Bright Side Of The Sun

Nate McMillan Wonders If Trail Blazers Can Stop The Pick and Roll

2010-03-21T18:44:25Z

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan asks, "Who can defend the pick and roll?"

Following up on this story by Brian T. Smith in the Columbian, I asked Trail Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan to elaborate on his team's pick and roll defense.

His answer was a bit more defeatist than Blazer's fans might want to hear, "Pick and roll is the oldest play in basketball and I don't think anybody has figured out a way to stop it when you have two players or a player who can execute that play...What team has stopped Phoenix pick and roll?"

Sometimes coaches ask rhetorical questions in these situations but since we were alone and he was looking straight at me with his Drill Sargent glare, I answered - the Spurs.

It was interesting that his response to my answer was to point out Tony Parker's speed and Tim Duncan's smarts while not citing the Spurs weak side help rotations. Combined with this other comment it makes you wonder if he's not trying to send a message to Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge, "It's not the pick and roll as opposed to the speed of some of these guards that we've played against. You know we've had some problems trying to control them."

Is McMillan calling out his players or is he just stating the obvious? Or maybe he's just doing what a lot of coaches do, which is to find something to be unhappy about so the team is always a little bit on edge and never comfortable with where they are.

"We're still close enough to catch some of those team (ahead in the standings). But at the same time we have not secured a playoff position," McMillian said about his team's place in the Western Conference dog fight. That should be enough motivation for anyone.

Maybe he just wishes he had that one great pick and roll defender, Amare Stoudemire.

Earl Clark

In other non-Blazers news that doesn't warrant a separate post, Earl Clark finished his stint with the Iowa Energy with 16 points on only 6 of 14 shooting in about 27 minutes of play. After his great first game, he shot 40.6% and played only 31 and 27 minutes in the final two.

Now, both of those games were blow outs for the Energy so it's hard to say too much about it having not watched the games. Here's the recap from Ridiculous Upside:

Last Night in the D-League, Darnell Jackson and the BayHawks Came Up...Big - Ridiculous Upside
Earl Clark looked okay in the bit of this game that I saw. He's athletic certainly, and can jump out of the building, but while he has decent rebounding instincts he needs to work on his timing. Upper body strength also is an issue, as he got stuffed on at least one attempt that I saw that could've been an and-1 opportunity.

Steve Kerr was in Iowa for those last two games. We'll see what he has to say when we catch up with him next.

Preview: Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers (Sweet, sweet revenge)

2010-03-21T16:27:17Z

Remember this Amare dunk on Dante Cunningham? I am sure Dante (and his future children) do. (Photo by Max Simbron)

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When the Suns played the Pacers recently, the team had revenge on their mind. They were pissed about Earl Watson elbowing Steve Nash in the mouth and they were even more pissed about giving up a 24 point lead. It was, IMHO, the worst loss of the season. A real low point.

So when the Pacers came to Phoenix, the Suns were ready and willing to dish out some sweet, sweet revenge. It cost Channing Frye the first suspension of his career but the message was sent. You ain't going to punk this Suns team, sucker.

How do I know the Suns felt this way? I don't. I made it up. No one on the team, despite being asked, would admit any connection between the two games or between Earl Watson splitting Nash's lip and Channing Frye elbowing him and shoving him in the back of the head. But it is so much more fun to imagine it this way, isn't it?

That brings us to today's game vs. the Trail Blazers.

The Suns dropped a very winnable one to a Roy-less Blazers team going into the all-star break. At the time, I was pissed about this game. The Suns had just come off an impressive 5-game winning streak and looked like they might be turning the season around and then they go out and get their ass kicked.

Gentry's words, not mine, "We got our ass kicked, plain and simple. We didn't do a very good job, we weren't ready to play and we didn't play with a whole lot of energy and passion. When we don't do that, we're not very good. We become a very, very average team."

Now, I seriously doubt that the Suns players are thinking about that game going into the re-match tonight.

The reality is that life in the NBA is a day-to-day existence. Players rarely know who their next opponent is and sometimes don't know what day of the week it is. Memories are short and focus is immediate. It's just the way it is when your life is dictated by a game schedule that doesn't distinguish between weekends and weekdays.

That doesn't stop us fans from remembering and demanding our pound of flesh. The Suns not only need this game to stay up with the Jazz and Thunder in the race for the 4th seed, but to put distance from the pesky Blazers, just 1.5 games back.

But come on, let's not pretend that avenging that February 10th ass-kicking isn't in order. Especially since it is a nationally televised game with our old friend Jon Barry on the mic.

The Blazers come into this game on a roll. They are on a 10 and 2 run since dropping consecutive games to the Celtics and Jazz. But when you look at their schedule, you see they managed to beat the patsies. but in that stretch they lost to the Bulls and Nuggets and all 10 wins came over teams behind them in the standings. That includes 2 games each against the Kings and Raptors and also the likes of the Nets and the Warriors.

In fact, in their last game on Friday they barely - BARELY - escaped with their lives against the lowly Wizards. It took a buzzer-beating Brandon Roy shot to eek out a 76-74 win.

Reading the fine folks at Blazers Edge, it would seem they are more concerned with the unusual mid-season firing of assistant GM Tom Penn and the spinning of his agent. Whatever. While they are all up in arms over that, why don't we stay focused on one thing: Winning games.

And boy have the Suns been focused of late. We are finally seeing this team play up to its full potential and just in time to roll into the playoffs. Fun stuff.

The Blazers, as always, will come into Phoenix with their usual brand of methodical offense and scrappy, hard nose D.

Except they seem to think they are struggling right now with the pick and roll:

"You’ve got to get into the ball; you’ve got to get up on the ball," McMillan said. "And some of our guys at times are having trouble getting up on the ball."

The speed of opposing guards is troubling the Blazers. But so is simple execution.

Normally, Portland will "show" when defending the pick and roll, and not go with the switch. But as teams throughout the league capitalize on the evolution of athletic talent and size, bending the traditional rules of the play, the Blazers must prepare to guard against situations in which power and small forwards run the set, not just centers and point guards.

Portland guard Brandon Roy acknowledged that Portland is still struggling to defend the pick-and-roll. And he said the fact that some of the premier point guards in the game, such as Phoenix’s Steve Nash and Utah’s Deron Williams, loom on the schedule makes it all the more important that the Blazers quickly tie up their loose ends.

