Phoenix Suns Blog [Category - Adam Green] Blog Description [Category - Adam Green] en-us Fri, 12 Sep 08 22:16:07 UT Fri, 12 Sep 08 22:16:07 UT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Marqui Top 10 Reasons To Be a Suns Fanhttp://suns.marqui.com/blog/suns01_05230701.aspx
It's a great time to be a Suns fan of any age.
Well, everybody, I’m not convinced that any of that is true. I also believe things could be much, much worse. So with that, I submit to you the top 10 reasons why it is great to be a Suns fan.

10. Sure the Suns didn’t get Atlanta’s lottery pick this year. But no matter where the Hawks pick next year, that draft choice belongs to the Suns. Sure, the Hawks could make the playoffs and have the pick be farther back in the draft. But the odds of that are about the same as the odds of the Hawks selecting a 6-7 to 6-9 wing player with at least one of their picks. Sure, they already have five players in that height range, but if they draft more of them maybe they won’t need a point guard. Right?

9. Did anyone else watch the Golden State Warriors’ home playoff games and wish our crowd could be like that? Guess what, folks. It can be. If you were at game five against the Spurs then I commend you for helping the US Airways Center as loud as it has been in a real long time. Friends of mine who were watching the game on TV commented on how you could hear the crowd’s intensity through the TV broadcast. That was just awesome. If our home crowd can be like that for one game, why can't it be like that for all of them? Let’s make the US Airways Center rock like the old Madhouse on McDowell. That would really give the Suns a home-court advantage.

8. You get to be a Suns fan. That means you get to watch and cheer for the most exciting team in the NBA! How could that be a bad thing? Remember, professional sports are about entertainment for us, the non-athletic types. Sure, I may drain the occasional three pointer in a pickup game, but nobody would actually pay to see that. Or would they? At any rate, if you can’t enjoy watching the Suns then I imagine you hate puppies and would prefer to live in Communist China. Just throwing it out there.

7. Everybody keeps saying that this was the team’s best chance at a title. I ask, why? I see a team that will only get better. After the game last Friday some friends of mine were talking about the future of the team. We all pretty much agreed that while this team had a chance to be great, so do the Suns of the future. Look at it this way: the only key player that people worry about getting up in years is Steve Nash, and that guy seems to get better with every year that passes. Why will things change next year? Add in an improving Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa, and Boris Diaw; a consistent Raja Bell, Shawn Marion, and Kurt Thomas, and you have a roster that should be even better next season.

6. STAT, The Matrix, Pike, Dirty, Junior, 3D, the Brazilian Blur…How many teams can boast that same number of great nicknames? If they awarded trophies for the best nicknames on a team the Suns would be champions in a rout.

5. We live in a basketball city. How many people did you see wearing Suns stuff during the playoff run? Everywhere you looked you would see Suns logos; it was great. The pride this city feels for the Suns is fantastic, and I don’t see that going away anytime soon.

4. We could be Celtics fans. Imagine how they feel. Our situation doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?

3. This team won 61 games last season. They won 54 games the season before that. And before that they won 62 games. That averages out to a 59 win pace per regular season. Sure, they haven’t won a title, but when you figure in two trips to the Western Conference Finals as well as a great battle with the Spurs this year, the team has proven they are one of the elite.

2. At least none of us personally got kneed in the crotched, kicked in the heel, or hip-checked into a scorer’s table. There is something to be said for our personal health, right?

1. When the Suns do win that first championship, and believe me when I say it is coming, it will be that much sweeter for all of us. Championship teams are not born overnight; they are formed after years of heartbreak. The Suns have had their fair share these last few years, but that anguish brings the determination needed to become a champion.
]]>Wed, 23 May 07 21:19:00 UTPlayoff Hit Listhttp://suns.marqui.com/blog/suns01_05040701.aspx
Amaré Stoudemire and the Suns will have to go through the Spurs to win the NBA title.
(NBAE Photos)
If I could write out the script for the playoff run in regards to which teams the Suns would play, I would make sure the Suns could heal some playoff scars from the past.

So, without further ado, here are the teams I would like to see the Suns beat en route to their firs NBA Championship: Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls.

