-First in a series of pieces on the Channing Frye/Jason Richardson fisticuffs with the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. This one is an interesting piece on what the brawl means big picture for the Suns: the days of “seven sissies or less” appear to be over. [Fanster]

-According to the Arizona Republic, the NBA is still reviewing the fracas, and the Suns are still planning on being without Frye when they take on the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at US Airways Center. [AZ Central]

-With the Suns not having to play for six long days, the team has gotten an opportunity to get some practice time in. The time off is also expected to be good for Leandro Barbosa, who is nearing a return from surgery to remove a cyst from his wrist. [Bright Side of the Sun]

-Robin Lopez committed a foul on Thursday night against the Jazz that was originally ruled a “flagrant 1″ by officials, but the league has since upgraded it to a more serious “flagrant 2″ foul. The Jazz still don’t think the league has gone far enough in disciplining Lopez. [Salt Lake Tribune]

-Some folks in the NBA blogosphere are finally beginning to take notice of the impact that Robin Lopez has been having on the Suns. About time. [Hoops World]

-Finally, here are Marc Stein’s power rankings for this week. The Suns remain steadily at number seven, despite being 14-4 in their last 18 games. [ESPN]

Here is  a video from the 2004 NBA Slam Dunk Contest that proves this assertion:

-Thoughts on the Suns’ loss last night to Utah:

-There are two numbers that stick out in the mind of Suns fans from the game Thursday night: one was the absurd number of offensive rebounds the Jazz got (19). The other was how many turnovers Suns SF Grant Hill had (5).

The Jazz had 11 offensive rebounds in the first half of the contest, and it really set the tone for how they would play the rest of the way. Carlos Boozer had 15 rebounds in the game, and he, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko combined for 14 offensive boards between them. This kind of domination on the glass not only leads to second chance points out the wazzoo, but also demoralizes a team that has been playing better defense, but was unable to get the ball after missed shots last night.

As for Hill’s five turnovers, there is simply no excuse why a forward should turn the ball over five times. Considering he took nine shots and had three assists, there is no way that he should be coughing up the ball so often. Steve Nash may have had seven, but at least he had 15 dimes and was clearly in a passing mode last night.

-For a recap of the game from the Jazz side of the court, check out this: [Deseret News]

-According to Mark Miller of Yahoo! Sports, Amare Stoudemire has said he is holding off on all contract negotiations and decisions about his future until after the season. He said he “doesn’t want the distraction.” [Yahoo]

-Are the Suns actually playing better defense, or is it just some sort of illusion being perpetrated on the fans? Trevor Paxton has some answers in an interesting blog piece on the topic. [Bright Side of the Sun]

-Ian Thomsen wrote an interesting piece about Turnover Jones aka Grant Hill concerning his injury-plagued past and current healthy status. [Sports Illustrated]

-Finally, for those of you active on Twitter (follow me at jim_neveau if you are), the Phoenix Suns have helpfully put together a “list” of all of their players who are on the social networking site. Don’t let the fact that the list only has 74 followers get you down. [Twitter]

Louis Amundson grabbed 11 boards in his limited playing time, and even though Steve Nash only scored two points, he did tally 13 assists to help his Suns to the victory.

While Richardson, Stoudemire, and Nash all grabbed some bench in the fourth quarter, the game wasn’t always a laugher. In fact, the Suns were losing by a point at halftime to the Clippers, but when the third quarter rolled around, Phoenix was ready. They outscored the Clips 39-18 and absolutely stole any momentum away that Los Angeles could afford to lose.

Solar Powered Lessons

-The Suns don’t need Steve Nash’s scoring

While it’s generally helpful to have Nash on the floor knocking down shots, his shooting percentage was so low (1-for-5) that it was probably a good thing that he declined to pull the trigger as often as he normally does.

Even with his 20% field goal rate, Nash was still a big contributor with his 13 helpers, and he had a steal and a rebound to boot.

Amare Stoudemire is a Beast Unchained

Yet again Amare is having the time of his life on the basketball court. Not only did he grab down 30 points and 14 rebounds in the Clippers game, but he also had three blocks and two steals to boot.

With that kind of production on both ends of the floor, it’s no small wonder that teams did want Amare to be in their line-ups for the stretch run.

Now, if only we could read Steve Kerr’s mind and see if he’s going to offer Amare the extension that he so desperately wants.

The Three-Ball Is the Make or Break Element of the Suns

When a team shoots over 50% from beyond the arc, they generally have a great chance of winning. When a team is capable of making 12 threes in a game, then you have a special group of guys on your hands.