"We’ve got to do a good job of keeping those guys out of the paint," Roy said.

And guess who runs the pick and roll better than anyone in the league? You know that answer. I know you do.

So pick and roll them to death especially with Steve and Robin because Camby isn't nearly quick enough to hang with that and it pulls him away from the rim. Run the pick and roll with Richardson and Hill to keep them off balance and make Roy work on the defensive end. And, of course, mix in some Nash/Amare goodness.

On the glass, the Blazers are still one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league, ranked 4th with an ORR of 28.22, but the Suns are right behind at the 8th spot, with a rate of 27.59.

The defensive rebounding is another story. A bad story.

With Camby followed by hustle guys Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph, the Suns are going to need to focus on the glass. That's my key to this game.

The key according to Dave at BE is Brandon Roy going off because even they don't believe the Blazers defense can win this game:

This will be a game in which Brandon Roy will need to shine. The common factor to many Suns' losses is a single opponent breaking the defense to the point they can't compensate, allowing everyone else to chip in. If Brandon can't produce points tonight the Blazers might not be able to generate enough offense to win.

Lets see if a motivated and rolling Jason Richardson is up to the challenge. I think he is. But more importantly, the Suns rotations have been sharp and they should be fully prepared to counter what Portland has to offer.

While Dave is hoping for a high scoring affair that leaves the Blazers on top, he's obviously not noticed the improved Suns defense. I think a game in the 90s is much more likely, with the Suns locking down when it matters and executing in the half-court to get the win. Some things do change.

Rudy Fernandez didn't travel with the team due to a left quad strain. The Suns will be at full strength.

Don't forget the unusual 7:30pm tip time due to ESPN's control of the known universe.

Amare's Much Improved Pick and Roll Defense

2010-03-20T21:51:55Z

Amare had an awesome game Friday against the Utah Jazz with a season-high 44 points on 14/16 shooting. He tore through the Jazz front line like a horny surf boy through a puck of sex wax.

His offensive explosion was fun to watch. His pick and roll defense was something else entirely. See for yourself

On the Jazz's third offensive possession of the game (the first ended in a steal by Grant Hill and the second ended in a 29ft contested toss at the end of the shot clock) Amare blocked Mehmet Okur on a pick and roll.

The rest of the Jazz cleared out to one side while Deron and Memo ran the pick and roll around the elbow extended. Amare showed hard to trap Deron who made a sweet pass to Memo cutting to the rim.

Amare recovered quickly and chased down and blocked the reverse lay up attempt.

As you can see, it was a clean block. Perfectly timed by Amare and made possible by his quick reaction to the play....and his amazing speed and leaping ability. This is what Focus looks like on the defensive end.

It also looks like this.

Just a couple of plays later, the Jazz ran the side pick and roll with Williams and Boozer. This time Robin trapped the ball and Carlos rolled free to the basket for what looked like an easy finish.

Amare immediately recognized the play (credit to his pre-game preparation) and reacted perfectly. You can see Amare moving as soon as the pass from Deron is made.

He came from the weak side and got into position in front of Boozer and then rose up and blocked his shot without fouling.

The block feel right back to Boozer who tossed it quickly back at the rim but it fell off.

Amare continued to battle with Carlos and used his hops and long arms to secure the rebound even though Boozer had better position on him.

One other thing to note in the video is all five Suns players staying back to help secure the ball while Boozer was left alone under the rim. Should the ball have squirted out, the Suns would have corralled it. In Arizona, you corral loose leather. Dead or alive.

These two defensive plays from Amare set the tone for the game. The Jazz would only score 37 points in the first half and shot just 39% for the game.

Poll

Has Amare's recent play earned him a Max Contract?

Earl Clark, on assignment to Iowa from the Phoenix Suns, started out pretty terribly (0-for-4 with...

2010-03-20T21:09:32Z

Earl Clark, on assignment to Iowa from the Phoenix Suns, started out pretty terribly (0-for-4 with two of his shots blocked), but finished the game with a respectable 19 points, 10 boards while adding two steals and two blocks. He shot just 7-of-18 from the floor - the worst percentage of any Iowa starter - but he looked pretty good otherwise. The best thing he did in this game was simply serve as a match-up problem. I don't think he's amazing right now, but I do think he will be. Looking at the play-by-play, he made just one of his 12 jump shots he attempted, though three were blocked. Otherwise, five of his six makes were assisted, and - as you'll see in the highlights above - his teammates usually gave him the ball in spots where even Seth Pollack could score.

Scott recaps Earl Clark's second D-league game at Ridiculous Upside

and btw - I think Scott is being generous in suggesting that could hit wide open looks at the basket against D-league players. But thanks.

Grant Hill, Leadership, and a Little Bit of Kool-Aid Punch.

2010-03-20T20:07:29Z

Does anyone get the feeling that Grant Hill has his eyes on a ring this year? Not to start drinking the Kool-Aid punch (Kool-Aid + Sprite) or anything, but something about that play on Ronnie Price at the end of the Jazz game in conjunction with his general badassery on the defensive end of late got me thinking. That was a straight-up message play a la Kevin Garnett, Bill Laimbeer or Charles Oakley. You do NOT do that in in our house. Hill's 37 and playing some of the most inspired ball of his career. It's the most fired up I've seen him as a Sun. I think he's looking around at this team and his ever-shrinking shelf life as an NBA player and thinking, "Just maybe..."

I don't think this happens without the sudden emergence of Robin Lopez as a tough smart defensive post presence. (I did NOT think I would be typing that sentence this season.) Now, the Suns have shored up a huge hole in their defense and teams have to think twice about getting in the paint. Before, the worst that would happen is a weak side block if Lou was in the game or a drawn charge. Now they have a real center to deal with. For the first time in the post-Barkley era, the Suns are healthy (big knock on wood) and peaking down the stretch and not getting pushed around in the middle. I think he would never say it out loud, but Grant Hill sees this team as perhaps his last legitimate shot at a ring.

And it's not just Hill showing an edge. Despite blown leads the last 2 games against the Jazz, Gentry could have been content to bench his starters with a 17 point lead in the 4th last night. Instead, he brought Nash and Stoudemire back in the game and stepped on their necks.

