Out of the final 19 games, 12 will be played against teams with a .500 or better record. Even worse yet 6 games are against teams with a .600 record or better. After last night’s throttling at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, it has become apparent the Suns simply don’t have another run in them.

Beyond the sheer difficulty of their remaining schedule the Suns are not playing with their normal full arsenal of talent. Steve Nash is still the best passer in the game, however his age is beginning to show in his shooting as the season progresses. Over the last 10 games where the Suns are trying to creep back in playoff contention, Nash has shot a paltry 40.7% from the field and only averaging 12.9 points per game. Nash perennially shoots over 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point land and 90% from the charity stripe. Nash is currently only shooting 38% on 3′s which is -4.9% worse  than his career average. Nash always deals with a degenerative back issue, however an additional  lingering groin injury continues to adversely affect his long-range shooting. The problem is that Nash, 37 doesn’t heal like he used to and that simply does not bode well for the Suns playoff hopes. Then add in the fact that the Suns 2nd best player Channing Frye is out 2-3 weeks with a dislocated shoulder doesn’t help the cause. I also believe that even if he comes back in 3 weeks, his long-range shooting will not be there as that is heavily reliant on a healthly shoulder joint.

The emergence of Marcin Gortat has largely overshadowed Robin Lopez’s inability to do anything productive on the basketball court. Grant Hill is nearing the end of his career despite remaining productive especially on the defensive end. Vince Carter will be bought out of his contract after this season is over. Hakim Warrick has proved to be a decent role-player but by no-means a starter. Jared Dudley is full of heart and is an excellent role-player but also not a starter in this league.  Mickael Pietrus falls into the category of role-player as well and his future is far from certain with the Suns. Gani Lawal and Garrett Silerare no where near being ready to play next season, however they both have enough potential to not be fully written off. Aaron Brooks provides a glimmer of hope at PG for the future beyond Steve Nash.  Lastly, Josh Childress beyond his cool fro is the biggest waste of $34 million in recent memory. All in 2 seasons from now the Suns starting lineup consists of Marcin Gortat, Channing Frye, and Aaron Brooks…not exactly awe inspiring. It is clear the Suns need to re-load in the draft or do the unmentionable: trade Steve Nash and Grant Hill.

After the trade to the Orlando Magic that acquired Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus the Suns are left with one draft pick in the late first round. The 2011 NBA draft is supposed to be one of the weakest drafts in recent memory so it is unlikely the Suns will be able to acquire a future star in this draft. To be honest, even if the draft was loaded with talent, the Suns have proven they are not a good judge of potential talent. Over the past 5 years of 1st round picks, the Suns have only retained Robin Lopez and he is little more than 6 fouls a game at this point. The likes of Alando Tucker who now plays in Russia and Earl Clark now with the Magic turned out to be worthless 1st round picks.

As a Suns fan, I was hoping they had one more run in the tank with Steve Nash at the helm. However, those hopes appear to be fading and the prospects for the future appear to be bleak unless some major changes are made.

Since the blockbuster deal that sent Suns stand-out Jason Richardson along with Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark to the Orlando Magic for Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat and Vince Carter, Suns fans have waited patiently to get their first look at Vince Carter in Purple and Orange. In the meantime, the Suns have lost 3 straight games including one to the lowly Los Angeles Clippers. It was initially reported than Vince Carter would have arthroscopic knee surgery and could be out for as long as a month. However, once again the Suns vaunted training staff did their magic and Carter will make his Suns debut tonight versus the Philadelphia 76ers.