Unfortunately, if the three-ball isn’t falling for Phoenix, then you see a lot of cutaway shots of Alvin Gentry with his hand under his chin and his gaze focused elsewhere. They need to make sure that their defense is as good as the one that shut down Denver on Monday night at US Airways Center, and if they can do that, then a couple playoff series victories aren’t out of the question.

-After losing to the Spurs in spirit-crushing fashion (blown dunk by Jason Richardson, anyone?), the Suns came back and clamped down on the Nuggets for a big win. Steve Kerr says that this illustrates a new mentality in the team, and it’s hard to disagree with his logic. [KTAR]

-Speaking of the Nuggets-Suns game…..yeah, Suns Spot kind of didn’t like my Google Chrome on Tuesday morning. Our apologies, and we will just say this: scoring 33 points in the 2nd quarter + holding the Nuggets to only 85 points are two outstanding examples of great basketball. [AP]

-I’m not sure if Britt Robson watched the Suns in the first half against the Spurs Sunday, or the last three quarters against the Nuggets on Monday, but when he says that the “Suns defense is even worse now than it was under Mike D’Antoni”, I somehow have a difficult time believing him. As for his assertion that the Suns’ style doesn’t translate to playoff style basketball….yeah, I’ll let him have that. [Sports Illustrated]

-It’s not basketball related, but it’s simultaneously horrible and hilarious: John Daly tweeted a reporter’s phone number. Because the reporter criticized his show on the Golf Channel. Wow. [ESPN]

-Marc Stein’s weekly power rankings are out, and the Suns are slowly creeping up the list, falling at number seven. For the rest of the list, we will helpfully provide you with the link to do so. [ESPN]

-Finally, Steve Nash has a challenge for you: how many 3-pointers can YOU make in one minute? His number is kind of difficult to top, not going to lie:

-After a roller coaster month of February, Amare Stoudemire came out of the trade talks with flying colors. He scored points galore, upped his performance on the glass, and showed why he is going to be a very coveted free agent if he decides to opt out this year.

With all of that being the case, it is reported that Stoudemire is one of the leading candidates for Western Conference player of the month for February. Obviously, we’ll keep you posted on any developments. [KTAR]

-After the narrow defeat at the hands of the Spurs yesterday, Paul Coro wrote a good piece on the mentality that Stoudemire brings to the floor when he plays. Some good quotes from Alvin Gentry spice it up as well. [Arizona Republic]

-With the Suns going 14-5 since the insertion of Robin Lopez into the starting line-up, it seems appropriate that Seth Pollack would write a very solid piece about the impact Lopez has had on the Suns. A very interesting read, and one that brings up some good points hardcore Suns fans will appreciate. [Bright Side of the Sun]

-Preview of the Nuggets-Suns game tonight in Phoenix [CBS Sports]

-Two non-Suns related pieces to finish up today: former Sun Shaquille O’Neal underwent surgery to repair damage to his right thumb. He will be out for up to eight weeks, and this development leaves Cleveland fairly short-handed at center. [Cleveland Plain-Dealer]

-Finally, this is a completely non-basketball topic, but an important one nonetheless.

Peter King, the very talented NFL writer from Sports Illustrated, is helping the USO provide soldiers with items that normally aren’t included in care packages, but are equally important for the morale of the troops. This includes athletic equipment, game systems, and other things that give these brave men and women a little taste of home while serving their country.

The USO is accepting donations on their website, and if you could spare as little as $5, it would greatly help towards their goal of helping soldiers. [USO]

The game was a story of two halves, essentially. The Suns played really solid defense during the first half, with Tim Duncan rendered fairly ineffective and Phoenix going on a shot-swatting spree. Robin Lopez had three blocks in the first half, and the team had eight as a whole, a high number for a squad with little interior defensive presence.

The second half, however, was a different story, with Duncan dominating the offensive paint and Richard Jefferson lighting it up from the field. Duncan finished with 21 points and 10 boards, and Manu Ginobili scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to bring his game total to 21.

Overall, the team played with the same defensive tenacity and offensive punch that they have played with during their recent solid run, but it wasn’t enough against a Spurs team that is starting to round back into form after losing several players to injury recently.

Game Observations:

-Amare Stoudemire couldn’t buy a basket during the beginning stages of the game. Every time it seemed like he would go up for an easy lay-in, or take a wide-open perimeter jumper, it would clank off the iron and fall harmlessly to the floor.