In his last 5 games, Amare Stoudemire has scored 164 points on 90 shots and gone to the line 66 times making 60... That's an average of almost 35 points on 18 attempts and 12-13 FT shooting. That's head-spinningly aggressive and efficient offensive play.

In the past, I've bemoaned Amare's lack of leadership, and I still don't think he's the floor leader he should be, but he's getting better. And as gifted as Steve Nash is as a point guard and offensive leader, I don't think he's the alpha male required to fire up and inspire a group of professional athletes to go beyond themselves as one has to do in the crucible of the playoffs. But Grant Hill on the other hand...

Here's a guy who's seen and done it all. He was Lebron before Lebron: a superstar with an all-around game that defied positional assignment. He was T-Mac before T-Mac: a ridiculously talented player with a gargantuan contract done in by injury issues and eventually discarded by the franchise he was supposed to save. And now, maybe he gets to be something else entirely: a leader who doesn't have to carry the burden of a franchise's past or future, but simply his team's will to victory, one play at a time.

As co-captain with Stoudemire and Nash, I think he's finally filling a leadership role the team has sorely been lacking and has an offensive and defensive unit worth leading. I'm not saying this squad will be hoisting the Larry O'Brien come June, but with the right combination of leadership, skill and determination... just maybe.

Move over Pau, Amar'e's the new best big man in the league

2010-03-20T05:39:15Z

Seriously, the man is on a tear. He's playing defense. He's hustling. His offensive repertoire is insane. Amar'e Stoudemire is seriously making a case that he not only deserves the money he's asking for but a case for being the best power forward in the NBA as well as the best big man. This title once belonged to Pau Gasol as being the most skilled big man in the league but I think at this point, there's no contest.

Remember in the past few seasons when you'd be biting your nails when you see STAT holding the ball for more than 5 seconds and were just waiting for him to make a bad play? I know I was because those were the times when the Suns would usually have a turnover due to a bad play from STAT. Now he knows when to attack and how to attack. He's playing much smarter and I think he's shown he's the best big man in the NBA.

He has monster games against the best of the NBA's bigs. When he faces Dwight Howard, he always takes him to school. He had a few bad games earlier this season against the Lakers but seriously, he was still coming back. The last 2 meetings had him dominating and Robin Lopez definitely helped take off some of the pressure. He easily abuses Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett when he plays against them and they're 2 of the best defensive big men in the league.

Offensively, Stoudemire's in another stratosphere and I don't think any player has a more complete game. The man can dunk, post up, dribble and drive, spot up and shoot, and he even has a fadeaway shot. He's a good free throw shooter so he's not someone you'd feel comfortable sending to the line. (Work on those free throws, Dwight!) Also, when he comes at you, he comes at you HARD. I doubt there's anyone who'd question his toughness. Defensively, we know that he's CAPABLE of being an double digit rebounder and a great shot blocker. The guy has great leaping abilities and is an athletic freak. With his abilities, he should easily be a formidable defensive presence and now it looks like he's slowly progressing in that direction. With Robin down there with Amar'e to protect the paint, both are able to come from the weak side to block shots. It's a win-win situation for them. Also, Amar'e's learning not to leave his feet when he's guarding his man so he's not in foul trouble as much as he was in previous years.

I think he's clearly the best big man in the NBA now and if he continues to beast like this, that max contract is well-deserved. Amar'e gets bashed for a lot of things that he doesn't do but those bashers are spoiled fans who can't appreciate what they have. He's the only big man that is perfect for our system and we would never be able to find another player to fill in that gap. The Suns need him. Speaking as a true Suns fan, we will definitely regret having Stoudemire leave.

Amar'e really is Standing Tall And Talented. 'Nuff said.

Phoenix Suns Stuff The Utah Jazz: 110-100

2010-03-20T04:38:25Z

Robin Lopez walks off the court at the end of the Suns-Jazz game. (Photo by Max Simbron)

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"I'm more impressed with the fact that we got it in the environment that we did. We hadn't beaten them yet obviously and coming down the stretch we pulled out a really clutch win in a playoff atmosphere and that's important for us."

Robin Lopez, Quote of the Game

With a ton of questionable calls (going both ways) and a lot of missed shots (going Utah's way), it wasn't exactly pretty, but it still is a BIG WIN for the Suns over the Jazz.

Amare Stoudemire and Robin Lopez absolutely torched the Jazz front line which was already thin without Andrei Kirilenko (calf) and made thinner by the loss of Mehmet Okurat halftime (stomach virus) and Kyrylo Fresenko (Ukrainian Foul Machine) picking up 6 fouls in only 9 minutes of play.

The Suns jumped all over the Jazz early, taking a quick 11-2 lead, with all 11 coming from Amare. The next six Suns points were scored by Robin, setting the tone for the night. Both guys were active and strong in the paint. Robin finished with 4 blocks, 19 points and 10 rebounds and led the Suns with a + 20. At least it was a +20 with a couple minutes to go. He ended up +14...but still.

Amare finished with 44 points on 14 of 16 shooting. He got to the line for 18 free tosses and made 16 of those.

The Jazz were banged up, tired, and did not play near to their peak level of performance but you have to be impressed, inspired and optimistic about the way the Suns front line controlled this game.

Robin was immense in the paint. So impressive to see what a defensive big can do for this team.

A needed win for the Suns.

I still can't get over how dominant the Suns were in the paint. Robin, in a game where fouls were being called quite freely, only had one going in to the final period. He ended the game with 5 but he clearly knew what he was doing late in the game and was selective about when and how he delivered his blows. Four blocks, 5 offensive rebounds, countless tips and altered shots. A real force.

Forget the 19 points (on 7 of 9 shooting). Robin's interior defense and rebounding are the one thing this Suns team has never had during the Nash era. Now we are seeing how a mobile, active, big, center can fit on this fast-paced Nash-lead team. The results are scary good.

Nash talked about how Robin and Amare help each other, "Robin's doing just fine on his own but I think the two of them together help each other because they're both threats. They're both causing different problems for the defense. We surround them with great shooters and play-makers and it's a nice balance."

Robin echoed that, "I think we're kind of able to open it up for one another. They have to block one of us out. Out of the pick and roll they have to guard one of us. We just open the lane up for each other."

With Amare playing at an extremely high-level and Robin coming in to his own, the Suns have a potent one-two punch in the paint. The pairing certainly has the potential to be one of the dominant big men tandems in the league.