You may be asking “why those teams?” Besides the fact that the Suns would have to beat the Spurs to begin with, every one of those teams holds historical playoff significance for the Suns franchise.

First off, we have the Lakers, the Suns’ “big brother” for all these years. The Suns were always a good team, but never seemed to be good enough. That squad from L.A. always seemed to have the dominant big man, the star guards and a mystique that usually comes with a team that has won as much as they have. As most Suns fans surely know, the Lakers tended to beat the Suns on their way to the finals, most recently in the 2000 playoffs.

Sure, it also stings because I know many people who are from the Los Angeles area who never let me forget that their team has won 14 championships. I try to counter with the knowledge that only nine of them have come with the team in L.A., so they can’t claim all of them. (That said I still wear my 1947 Chicago Cardinals World Champions hoody proudly).

Next up, we have the Spurs. We need not go back farther than the 2005 playoffs when the Spurs beat the top seeded Suns in five games on the way to a championship of their own.

But more then that, the upcoming Western Conference Semifinals will a clash of styles. I will go out on a limb and say the majority of the free world prefers to watch the Suns and their up-tempo offense instead of the methodical and plodding way of the Spurs.

Right now I look at the Spurs as the Suns’ “Everest,” the mountain they must climb if they are to win it all. Every great team seems to have had one and now the Suns have theirs.

Third on the list are the Houston Rockets. Sure, they are not the Mavericks. They did not win 67 games this year and they didn’t defeat our squad in last year’s Western Conference Finals. But look a little deeper into the Suns’ past and you’ll understand why the Rockets must be on this list.

In the 1994 Conference Semifinals the Suns jumped out to a 2-0 lead when they took the first two games in Houston, and then a 3-1 lead after the next two in Phoenix. Just when it looked like the Suns were going to get back to the finals the Rockets came back and won the series in seven games.

That isn’t the half of it, or, yeah, that is exactly half of it. The very next year the teams squared off again in the Conference Semifinals, only this time the Suns had home court advantage. Surely that would be the difference this year.

And, sure enough, the Suns jumped out to a 3-1 series lead just like the year before. The Rockets managed to win the next two, forcing Game 7 at what was then America West Arena.

Now for a little personal story: Back in those days it was nearly impossible to get tickets to Suns games. But, being the fan I was, my Dad always promised me he would get tickets for at least one game every year, usually from scalpers outside the arena before the game. That year he cut it close, but Dad made good on his promise by getting us tickets for Game 7. And, for the record, we were in the last row in the upper deck.

What an exciting game it was! Charles Barkley was great and Kevin Johnson had a performance for the ages, finishing with 46 points. I remember KJ being perfect from the free throw line until the very end, with his lone miss opening the door for the shot that tore my heart out. It came courtesy of Mario Elie, who, when he launched the three with the Suns up by two, I remember my Dad saying “That’s the shot we want him to take.” The ball went in, the Suns lost, and I felt a part of me died that day. Another part of me died when the Suns actually signed Mario Elie for the 2001-02 season, but that is another story for another day.

The final team on my NBA Title “Hit List” is the Chicago Bulls. And I only need two words to explain why they are on the list: John Paxson.

When the Suns lost to the Bulls in the 1993 NBA Finals I was just starting to become a basketball fan and. I, like many in the valley of the sun, was just captivated by the team in purple and orange. The energy and the pride the city felt during that season and subsequent playoff run were amazing, and I truly hope it will happen again (only this time the Suns win).
]]>Fri, 04 May 07 07:33:00 UTThe Making of the 2007 Suns Playoff Media Guidehttp://suns.marqui.com/blog/suns01_04200701.aspx
I got to the arena about 5pm, parked my car in the garage, and made my way up the elevator to get to work. Fortunately I ran into Suns Vice President of Communications Julie Fie in the elevator because, to be honest, I had no idea where I was going from where I was.

Anyways, we made it up to the office and the first task was under way: deciding on a cover for the guide. I weighed in on the matter myself, and finally a cover was chosen

“That wasn’t so bad,” I thought to myself. “This guide thing will be cake.”

Or not. I’ll give a timeline and some of the key events of the night from that point on.