Unfortunately for the Suns this is not the same Vince Carter that was once touted as the next Michael Jordan, not the Vince Carter that scored 25 points on a nightly basis either; rather it is a Vince Carter that averaged 15.1 PPG during this season with the Orlando Magic. Some would point to the swelling in his knee to explain why his scoring is so down. I however have another hypothesis: he is simply not that good anymore. The Suns system rewards those that can spot up and hit the 3-pointer as Steve Nash puts it in the shooting pocket on virtually every pass. The problem with Vince Carter is that he was only shooting slightly over 34% from beyond the arc with the Magic this season. With Dwight Howard commonly forcing double teams Vince was often wide open and still shot below his career average of 37.5%. What is even more disconcerting is the fact Carter’s overall Player Efficiency Rating or PER created by ESPN’s John Hollinger is at a career-low of 16.71. To put this in perspective, Grant Hill (17.9), Hakim Warrick (17.95), Jason Richardson (18.45), Steve Nash (23.67) all are more efficient on the court than Vince Carter at this point in his career. This is not to say Vince Carter is a bad player, rather it shows he is not the All-Star he once was.

Despite all the Suns recent struggles, they are still only  1.5 games out of the 8th seed for the playoffs and 4 games out of the 6th seed. However it is clear a 6th seed is not going to survive in the Playoffs in the brutal Western Conference. This is truly sad to see this team in such turmoil after being 2 games away from the NBA Finals last season. Here is to hoping that Vince Carter finds his fountain of youth in Phoenix like Steve Nash and Grant Hill have, I however will not be holding my breath.

Through 23 games, the Suns are 11-12 and if the season ended today would be the 9th seed in the Western Conference and subsequently out of the NBA Playoffs. That is a pretty far cry from the team that was 2 games away from the NBA Finals last season. We all know the story about Amare Stoudemire heading to the bright lights of New York City in the off-season, however it seems the Suns early struggles are deeper than simply missing their most dynamic player.

It is certainly not time to write off the Suns just yet, however early returns are not favorable. I feel at times like a broken record, but it is the same perennial story over and over: lack of rebounding and a legitimate inside presence on defense. I was apparently overly optimistic on the prospects of Robin Lopez filling this void.  A fully healthy Robin Lopez is more than capable of blocking and altering opponents shots, however it has become obvious that Lopez will battle injuries for the rest of his career. Lopez is also an inferior rebounder than one would expect for his size and tenacity for the game. After watching him play over the past two seasons it is evident that he has the potential to be a decent rebounder if he would simply pull the ball down with two hands. Lopez has a tendecy to try and tip the ball in on the offensive end, rather than grab it and elevate or reset the offensive set. Until this begins to happen, we can continue to expect  5 rebound performances from our starting Center when he returns.

Currently, the Suns are 30th in the league in Points Allowed (109.5) and 28th in Rebounds Per Game (39.0). What’s even worse is that opponents are averaging 44.0 Rebounds Per Game against the Suns. That gives the Suns a rebounding differential of -5.0 which is good for last in the NBA.  This is not common knowledge, but the Suns actually out-rebounded their opponents over the the previous 2 seasons.

The most alarming aspect of the Suns season thus far, is their inability to make the 3-Pointer on a consistent basis. In the past this was the Suns formula to success by bludgeoning the opponent with shots from beyond the arc. The 2009-2010 Suns were deadly hitting on 41.2% of their 3′s. This season it has plummeted to 37.2%. Steve Nash, Channing Frye, Grant Hill, Goran Dragic and Jared Dudley are all substantially below last season’s 3-Point Field Goal %’s. Jared Dudley has had the biggest drop off going from  an unreal 45.8% last season to a meager 31.1% thus far.

If this team continues to shoot poorly (by their own lofty standards) and rebound at an anemic pace, the Suns may finally find themselves in the lottery and subsequently rebuio

It is a different year for the Phoenix Suns, yet the story is the same as it was in the pre-season last year. ESPN once again has the Phoenix Suns not making the playoffs despite their improbable run to the Western Conference finals.  The prediction of the “experts” going into last season was for the Suns to finish 9th in the West and not make the playoffs. My prediction seemed bold at the time as I predicted the Suns would take 5th in the West. Readers of this blog undoubtedly thought I was out of mind and being an avid Suns fan biased me beyond reproach. However, the Suns showed that with the right system and right coach (Alvin Gentry), they can be wildly successful. Perhaps the current prediction from ESPN that the Suns will finish 10th in the West is skewed due to the perception that losing Amare Stoudemire was a crushing blow to the organization. However, I am here to contend it was merely a glancing blow.