Alvin Gentry has this to say about the game, "They were a little banged up and beat up, but that's all a part of being in the league. Injuries are part of it. We'll take a win any way we can get it. I thought we were really efficient on offense and did a great job defensively."

Other notes

Nash said the over his head "pass" to Robin was actually a shot. He said he knew he dragged a big man with him so he was just trying to get it on the rim for Robin. It happened to go right over the rim and into Robin's hands for an easy dunk
On his ejection, Coach Jerry Sloan claimed that he was complaining that Amare - who was on the bench at the time of the play - was allowed to come all the way down to his end of the court. That was his beef and then something happened where he apparently felt like he was in danger, "Security let him come all the way down in front of our bench. He didn't belong there." Then asked how it looked that he had his arm on the ref, Sloan said, "I'm worried about getting hit. That's what I was worried about." There's some speculation in the media room that was talking about the official, not Amare hitting him. Odd, to say the least
The SL Trib beat writer Ross Siler said that Sloan shoved the official, Michael Smith, and might be in for a multi-game suspension
For his part, Amare said the he left the bench after the buzzer sounded. He went down to high-five his mates. It was only after they reviewed the play that they put .2 seconds on the clock
Gentry said this about the high turnovers (23 TO's), "We weren't making the necessary plays. I thought we were trying to do things that was a little out of the box. I didn't think we really needed them. I thought we were really efficient offensively when we came down and just was very conservative and ran what we needed to do and took what the defense gave us. I thought we had some possessions there where we tried to create things that weren't there."
Gentry was happy with the energy the Suns played with but not too pleased with the transition defense
Boozer was impressed with Amare, "18 free throws and great finishes and he didn't miss too many shots. He really played great. A lot of pick and roll stuff, a lot of post ups, a lot of free throws. He took it to us tonight. He dominated the game."
Deron Williams agreed, "I'll second what Carlos said."
There was some chatter that one of Amare's two missed field goals really shouldn't have been counted as a "shot". Whatever
"Tonight we came out with great focus, we played well on both ends, got the lead and maintained it this time, which was very important and that was a key for us tonight," Amare opined on the game
The Spurs and Thunder both won tonight. The Spurs dropped like a 147 points on the Warriors and the Thunder destroyed the Raptors.
The Suns held the Jazz to 38.6% shooting which was the 9th time the Suns have held their opponent to under 40%. Five of those nine times have come during the current 17-5 stretch. DEFENSE!
10 of the Suns 17 wins have come against playoff contenders
Amare has scored at least 19 points in 22 consecutive games. Two more games and he matches Tom Chambers' record from 1990

Post Game Audio:

Game Links

Game Notes

1st Qtr

In the locker room pre-game, Grant Hill gave my new kicks some love. High praise indeed
Pretty good crowd
The Jazz radio guy was saying he expects the Jazz to lose this one b/c they are banged up and have played a lot recently. Whatever
Jerry Sloan - that crafty bastard - changed up ends so the Suns are attacking that way in the first half where as they usually attack the other way first
Amare with the first two buckets and a block on Memo to start the game. Uh huh. That's right. Max Contract is in the house
Carlos Boozer just got called for a little bump on Grant Hill as he crossed the lane. If they are going to call that kind of contact the Jazz are screwed
Suns up 9-2. Amare has 9 points. You do the math
Make that 11-2 w/ 11 pts for Amare
Amare w/ the AWESOME defense on Boozer coming from the weakside to contest, block andthen rebound. Boozer's been blocked twice already
Suns killing to so far. Up 17-8 and having their way w/ the Jazz defense
Jared Dudleyis pumped! They just showed all three of his dunks on the jumbotron!!
The Jazz really don't have a great front line. Boozer is solid but too short and Okur is a perimeter big. They don't defend well
Suns pick and roll is killing the Jazz. They are playing it pretty straight, trying to trap Nash and bring help but the help is slow and the Suns timing and spacing is excellent
Nash pull up three in D Will's grill. Suns are feeling it. 22-12 w/ 5 min to go
Nash going under screens on Deron, giving him the long ball. So far that's working
Pregame coffee and diet coke = high caffeine level and frequent men's room visits. TMI?
Bettter D by the Jazz out of a time out. Collapsed on Nash and forced the TO and scored on the run out. 28-20 Suns. 1:30
Jazz are 0-5 from three. That won't last. LB in to big cheers. JD picked up two quick fouls
Good D on that last possession. Amare switched on to Williams and forced him into help
Suns up 32-22. Suns out-shooting Jazz 57% to 38%. Up 14-11 TReb. Suns not on fire from three but still scoring easily. Amare was a beast. 15 and 3

2nd Qtr

Bench time. LB assists on a Frye open look., Nice
Grant with three fouls. That was a cheap one
Strangly officiated game. Lots of quick whistles for silly stuff
Nice swipe by Lou. Maybe we should call him Swiper
Goran looking for his shot in this game....not found it yet. 1-3
I really can't explain how Lou always manages to be in the right place for a rebound. I think I need to watch film of just him rebounding
Good idea, you should do that
Suns bench doing well. Not a pretty game but up 39-28 with 6:55 to go
Suns able to go with a 3 guard line up against this team - at least w/o AK47
You would think a game called as tightly as this would have more scoring. 40-30 with 6 min to go. 18 total fouls so far in the game and most of them on the perimeter for minor contact
Kiss Cam already? Not going to look.....DO NOT LOOK AT THE OLD PEOPLE KISSING
Nash and Amare back in. They got about a minute or two more rest than Boozer and D Will
Like that JRich made sure he got a shot off there. He's got to be a bit selfish at times
Robin in for Lou. Lou's got 4 reb in 7:45 min. Suns have 7 TO's. Not good. Jazz only have 34 points and about 10 of those are off TO's
subway sandwitches raining from the rafters....I think they should drop ice cream from above. That would be fun
Suns depth paying off. Grant and JD in foul trouble, Suns can play JRich at the three w/ Dragic at the two. Milsap gets three fouls and they have to go to Fresenko who is...goofy
I guess that was a behind the head over the rim lob from Nash to Robin. Or was it a circus shot gone wild?
Suns up 52-37. Suns D is playing well but the Jazz also look sluggish and are missing makeble shots