5:30 p.m. - Suns Basketball Communications Manager Dustin “Meat” Krugel and I start entering in Suns statistics. I went through every single stat from this season as well as career numbers, and relayed them to Dustin so he could put them in the computer. 14 players times 15 categories times two times a piece…something tells me Dustin was sick of hearing my voice by the end of the night.

5:45 p.m. - Food is already on the brain. We look at a menu from Cibo urban pizzeria café and are faced with the tough decision on which pizzas to order and how many of them to order. We decide on two Salsiccia pizzas, one Funghi pizza, and one Margherita pizza along with three House Salads. The decision is made to get the food and eat around 9pm.

5:55 p.m. - Back to work, which means more stats from more players. Good news, though, as we have added another helper! He gets into the office and goes straight to work…on Phoenix Mercury stuff. Hmm…

Meanwhile, in the background, the Hornets/Clippers game was going on. If the Clippers won and the Warriors lost their game to Portland then the Clips would get the eighth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. The ESPN broadcasters made sure we knew this by mentioning it over, and over, and over, and over again.

Later on, the fourth and final member of our crew arrives and we all get to work. Dustin and I are still doing player stats, while the other two are working on editing player biography pages as well as team information pages.

8:30 p.m. - Enough is enough, time to take a break and go get the pizzas. Our last arriving crew member volunteers to make the 1 mile trek to the restaurant to get our food. Given the light rail construction going on downtown, this journey could prove to be quite perilous.

During this break the talk turns to the NFL Draft that is coming up next weekend. We talk about the Cardinals (my favorite team) and I mention how I think they should draft Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson if he is available when they pick. Of course, it is at that time where I am reminded that it doesn’t matter who your running back is if you do not have the linemen to block for him. I cannot accept the pessimism, because, after all, it the draft is when a Cardinals fan is traditionally the most excited about the season.

8:55 p.m. - Still not back with the food, I start to get concerned. Where can he be, why is it taking so long? I hope he is alright because if something went wrong I’d be hungry the rest of the night.

9:00 p.m. - Thankfully the pizza and salads made it safely. Apparently the restaurant was out of mushrooms, so that nixed the Funghi pizza. We got an extra Salsiccia, which was great; I don’t think any of us actually wanted the other one. The Margherita was basically a cheese pizza with a big basil leaf on top. This prompted the observation that it looked like a “salad pizza.”

After that break it was back to work. More with stats, more with editing. It was at this point where I had seen so many numbers where they all started to run together. This made things a bit trickier. By now we know that the Lakers and Warriors both won their games, so we can start editing the guide with that in mind.

11:00 p.m.- It’s getting late and we have our first “MySpace.com” break.

Still editing away, although finished with numbers, a couple of us take a look at some box scores from the year. A few names get cut short here and there, so it is up to us to figure out which names are missing some letters. The Warriors page is tough, because Sarunas Jasikevicius is not the most common name out there. At any rate, we get it done.

There is also a chance for me to do some Suns and Warriors playoff history. Did you know the Suns beat the Warriors 140-133 in a playoff game back in 1994? That was the last time the Warriors were in the playoffs. Crazy.

12:30 a.m. - ESPN is replaying the Hornets/Clippers game. I think the Hornets are going to win.

1:00 a.m. - I am given the task of editing the Golden State Warriors page for the guide. I announce that editing is my specialty, as I took an editing class in college. I fail to mention that I got a C for my efforts.

1:43 a.m. - We have our first “Are you on drugs?” question of the night. Let’s be fair: at that hour with all those numbers things can get a bit confusing. I reveal now that I am planning on writing a blog about this experience. I am told stories of playoff guide’s past, and something about someone getting schooled in basketball.

2:17 a.m. - The offer is on the table to get on out of there. I take advantage of the offer as sleep beckons.

I start to try to find my way out of the arena and of course, I got lost. That place is much different when the lights are off and there is nobody there.
]]>Fri, 20 Apr 07 09:39:00 UTA Tough Playoffs Aheadhttp://suns.marqui.com/blog/suns01_04020701.aspx
US Airways Center will be rocking come playoff time.
(NBAE Photos)
Here’s the deal: Members of the media who are working at the games are supposed to be unbiased and a big part of that means no cheering during the game. So when there is a big dunk or a huge three or a great block for the Suns, the media is not supposed to react in a way befitting a normal fan.