There is certainly no denying from that the loss of Stoudemire is devastating from an offensive standpoint. Stoudemire was 11th in the NBA last season in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) while scoring 23.1 PPG in a balanced Suns offensive attack. The part that the statistics fail to show is Stoudemire was the top option with the shot clock running down. Stoudemire’s ability to create his own shot and his chemistry with Steve Nash in the pick and roll will be sorely missed.

However, offense in basketball is only 50% of the game. Stoudemire’s defense to put it lightly was terrible. With his freakish athletic ability and sheer size should make 10 rebounds an automatic occurrence. However, Stoudemire only averaged 8.9 RPG during the regular season. Even worse, when the going gets tough in the playoffs, Stoudemire’s disappearing act on the defensive boards is exacerbated. Stoudemire only averaged 6.6 RPG in 2010 postseason. To put that in perspective, the ageless Grant Hill averaged 5.8 RPG in the postseason in 8 less minutes per game. 

Leandro Barbosa also was traded in the off-season to the Toronto Raptors to acquire Hedo Turkoglu. Barbosa never seemed to be able to take the step forward to be a star in this league. Last season, he was hampered by injuries in his shooting wrist. His major problem is the fact that he really does not have a true position. His passing ability prevents him from becoming a legitimate Point Guard, while his size and inability to defend prevents him from competing at Shooting Guard. Fans will certainly miss his blazing speed from an entertainment perspective, but from a basketball perspective not much will be lost.

The only other piece to last year’s puzzle that is gone is fan favorite Lou Amundson. Lou certainly brought intensity, rebounding and a legitimate shot blocker to the Suns. However, Amundson’s inability to shoot in the Suns run and gun system ultimately led to his departure.

Its not as if the Suns did nothing to re-load after losing Stoudemire, Barbosa and Amundson. The Suns picked up Hakim Warrick, Josh Childress, Hedo Turkoglu, and drafted Gani Lawal. Turkoglu, Warrick and Lawal will have the difficult task of trying to fill Stoudemire’s shoes. Lawal’s rebounding ability seems to rival that of Amundson and he likely will be able to fill that void with a greater upside. Turkoglu, seems to be on the downside of his career but he has expert ball handling skills and can still knock down 3 pointers. Additionally, playing with Steve Nash seems to revitalize careers (see Grant Hill). Perhaps the most important acquisition was Josh Childress and his fro. Childress formerly of the Atlanta Hawks spent last season in Greece playing for Olympiakos. Childress at 6’8″ has a sizeable wingspan and is a solid on the ball defender. His size allows him to cover both the 2 and 3 positions on the defensive end. Another aspect of Childress’ game that is an asset for the Suns is his rebounding ability. Childress, has twice averaged over six rebounds a game in the NBA.

By picking the Suns 10th in the Western Conference, the “experts” are forgetting that Steve Nash still runs the show here. The only time the Suns didn’t make the playoffs in Nash’s 2nd tenure was the year of the Shaqtus and Terry Porter. When Nash’s hands are not tied, his leadership, shooting ability, passing and passion for the game will lead the Suns to the playoffs regardless of the supporting cast.

I do anticipate the Suns will take a step back from the 3 seed in the Western Conference. However, the Suns will not miss the playoffs this season. I predict the Suns will take the 6th seed in the Western Conference and advance into the 2nd round of the playoffs. What do you think?

3 weeks ago, Suns fans and writers alike were acting as if the sky was falling down on Planet Orange. The Suns lost their GM Steve Kerr to greener pastures over at TNT, their loyal front office executive David Griffin was let go and Amar’e Stoudemire signed with the New York Knicks for 5-years and $100 million.