3rd Qtr

Good balanced scoring. Only Grant Hill is dragging it down w/ the goose egg. Jazz 14-44 shooting. Gentry can't be happy about the 9 Suns turnovers which account for 7 Jazz points
Robin showing his value in the paint just staying tall and deflecting shots, and grabbing the board. Playing big and strong. Way to go, Robin!
Fresenk starts the 2nd half. I guess Okur wasn't goofy enough...of course Memo isn't even on the Jazz bench right now so it's probably something more mundane like an injury
4th foul on Fresenko...Jazz are going to run out of Bigs. Wonder if they can get Koufos here by the 4th qtr?
It is impossible for Nash to slow down, let alone stop Williams in the open court
Report from Jazz that Okur left the game with a "possible stomach virus" and will not return. In other words, he's puking his guts out right now
Suns keeping the pressure on. Up 60-43 already (9:20)
Kyrylo picks up his 5th foul. Milsap in. He's got 3 fouls.
Robin is a doing an awesome job in the paint but he needs to tuck his shirt in before he gets a fine...Oh, good. He did
Amare shooting well. Very very well. 8-9 from the field and 7-7 from the line.
Insane calls in this game. Both coaches have reason to be pissed
Suns up 68-51 dealing with it much better but still...makes for a yucky game. YUCKY
Amare still playing hard. Hauling ass back in transition try and block a shot. Didn't get it but love the effort. A++
Grant Hill is quietly having a very quiet game. Robin on the other hand is playing so hard his shirt won't stay tucked in and Amare is a BEAST
4th foul on Amare as he and Robin get crossed up. Amare thought they were switching but Robin stayed w/ Boozer which left Milsap wide open. Tough break. Frye in
WOW!!! Hill w/ the block from behind! Frye with the block on the rebound. JRich w/ the three!!! GREAT sequence!! Suns up 74-56 w/ 4 min
Suns playing very unselfish ball. So fun to watch
Even Channing is inflicting some pain in the lane. Hard foul in Milsap followed by an elbow going for a rebound. Suns playing HARD
Amare's streak of consecutive made FT's ended at 33...congrats!
Jazz on a little run - cut it to 79-64
Jarron Collins in. Interesting. Suns up 81-66 running the offense through Grant Hill in the post
Lead down to 14. Still think the Suns are fine but not thrilled with letting up. 81-67

4th Qtr

No way the Suns blow this lead now. Right? RIGHT?
LB with a nice three. Timely
Robin and Amare start the 4th to take advantage of thin Jazz front line
Not a good game from Goran
And Nash in early at the 10 min mark proving my point
After giving up 37 in the first half, Jazz drop 30 in the 3rd
Nice buddy hug from Robin on Amare
Suns have 9 blocks in this game. 3 from Robin, 2 each from Grant and Amare and 1 for Steve and Jason as well
Fresenko fouls out with 9 minutes of play. Epic
Robin just picked up his 2nd foul in a game where the whistles are fast and free and he's not exactly been timid
4th block from Robin! He's also got 19 pts and 10 reb
Suns back up 20. 92-72 with 8:18 to go
Amare powers through a foul for a nice little hook in the lane and bobs his head in approval. Bob away, Amare. You've earned it
Sundiata Gaines playing well. Good D and passing
Suns lead down to 14. 94-80 with 6:15 to go. Not the dominating close out we were hoping for
Jarron Collins has played 27 seconds and is a minus 1
Out of the time out Suns get 4 quick points - both of steals!
Jazz doubling Amare. Bring a guard down when he makes his move. Amare needs to adjust
Looks like DWill is done for the game if he's not in now
Jason missed a couple three's that would have been huge. Back to a 14 point game.
16 point game
Jeffers and Gaines both playing really well
Suns playing through Amare now. Giving him the ball every time down the floor in the post
The Wave? Really, Phoenix?
Robin gets a well-deserved ovation as he leaves the game with 30 seconds to go

Game Thread: Suns vs Jazz

2010-03-20T01:23:12Z

Next Game

Utah Jazz
@ Phoenix Suns

Friday, Mar 19, 2010, 8:00 PM MDT
US Airways Center

Game Preview: Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns

posted by iamtrevorpaxton about 5 hours ago

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Phoenix Suns Practice Rapport: Nash Gives Suns Playoff Prognosis

posted by Seth Pollack about 23 hours ago

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Complete Coverage >

SB Nation Survey + Chance to donate $500 to a charity of this community's choice

2010-03-20T00:47:52Z

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Game Preview: Utah Jazz at Phoenix Suns

2010-03-19T20:26:17Z

Seeing this picture is like looking into the face of death and seeing it smile back at you. Let's not relive this experience tonight. (Photo by Max Simbron)

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If I had to choose two things that should be known about tonight's game, I would put these two things above the rest:

1. It is a big game.

2. Both teams are going to be focused and bring the intensity.

I choose the first one because it seems like everyone has already said it. Nash said it yesterday. Coach Gentry said it this morning. Carlos Boozer said it. We've all said it, numerous times. The fact of the matter is, this is indeed a big game, and everyone knows it. With the playoffs less than a month away and multiple teams trying to jockey themselves into a higher seed, this game has serious playoff implications.

The Suns are 2 games behind the Utah Jazz for the 4th seed (and home court advantage) and only 1.5 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers for a nice little vacation in Los Angeles the 8th seed. Oh, and another thing: the Suns are the only Western Conference playoff team that has a sub-.500 road record, coming into this game at 16-17. So, needless to say, a game like this would do wonders for our chances at gaining the home court advantage for the playoffs.

Yesterday, the Suns practiced hard. As noted by Seth, the intensity seemed to be higher in the gym as they prepared for what could very well be a first round matchup in the ultra competitive Western Conference. The question is, can that intensity carry over into the game and give the Suns another notch in the win column?

The Unwavering, Unchanging Jazz

Much has been said about the Utah Jazz as of late, but one statement remains a head above the rest: the Utah Jazz are the same team that they've always been. It has been said that the team runs the same plays as it always has, dating back to the Stockton/Malone days. Part of the reason for this is that a.) the Jazz have had the same coach for the past 21 years, and b.) that coach is Jerry Sloan. Coach Sloan isn't exactly known for being what people call a "player's coach" or even "easy going". He coaches his way, and that is that.

