a Jerry Sloan team through and through. I think the Jazz are going to be the surprise team this year...

Game 1:Suns lose! 82-0 will be even tougher now!!!

Oct 31, 2006 - Los Angeles - Lose Angeles Fakers 114, Phoenix Suns 106 -Box Score

The Lakers won 114-106, coming back from a huge 41 point Suns First Quarter. Some quick notes:

Coach D'Antoni's not worried, I'm not worried; he claims he "hit the panic button" early and ran the lineup from last year out there too early after 2 back-to-back Amare Stoudemire turnovers in the Third Quarter that really swept the momentum to L.A., their young biggun' Andrew Bynum and their fans.

Lamar Odom killed the Suns from inside and when they switched Kurt Thomas to him to stop him inside, he nailed several 3 pointers. He played huge. We'll see how that pans out when Kobe gets back from his extended-for-some-unkown-reason (is he scurrrred by Raja Bell still??) knee rehab.

Leandro Barbosa played great last night, pumping in 30 points. His shot looked good, played excellent defense... that's your 2006-07 Sixth Man of the Year award winner right there, folks.

Amare Stoudemire had flashes of brilliance and moments of thud. One thunderous dunk for his first two points of the season, but his ballhandling skills looked BAD, still... he needs to get his head right, play the season and get into basketball shape in order to dominate. If he just plays with the system, he'll be fine until it's time to take over again (playoffs).

All in All, they're the Suns. This is what they do. When the shots don't fall, they're going to blow some big leads. They didn't play bad inasmuch as the Lakers played out of their minds, but this game should have never been close. Chalk it up to coming into th game with crazy expectations in their heads instead of the task at hand.

Game tonight AT HOME versus those Tim Thomas-signing Lose Angeles Clippers... Look for the Suns to pull to 1-1 on the season.