This was the same Steve Kerr that organized the Kurt Thomas, Shaquille O’Neal and Mike D’Antoni debacles during his tenure. However after one run to the Western Conference Finals his vilification was gone and he was now a savior of the franchise? Which brings us to Amar’e “Pioneer” Stoudemire. The Suns offered him a deal worth $96.6 million over 5 years, however the final two years were based on minutes played and could be voided if his fragile knees popped again. In Stoudemire’s defense for leaving, I would have done the same thing. A guarantee for $100 million is tough to pass up. However, if winning was so prevalent in his mind as he has alluded to time and time again, while go to one of the most beleagured franchises in the NBA?

For Robert Sarver and the Suns guaranteeing that much money to a oft-injured player would have been pure stupidity. As much as I love Amar’e Stoudemire’s thunderous jams and freakish athletic ability, committing that much money would have handcuffed the organization for the next 5 years. There is still the looming question of whether Amar’ewas worth a maximum contract. Obviously market demand dictated that he was, however I am still not convinced. In the biggest of series, one that would have propelled the Phoenix Suns to the NBA finals against a Boston Celtics team that is slow and may have had trouble with the Suns pace, Stoudemire mustered a measly 6 rebounds per game. In terms of Power Forwards, I have personally only seen a few players worth maximum money. The max players in my mind are the ones that can get it down in crunch time. Ultimately, isn’t all about winning in the playoffs? Stoudemire’s numbers in his career during the playoffs have been solid 24.2 PPG and 9.2 RPG. However, upon comparing him to the greats at his postion his is still a tier below the best. Tim Duncan: 23.0 PPG, 12.4 RPG, Karl Malone: 24.7 PPG, 10.7 RPG, Kevin Garnett: 20.0 PPG, 11.2 RPG, and Elvin Hayes 22.9 PPG and 13.0 RPG. As you can see, Stoudemire’s rebounding numbers in the playoffs simply don’t compare to the greats at his position. A maximum contract should be reserved for someone at least great at their position.

When Mike D’Antoni left the Suns, everybody left the team for dead. After the Terry Porter debacle (also Kerr’s fault), Alvin Gentry has stepped in and in my opinion exceeded the Mike D’Antoni era. Gentry has developed one of the best benches in the NBA while still keeping the run andgun offense led by Steve Nash in the forefront. Now, Stoudemire has left andonce again the Suns are left for dead? Not so fast. This team revolves around Steve Nash not Amar’e Stoudemire. People don’t seem to remember how pedestrian Shawn Marion has become without Steve Nash feeding him the ball. Granted, I believe Stoudemire is better than Marion, but watch his shooting percentage plummet next season. I don’t say scoring as Stoudemire is literally all New York has got and he will shoot a lot more than he did in the Suns fluid offense.

The Suns have re-loaded perhaps to a level even better than with Amar’e. The additions of Hakim Warrick, Josh Childress and Hedo Turkoglu have bolstered an already dynamic Suns offense. The Suns bench could likely compete with a lot of NBA starting lineups. Here is their current bench in case you have forgot. PG: Goran Dragic, SG: Josh Childress, SF: Jared Dudley, PF: Hakim Warrick and C: Channing Frye. 2nd round draft pick Gani Lawal and Earl Clark are likely to fill out this bunch. With these additions and the loss of Amar’e Stoudemire I will predict the Suns again win 50-54 games and make a run in the playoffs. I feel bad for Amar’e, he is going to be a pioneer on a Knicks team that wins 30-35 games in the East next season.

My last post basically notated the fact that the Suns would be golfing after this Lakers series. Down 2-0 in the series, the Suns looked listless and without answer for the Lakers size in the paint. As an avid Suns fan, I had simply given up hope. Could anyone really blame me for being cynical after all the crushing defeats of Suns playoffs past specifically in recent years?