When asked about what he thinks has changed about his team over the years, Coach Sloan said, "Oh, just personnel. We do different things, there are things we do now that we didn't do before and part of what we've always done. But we've got different players to make it work, compared to the other teams we've had when John and Karl were here. Other teams run plays, some of the same plays we run. We don't play a wide open game a lot, if we do, we have trouble winning. I don't know, it's just who we are."

Not exactly a resounding response, for those who were looking for some sort of reason why the Jazz are different now than they were. However, I would offer the ageless meme: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Jazz have had success running the "same system", as evidenced by Coach Sloan's record while with Utah: a stunning 1086-651, including this season. So, while the Jazz may not be reinventing the wheel with each season, the way they play basketball has worked for them.

To that end, regarding Utah's style of play, Coach Gentry said, "They grind away at you. They're a very physical team. They wear you down. You have to keep your spacing with this team and you have to make good hard cuts because if not, they do a good job of holding and grabbing, and that's the way they've playe d for the last 21 years."

True that, Alvin. True that.

Battle of the Big Men

As it is with almost every game against the Jazz, the story of the game usually comes down to the big men. Deron Williams is a very, very talented player, and Steve Nash isn't exactly chopped liver, but I believe that this game will come down to how our big men play vs. how their big men play. The Jazz have Carlos Boozer, who is in the midst of another great season, and Mehmet Okur, who is finally finding his stride after a disappointing start. Add Paul Millsap, who exploded when Boozer went down with his injury last season and Kirilenko, who is a very solid defender and can do multiple things well, and you've got a pretty formidable front line.

Compare that to the Suns, who have All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire, the always improving and self-described "enforcer", Robin Lopez, and long range bomber Channing Frye. When asked about how the Suns are a different team with Lopez in the mix, Coach Sloan noted that it gives the Suns "a lot of length, you know, he's a big long player. He's a very fine young player coming out." Coming from Jerry Sloan, a coach notable for his use of big men, I would take that as an immense compliment. Now let's just hope Robin doesn't have a mental lapse and try and send another player into the first row of the stands.

When the Suns' bigs are playing well, we are one of the hardest teams to guard. If Frye is hitting from long range, that opens up the paint for Amare, where he is one of the best finishers in the NBA. Bring in Lopez, who patrols the paint like a small town cop with nothing better to do, and we can almost bang with anyone in the NBA. However, it takes us playing well for that to happen. If Frye isn't playing well and Lopez gets himself in foul trouble, we're in for a long game. Those two players are essential to the success of the team, and when they're on, we're very tough to stop.

Injury Notes/Keys to the Game

Of the injured Jazz players (Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Andrei Kirilenko), only Kirilenko will be sitting out tonight. Deron says he's banged up, but will go.
Amare went through the whole shootaround today and Gentry said that everyone on the Suns are good to go, so if there was anyone who was actually worried about Amare's blistered toe, you can now rest easy.
Control the paint. I cannot express how much of a priority it should be for the Suns to key in and make things difficult for Boozer and Okur. With Kirilenko out, the Jazz will be pretty thin up front, and will likely be looking for a lot of minutes from their starting bigs. Make it difficult for them, or even get them in foul trouble, and we'll have a very solid shot.
Stay home on the shooters. Coach Gentry noted that Korver is shooting 58% from three this season, and Sundiata Gaines has quietly built a penchant for being able long range bombs. Oh, Okur and Williams aren't bad either, as they're both hitting an average of 1.0 and 1.2 threes per game, respectively.
Play hard for all 48 minutes. Gentry said earlier that the Jazz "play playoff basketball year round ... you can't play 40 or 45 minutes and beat them. I mean, we know that, we've done that already. We played great basketball against them, and we had about a 6 or 8 minute stretch where we didn't play really good and it cost us both games." 'Nuff said.
Protect the home court. No matter what team you're playing, you always want to play well on your home court. Add in the fact that tonight's game being a big game, and that becomes all the more important. There's a reason it's called "home court advantage"...now let's use it.

Game Links

Audio From This Morning's Shootaround

Jerry Sloan, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams...in that order.

Other Links

NBA Power Rankings: Loosey Goosey Cavs Back on Top -- NBA FanHouse

The Suns have dropped from 6 to 8, but that's not because of poor play. That's just because everyone ahead of them has been playing even better.

The Official Phoenix Suns Blog " Blog Archive " Collins’ White House Connections

Most Suns fans know Jarron Collins as a hard-working and polite reserve that is known for his stingy defense and ability to rebound. But because of his lack of self-promotion, few would know that Collins is well-connected to one of America’s most powerful political families.

Bob Lanier on Changes to the Game, Position -- NBA FanHouse

Robin Lopez should take notes from Bob Lanier on what some of the attributes some of the greatest centers of all time had in thei r games.

NBA D-League: Suns rookie gives Energy a boost | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register

"I got tired a little bit at the end," Clark said after scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. "But it’s good to get out here and play 40 minutes." Clark, a 6-foot-10 swing player out of Louisville with a quick first step, was taken with the 14th pick of the NBA Draft by Phoenix. He has played 45 games there this season, averaging 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 7.7 minutes. He was making his NBA Development League debut Wednesday. "At first, it’s kind of, you don’t know what to think," Clark said of his demotion. "But it’s a situation in Phoenix where I’m playing behind a lot of hall of famers. I’ve been working real hard. And they want me to get out here and show the things I’ve been working on, stretch out. It’s a good opportunity to play this many minutes."

Daily Poll: Who is the Phoenix Suns 6th Man?

2010-03-19T16:20:17Z

The Suns bench has been a big lift for the team this year but who's the MVBP? (Photo by Max Simbron)

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Yesterday on the radio, Gambo and Ash from 620 Sports posed this question: Who is the Suns' 6th Man?

In other words, who is the Most Valuable Bench Player for the Suns. The MVBP.

In the past the answer was easy, Barbosa was the man. But this year, the Suns bench is deep and multi-faceted.

The easy answer is that there's isn't one MVBP, but that's no fun.

Coach Gentry on the radio said it was Frye. Dan Majerle gave Dragic the slight edge over Dudley.

I am going with Goran as well for the same reason Thunder Dan gave - giving Nash the ability to rest is huge. Dudley is a close second, though, with his ability to defend two positions and hit the open three.