In the second half, however, he definitely turned things around, playing the dominating brand of in-your-face hoops that have become his hallmark. He has exceeded 30 points five times in the past 13 games, and the Suns’ 9-4 record over that stretch is largely due to his heightened offensive punch.

-Mike Tirico made an interesting point during the broadcast about the quality of play exhibited by back-up point guard Goran Dragic.

On a baseline drive that saw Dragic do a reverse lay-up, Tirico pointed out that it was a Nash-like maneuver, and that Goran may be finally learning from his All-Star teacher.

The play certainly looked like something Nash would do, taking advantage of a soft defense and driving under the basket and coming back out to lay the ball in. It showed some good basketball intuition, something sorely lacking often times in Dragic’s game.

-The San Antonio Spurs may be the closest thing the NBA has to the Detroit Red Wings this season.

They have had so many injuries it’s hard to keep track, and they have been good for so long it almost feels like an era is passing as Tim Duncan gets older and other players begin to show the cracks of old age.

Even with all the adversity that this bunch has faced, however, the fact remains that they could still make a run in the playoffs if they can get their starters back up and healthy, and their playoff experience remains a tremendous asset.

Could they make a run at the championship with an aging team and parts that were cast off from other places? Probably not, but with Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili at the helm, there is little question that a title is at least in the realm of possibility.

-How about Robin Lopez’s performance over the last two games? He goes off for 30 points on Friday night against the Clippers, and he turns right around and scores eight points, grabs eight boards, and blocks five shots today against the Spurs.

Lopez may never reach the acclaim (or skill level) of his twin brother Brook, but he certainly has the capacity to be a defensive glue of sorts for a team that is woefully lacking on that end of the floor.

With that in mind, Suns Spot is going to start taking on a different feel over the coming days and weeks. There will be more entries as a whole, and there will be a greater focus on the day-to-day operations and games of the Suns.

In the past, we stayed away from doing straight game recaps, but in an effort to bring you, the reader, a more rounded basketball blog, Suns Spot will begin dissecting games more frequently.

Also, while some weekly features like Random Suns Video will be retained, items like Bright Spots and Opining Suns will come out more often.

With the background information out of the way, let me, as the author of this blog, say this to you, the Suns fans who read it:

Things are about to get a lot better on this page. There will be more content, more timely articles, and a lot more fun in the coming days and weeks on this blog. I appreciate all of you who stop by this little corner of the sports blogosphere, and it will be my mission in the future to provide you with the best Suns coverage you can find on the web. If you have any questions, never hesitate to comment on a piece or to email me. Once again, thanks for reading, and I promise you that brighter days are ahead for Suns Spot.

With that, here’s the sick video of Amare’s dunk off of Steve Nash’s head:

-Detroit Tigers C Gerald Laird, who was arrested at a Suns game in late December, had charges removed from his record after he took anger management classes. [Freep]

-This is a few weeks old, but the Suns announced that they will not be raising their ticket prices for the upcoming 2010-11 season. Perhaps they know there is a lockout imminent after that season and they’re trying to establish some residual good will beforehand….[AP]

-Need a skilled breakdown of the Suns game against the Thunder from last night? Well, for those of you with a taste for some facts and video, this is a perfect recap. [Bright Side of the Sun]

-In John Hollinger’s latest column, he breaks down the Western Conference playoff race. Where do the Suns finish? For those of you who don’t have ESPN Insider, he has Phoenix finishing fifth in the West and playing Dallas in round one. If you do have Insider, click the link. [ESPN]

-Hollinger may have the Suns finishing fifth in the Conference, but what could the Suns do to improve their standing in the standings? [Fanster]

-Now that Amare Stoudemire is still a Phoenix Sun after the trade deadline. He has hinted that he is not planning on opting out of his contract at the end of the year. So…..what’s next? [Valley of the Suns]

-Finally, ever wondered how your favorite Suns players get to practice? No, I haven’t either. Louis Amundson takes his bike to the US Airways Center every day for practice, and the movie clips and jokes in this video certainly make it worth watching.

In the first quarter of a game against the Indiana Pacers, Steve Nash drained a jump shot and had to rush back down the court to defend a fast break. It was then that Earl Watson drove the lane and drilled Nash in the mouth with an elbow.

You’ll notice that Nash immediately scoots off the court after getting nailed, and to be completely honest, that’s probably the last thing I would be worried about if I had just been nailed in the chops. The smile he cracks when the trainer is running up to him with a towel was a bit disconcerting as well, but it was still humorous to watch.