Then came a simple adjustment that seemed to fluster the to this point dominant Lakers; a college gimmick: The 2-3 zone. The modified 2-3 zone defense that is allowed in the NBA for some reason carries a negative stigma and is often looked down upon by NBA players. The primary benefit of this defense is that it helps limit penetration to the hoop and post up opportunities. This turned the Lakers into a jump shooting team rather than driving to the hoop and drawing fouls. The Lakers scored 16 points from the line in Game 3, while the Suns, mainly behind Amar’e Stoudemire were ultra-aggressive and scored 37 points from the line for a +21 margin.

Perhaps even more surprisingly the Suns dominated on the interior. All the credit in the world needs to be given to the duo Amar’e Stoudemire and Robin Lopez. They combined for 62 points on 22-32 shooting (68.75%), 14 rebounds and 18 made free throws. Amar’e was incredible to say the least; 42 points and 11 rebounds. However, the question has to be asked: where was this player in Games 1 and 2? Sometimes, I think that Amar’e needs to be motivated to have these types of performances. Alvin Gentry told him that they would go to him early and often, the Phoenix media was crucifying him and Pau Gasol’s smirks in Game 2 were enough to apparently fire him up.

In Game 4, you can surely expect a better Lakers attack against the zone. The Suns can certainly play a lot better offensively; they only shot 5-20 from 3-pt land. Channing Frye continues to be an enigma, he is now 1-20 from the field in the series. For those of you keeping score at home, that is a robust 5%! Frye made 12 3′s against the Spurs and he has simply been horrible in this series. Steve Nash, was also receiving a lot of criticism for his turnovers in the first 2 games. However, when you look at his assist to turnover ratio it is 4.3-1. To put this in perspective, during the regular season Nash had a 3.02-1 assist to turnover ratio. The best in the NBA in the regular season was Chris Paul at 4.29 to 1.

If the Suns are going to even up the series at 2-2 this evening, they need another spirited effort from Amar’e Stoudemire. Channing Frye and Jared Dudley need to have at least five 3′s between the two of them to give the Suns a legitimate chance. Last Wednesday, the series tied at 2 games apiece seemed to be a fantasy, tonight that could become a reality.

Well that was a fantastic season wasn’t it Sun’s fans? First, the team exceeded expectations simply by making it to the playoffs. Then to beat the Blazers and Spurs handily to advance to Western Conference finals; Sun’s fans couldn’t be happier right? If one were to take a step back and examine the overall season for the Suns, it has been fantastic. The Suns led the NBA in scoring during the regular season, Amar’e Stoudemire returned to form, Nash played brilliantly even at his advanced age and some young players have begun to develop. However, if one takes a forward looking glance, things are not bright for this team.

The Los Angeles Lakers showed that they can simply destroy the Suns in virtually ever facet of the game. The Suns, who were the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA during the regular season, only shot 5-22 from far way as the Lakers made 8-17 of their 3′s. The 128-107 obliteration of the Suns was unfortunately the beginning of the end for the Suns; at least in their current form. The Suns may win 1 or 2 games in this series when they shoot well, but last night clearly showed they don’t have a chance. Regardless of the horrible officiating that put Grant Hill on the bench in the 3rd quarter and allowed Kobe Bryant to go off for 21 points in the period, the Suns are over-matched.