Goran Dragic is bringing solid play backing up Nash. We no longer see huge drop offs when Nash sits and, as a result, he's able to rest longer. Steve's minutes per game haven't been this low since the 02/03 season, which is extremely important. The team has confidence in Dragic to sustain and even expand leads while Nash rests.

Goran's numbers don't jump off the page, but his impact has changed the team.

Channing Frye coming off the bench provides a big lift on the offensive end. When he's hot he can come in and stretch the floor with his range. When he's not hot, he's still enough of a threat to create space for Amare in the lane. The ability for the Suns to go with completely differently looks in Lopez and Frye has created all kinds of problems for teams.

Frye's defense has been a bit unfairly maligned as well. He's not big enough to truly battle the bigger centers but he uses his length well and plays hard and smart. Most importantly, since moving from the starting line up to the bench, Frye is playing 10 fewer minutes but only scoring 2 fewer points per game: 10.3 ppg / 21.5 mpg off the bench vs. 12.2 ppg / 31 mpg as a starter. He's shooting 45% from three in his new role, which is a 1.8% improvement.

Jared Dudley is the ultimate glue-guy. He brings hustle, intensity and smart play to the floor. The Suns typically will bring him off the bench first, which allows Grant to sub in with Goran and provide his leadership to the second unit. Rarely do you see a drop off in team performance with Dudley comes in.

JD hits open threes at a high rate (44%) but doesn't force his offense when he's on the floor with the starters. He's a guy that always does the little things that don't show up in the box score. Defense. Extra possessions. Energy and he's a great teammate that guys love playing with.

Jared leads the bench with 24.5 minutes per game off the bench because he's versatile enough to play multiple positions. We see him playing the 2 against bigger shooting guards, his natural small forward position or even the 4 when the Suns go small. He even got minutes as the back-up PG when the Suns were thin due to injuries.

Leandro Barbosa has had an off year. He came into the season with his wrist bothering him and never was able to really get on track, leading to his surgery in late January. His shooting numbers are down about 5% this season and well below his career average, but we've yet to see a fully healthy LB. Suns and NBA fans know what his guy can bring, though. LB can and likely will go off for 20+ points off the bench and provides a different look and change in pace to the Suns.

Louis Amundson is the team's hard nose frontcourt guy. He's tough and smart and plays above his size. There's a reason the fans scream "Loooouuu!!!" when he comes in the game and it's not because of his free throw shooting.

Lou's always been an above average rebounder and shot blocker, but his field goal percentage is at a career high 54.2%. He's not only getting garbage points, he's now starting to score as the roll man on pick and rolls.

You can make the case that the Dragic, Barbosa, Dudley, Amundson, Frye bench unit is the best bench in the West. The Suns have done a great job developing all these guys and the rotations take advantage their unique skill sets.

Poll

Who is the Suns Most Valuable Bench Player?

Phoenix Suns Practice Rapport: Nash Gives Suns Playoff Prognosis

2010-03-19T01:53:17Z

More photos » Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Is Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, a zombie? You decide.

Browse more photos »

The Suns held a full practice today and by full I mean they went at it. Hard. The intensity level seemed to be just a little bit higher in the gym today in preparation for Friday's BIG GAME with the UTAH JAZZ.

By full I don't mean that everyone was on the court. Amare was held out again with a blister on his toe which he's had for the past two games. It certainly didn't impact his performance in either of those contests and it is not expected to slow him down on Friday.

Phew!!!

Big game Friday?

Is it really a big game? Steve Nash thinks so, "It's a big game. It would be a big win for us. It would be a tough loss."

But at the same time, Steve being Steve hedged a bit as well, "But when it's over, it's over and we keep playing."

In the last two meetings with the Jazz, the Suns were able to build big leads but gave them back. In the first game on the road, the Jazz were able to seize the momentum and come back late and in the last game in Phoenix the Suns ran out of gas. It was the 4th game in 5 nights.

So while the record against the Jazz is 0-2, the Suns feel like they can win if they play hard, play smart and bring a full 48 minute effort. And there's no excuse for not doing that this time.

Playoff time / Playoff chances

"The weather is getting warmer and the stretch is upon us so it is starting to feel like the playoffs are right around the corner," Nash explained. "We want to go in to the playoffs and beat some one. If we can win the first round I think hope springs eternal. Give ourselves a crack to beat someone else."

He then elobrated on the point (in response to some idiot asking basically the same question again)...

"We definitely aren't going to walk into the playoffs going,'thanks for inviting us' and we'll just play it out and go home. We're going to come out and try to beat somebody in the first round and if we're able to do that we're going to try and beat someone in the second round. I don't know what our prospects are in reality but I feel pretty good about our team and think that we've got a chance to win a first round series and then like I said, after you do that you move on and you're positive energy and optomism can carry you."

Coaches Notes:

On the Jazz. They're a real physical team, they continue to pound away, pound away. Important for Suns to be in the open floor and make good hard cuts
Gentry repeated what he said post game that it wasn't so much "what we didn't do", they made 7 of 11 three's and only one was wide open. The plan was to try and keep the ball out of Boozer's hands and the Suns for the most part did that. The Jazz hit their shots and they deserve credit for that
The Suns would like to play zero precent but the Jazz do such a good job executing that you have to give them different looks in different situation. Also using the zone will help Steve with Deron Williams
D Will is a tough match-up against everyone. Physical player with quickness. Great player
The Jazz play big shooting guards so you can't move Nash off Williams
The Jazz do the exact same thing when they had Stockton and Malone or Mark Eaton. They run all the same plays they've always run
Gentry joke that it's not a big game if the other teams lose...He still thinks the Suns control their own destiny. If we keep winning and so do they then they deserve to be where they are
LB showed some good signs in his first outing back. His shooting will be inconsistent because the surgery was on his shooting hand. Gentry will continue to give him minutes
The goal is to be playing best your basketball in the last three weeks of the season so you go into the playoffs on a run
Earl Clark played 45 minutes and almost dropped dead. It was good for him to play in Iowa and be the focal point of an offense. He was happy that he was able to play

Other Notable Stuff

The Thunder and Spurs lost last night to the Bobcats and Magic respectively so the Suns are now .5 game behind the Thunder (5th) and 1 game ahead of the Spurs (7th)

The Utah Jazz tweeted that Deron Williams had an MRI on his bruised shoulder and also had an ankle sprain. He is a game time decision as is Wesley Matthews (knee) and Andrie Kirilenko (calf). It would be shame if those guys couldn't play... :(

For those interested in keeping up with Mike D...