You may be saying to yourself, “But Adam isn’t a member of the media; he has nothing to worry about.” Oh, I wish that were the case (and if it is I hope someone reads this and tells me, it would make my life a lot easier). But, my role on the game-night staff is with media relations, so I consider myself a part of it. Us game-nighters will share the occasional fist pump down in the press room when something exciting happens, but that’s about it.

At any rate, during the third quarter when the Suns started to really get their offense going, I wanted to be a fan again. It was a playoff atmosphere at the US Airways Center, with fans on their feet and yelling – it was tremendous. I found myself just looking around the arena, seeing all the fans and just smiling because of how cool it was to see the place rocking like that.

The last time I experienced anything like that at a Suns game was Game 7 against the Lakers last year, but that time I was sitting in the upper deck with all my Suns gear on cheering like I have my entire life. This year will be different. This year I will be at all the home games wearing a Suns shirt, but I’ll be there to work. Granted, there are worse things in life then “having” to work all the Suns’ home playoff games, but still, no cheering for Adam.

How am I going to pull that off? If I could barely contain myself at a late season game against the Mavericks, how will I survive a postseason run?

I was talking to Suns VP of Interactive Services Jeramie McPeek during the game and I asked him what the atmosphere is like during the playoffs. He told me the first round is like Sunday’s game, but the rounds that follow are five to 10 times more intense and exciting.

The playoffs will be exciting, intense and loud. The fans will be into it, doing their best to help the Suns win. After 13 years of being one of those very fans, this year will be different.

It’s going to be a tough playoffs for me.


]]>Mon, 02 Apr 07 09:05:00 UTGrandma's Birthday vs. Suns Gamehttp://suns.marqui.com/blog/suns01_03130701.aspx
I sit here with a dilemma, one that I am sure many of you have faced before and if not, you will likely face it at some point in the near future.

Amaré Stoudemire predicts a great game on Wednesday, but worth missing Bubby's birthday?
(NBAE Photos)
As a Suns fan, I make it a point to watch every game I possibly can. It helps to be working for the team as part of the Game Night staff because I am “forced” to be at every home game. Hey, a guy has to be able to pay the bills, right? Anyway, back to my dilemma. My problem here is that I have to decide between my family and my favorite basketball team.

As any good Suns fan would know, the team plays in Dallas against the Mavericks on Wednesday. The game is a nationally televised one on ESPN, and I think everyone can agree that it is likely to be a great game. I was all set to watch the game as I had the day off from everything else that I would possibly have to do. Then, out of nowhere, a birthday struck. Like a flailing Kobe Bryant arm, it hit me square in the face and left me in a state of shock.

The birthday belongs to my grandmother on my father’s side, a woman that my brothers and I affectionately call “Bubby.” It is her 73rd birthday and the family is planning on going out to dinner to celebrate. Of course, with my dad being the one to coordinate the evening he is doing the best he can to work around the game for me. But with the 6 p.m. tip-off, I have a bad feeling that there is nothing he can do. This leads to the inevitable thought: How rude is it to schedule a birthday on the day of one of the biggest and best games of the season?

It has been suggested to me that I record the game on my DVR and watch it later, but that would mean I have to leave my cell phone off the entire night and when I get home I would have to avoid my computer and make sure the only thing I watch on TV is the recording of the game. To be perfectly honest with you that is something that I am just not capable of. I am the type of person that has to know what happened when it happened, period.

Does this make me a bad son, grandson, or even a bad person? Is there something seriously wrong with me because I feel torn on whether to celebrate with my family or watch the Suns on TV? I’m not sure. You may have already decided about me, but when you think about it, have there been times where you have missed things that were probably important just so you could watch a Suns (or any team, really) game? If your answer is “yes,” then go back to the first sentence of this paragraph and tell me what you think. If your answer is “no,” then I think you need to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you are really a Suns fan.

Amaré is right: the game should be fun to watch. The question becomes: will I be there to watch it?

]]>Tue, 13 Mar 07 16:14:00 UT