A run to the finals may have been enough to prove to Amar’e that he could win a title here in Phoenix. However, after last night’s debacle it is evident in my mind that Amar’e Stoudemire will be playing elsewhere next season. The broadcasters on TNT last night were all praising Steve Kerr for this supposed great job he has done. Lest they forget that he failed to lock up his best player? Steve Nash and Grant Hill will both be a year older and a step slower next season. Dragic and Dudley will undoubtedly get more playing time, limiting Nash and Hill to 28-32 minutes a game next season. Channing Frye, also has a player option for about $2 million next season, which I don’t expect he will exercise as he will be looking more in the $4-6 million range next season. Did I mention we don’t have a 1st round pick in the upcoming 2010 NBA Draft? Oh that’s right, more evidence of Kerr’s genius stemming from the Kurt Thomas trade. Louis Amundson, a spark-plug off of the bench will be gone as well. (He only made $855K last season). In addition, we won’t be in the running for any of the major free-agent signings due to our lack of financial flexibility. Unless Earl Clark somehow turns into Kevin Durant the Suns are in big trouble. Envision this starting lineup: Nash, Richardson, Hill, Clark and Lopez.

Next season is going to be tough to stomach on Planet Orange. So sit back, relax and enjoy this series with the Lakers, this may be the last playoff series for some time to come.

Before the San Antonio series 8 of 10 “Experts” on ESPN predicted that the Spurs would dispatch the Suns from the playoffs. This time around, this same panel of experts has 7 out of 10 picking the Los Angeles Lakers to defeat the Suns. Bill Plaschke of the LA Times wrote a recent article entitled “It’s a big deal, and the Suns aren’t big enough to handle the Lakers” .  This article basically stated the Suns have absolutely no chance against the Lakers after their sweep of the Jazz, I guess he forgot the Suns swept the Spurs as well. This is the same Spurs team that beat the Lakers by 19 near the end of the season.

Of course we all know the regular season does not matter that much in the playoffs, after watching the Boston Celtics dismantle the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the players are still the same. If the Lakers are in fact “too big” for the Suns they did not show it. In their 4 match-ups this season, the Suns had a +3 rebounding margin against the Lakers despite losing 3 out of 4 games. The Lakers did have a +7 margin in blocked shots against the Suns, however over the course of 4 games that is relatively insignificant.

Anyone who think the Lakers will simply crush the Suns, have not been watching enough basketball this postseason. There is still the impression out there that the Suns are the run and gun no defense team of old. However, as evidenced in the Spurs series, they are now an efficient half-court offense that uses the pick and roll and 3-point shooting to space out opposing defenses. Additionally, the Suns do play defense now, especially when their dynamic bench is on the court.  The combination of Channing Frye, Jared Dudley, Lou Amundson, Leandro Barbosa and Goran Dragic would be a good enough starting lineup to be the 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers bench of Josh Powell, Luke Walton, Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown simply is not as good as the Suns bench. Most teams use their bench just to “get by” as the starters rest. This is clearly not the case for the Suns. In the Spurs series, the bench actually expanded on leads. Take a look at these +- margins with the Suns bench players on the court netted for the entire Spurs series: Jared Dudley +38,  Channing Frye +27, Leandro Barbosa +21, Lou Amundson +4, and Goran Dragic +1. In comparison to the Lakers: Lamar Odom +51, Shannon Brown +3, Luke Walton -3, Jordan Farmar, -4 and Josh Powell -12. What these figures show is that after Odom, the Lakers have nothing coming off the bench.

If the Suns continue to make their 3′s and the bench continues to excel this could be a long series for the Lakers despite what everyone thinks….

I started my last post with a definition, so appropriately I will start this one with a definition as well. Vanquish: to overcome in battle; subdue completely. The key word in that definition is completely. The Suns vanquished the demons of their past by sweeping the San Antonio Spurs 4-0. I realize these teams are not necessarily the same as the battles of year’s past, however the core remains the same. Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barabosa, all remembered the past too well coming into to this series.

Last night, with the Suns having a commanding 3-0 series lead looked to wrap the series up on San Antonio’s home floor nonetheless. Despite a slow-start the Suns lead climbed to 11 midway through the 3rd quarter and victory over the Spurs finally seemed within the Suns grasp. Suddenly, Steve Nash was caught by an inadvertent elbow to the face by Tim Duncan and blood flowed readily down the right side of Nash’s face. All the memories of previous Spurs-Suns series began to flash before Suns fans eyes. As Nash headed to the locker room for stitches, the lead for the Suns vanished. Despite the fact that no NBA team had came back to win a series after being down 3-0 (88-0), the fears in my mind began to mount. If the Suns lost game 4, they could be without Steve Nash for games 5 and 6 and the series would inevitably tighten.

Looking like a boxer after a prize fight, Steve Nash emerged with an ice-pack and 6 rudimentary stitches in his eye before the fourth quarter was about to begin. Nash received those stitches without the benefit of any anesthesia. Of course, what else should we expect from a player hailing from Canada? Upon Nash’s return to the court, it was evident the eye soon would be completely closed. Tied at 77, and the eye swollen shut, “One-Eyed Stevie” pulled up for one of his patented quick stop and pop three pointers from about 3 feet behind the arc. As the ball landed softly through the net, a sense of relief came over me as I realized Nash was not going to to let this team lose; one eye or not. Nash continued to cement in legend into the annals of NBA playoff history as he finished with 10 points and 5 assists in the deciding fourth quarter. The Suns pulled out the victory 107-101. The sweep of the Spurs, allows the Suns to rest for almost a week before playing the winner of…well let’s just say it, the Los Angeles Lakers.

After the game ended, Tim Duncan, David Robinson and even Greg Popovich seemed somewhat elated that Nash had gotten over the hump that was the San Antonio Spurs. Now the Suns will have to face an even tougher challenge against the defending NBA champion Lakers. If the Nash and the Suns have proven anything this year, it is not to doubt them. The Suns have won 4 out of the last 5 playoff series against the Lakers. For once, the Spurs will be licking their wounds on the golf course and the Suns head to the Western Conference Finals and boy does it feel good here in Phoenix!

Hate. Defined as an intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury. In the case of my hatred of the Spurs relative to the Suns it is definitely all of the above. Any casual sports fan is aware of the battles that the Suns and Spurs have engaged in over the last decade. However, it is difficult to classify this as a vicious rivalry because the Spurs have come out on top over and over. Tonight, is the beginning of the end for the San Antonio Spurs. Once again, the same people on ESPN that left the Suns out of the playoff picture in their pre-season predictions are now predicting their untimely demise to the Spurs once again. In the pre-season I predicted the Suns would be the 5-seed in the Western Conference and they even exceeded my lofty expectations. Now is their time to finally vanquish the evil that is the San Antonio Spurs. This time will be different.

Why do I believe this so firmly you ask? The answer lies in one simple word: defense. In the past against San Antonio, Mike D’Antoni prescribed to the gameplan that 7-8 players could simply outscore any opponent out there. Greg Popovich simply outcoached this strategy using a deep-bench and rough defense on Steve Nash. This time around is different. The Suns have a legitimate 10 man rotation, and at least try hard to play defense. All the credit can be given to Alvin Gentry for this transformation, but ultimately it was the players who bought in. This change has been so distinct that in the last series versus the Trail Blazers, they said the Suns played too rough…that’s right the Suns. The Suns clearly have a superior offense than San Antonio and now even a better bench. The even better news is that Bruce Bowen has hung up his jersey in exchange for that hideous bow-tie he wears on ESPN. I am making the prediction now; the Suns will win a tough series 4-2. But back to the title of this post, the below list is why I hate the Spurs.

1. Tim Duncan whining on every foul he is whistled for.
2. Manu Ginobli flopping when even the arena air conditioning comes on.
3. Tony Parker…well not so much the player but the fact TNT and ABC must flash to Eva Longoria Parker at least 5 times during a game.
4. Hack a Shaq, Hack a Dampier….their general slow-paced boring style of basketball.
5. David Stern loves them.
6. Bruce Bowen…I know he is retired but still, the cheapest player in the history of the NBA bar none.

If you have more, leave a comment and I will add to the list………….