Mike D'Antoni says up-tempo play style can work for New York Knicks like it did for Phoenix Suns
"But people think its all offense and that's not the case. But we're not a defensive juggernaut and walk the ball down." D'Antoni is ultra-sensitive to the criticism that his teams are weak defensively.

Former and current players have said that D'Antoni spends little time coaching defense, which is why there is growing sentiment in the organization that D'Antoni needs to add a defensive coach to his staff.

Robin Lopez Live Chat: Thursday, March 18

2010-03-13T15:00:34Z

[Note by Seth Pollack, 03/18/10 5:06 PM MST ]

Robin stopped by after Suns practice today for what was originally planned to be 15 or maybe 30 minutes. He stayed nearly two hours answering a range of questions.

On the court, Robin is a self-described "enforcer". In the chat he was was funny and showed his quirky side with answers like this:

Q. Who has more success with girls, you or your brother? Would you like to play again with him in the same team? or does it bother you somehow?

A. Obviously I do that’s a foolish question. He can be a ballhog and idiot sometimes, but it’s always nice to have a decoy like him out on the floor to open up the lane for me. He’s pretty ok at that.

Big thanks to Robin for his time today!

Robin Lopez will be joining us for a Live Chat on Thursday, March 18th after Suns practice. That should be somewhere between 11:30am and 12:30pm AZ Time (which will be PST on the 17th).

As we did with Goran, go ahead and start leaving your questions now. Robin will jump straight into the Live Chat mode when he arrives and then if there's time will circle back to any questions left in advance.

Mark your calendars, bring you lunch to the office, whatever it takes to be here!

Ed Note: Civil and polite questions only. Robin is our guest here and we won't tolerate people hiding behind their screens to lob silly grenades. If you wouldn't ask him the question to his face, don't ask it here. Thanks

Phoenix Suns Players in NCAA Tournament's Past

2010-03-18T14:45:26Z

More photos » Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

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Although this is a site dedicated to covering a pro basketball team, with the NCAA tournament upon us I felt it would be appropriate to get a little college flavor flowing around here. So what better way to combine the two pursuits than to take a little trip down memory lane for all of your favorite Phoenix Suns players.

Common sense dictates that someone playing in the NBA was likely a college star. Taking the point further, college stars typically end up taking their teams to the NCAA Tournament, and usually relatively deep into it and your Phoenix Suns certainly do nothing to dispel those common notions.

Suns by the NCAA Tournament Numbers:

10: Of the thirteen players on the Suns roster, ten played NCAA basketball. This article isn't for you STAT, Dragic, or Barbosa fans.

9: Nine of the ten Suns who played NCAA basketball appeared in the NCAA tournament. Poor Lou Amundson (UNLV 2001-2006) was stuck playing in 3 NITs.

8: Eight of the nine reached at least the Sweet 16 one time in their college careers. Everyone step forward....not so fast Canadian guy.

6: Six of the eight who cracked the Sweet 16 also went on to play in the Elite 8. The dream died here for Jared Dudley and Robin Lopez.

3: Three of the six who made it to the Elite 8 were lucky enough to make it to the Final 4. That means no piece of net for Channing Frye, Earl Clark, or Taylor Griffin.

2: Suns players that cut down the nets. Grant Hill did it twice with Duke in both 1991 and 1992 and Jason Richardson has a ring from 2000.

As you can tell, all March talents were not created equal - so let this Suns breakdown be your guide:

THE FINAL FOUR TRIO:

Grant Hill (Duke 1990-1994) - If you didn't know any of this you probably don't follow college basketball, watch ESPN Classic, or even know who Grant Hill is.

17-3 overall tournament record in 4 appearances.
2 National Championships (1991 and 1992), National Title game appearance (1994).
2 seed in 1991 and 1994, 1 seed in 1992, and 3 seed in 1993.
1991 and 1992 - Both historic championship teams featured a couple of the greatest players in college basketball history in Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley - but a young Hill was still featured prominently. Grant and his flat top produced highlight reel dunks all tournament long and played the role of doing whatever Duke needed to win. He also threw this pass which you see about 800 times a year.
1993 - The Laettner-less Blue Devils were upset in round 2 by a freshman version of Jason Kidd and Cal, but it wasn't for lack of performance from Hill - who put up 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in the game.
1994 - This was Grant Hill's opus. In spite of a supporting cast that consisted of Cherokee Parks and a pair of future coaches (Jeff Capel and Chris Collins) - Grant carried Duke to within a few minutes of the national title before falling to Arkansas by 4. For the tournament Hill defined well rounded as he averaged 17.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. It's true what they say - Grant Hill ~~wears Fila's~~ drinks Sprite.

Jason Richardson (Michigan State 1999-2001) - Richardson may have only played 2 years at Michigan State, but that was really all he needed to make a serious impact at a collegiate level.

10-1 overall tournament record in 2 appearances
1 National Championship (2000), Final Four appearance (2001)
1 seed in both 2000 and 2001
2000 - J-Rich was a bench contributor for the national title winning Spartans - a team with Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson, and former Sun Charlie Bell. It was such a tough rotation to crack that in 3 of MSU's 6 NCAA Tournament wins, Richardson didn't score at all. Yet in the championship game against Florida, J-Rich hit 4 of his 7 shots and scored 9 points to help win a title.
2001 - With Cleaves and Peterson off to the NBA (or in Cleaves' case off to highly paid towel waving), Richardson took a more prominent role in the Michigan State season - averaging 14.7 points per game, shooting 50.3% from the field, and hitting 40.2% of his threes. Although those numbers (and you know...ability) were enough to spring board J-Rich into the top 5 of the 2001 NBA Draft - his 2001 tournament left a bit to be desired. MSU came into the tourney as a 1 seed and did make it all the way to the Final 4 - yet Richardson shot just 35.7% for the tournament and averaged only 10.4 points per game. A 2/11 shooting night in the Final 4 against Arizona helped send the Spartans home.

We had a chance to ask J-Rich about his NCAA Tournament experience, winning it all, and wondering how far Michigan State would have made it in 2002 had he not declared for the draft. Jason also throws in a tournament prediction for good measure (I love his superstitious nature).

JRich Tournament Memories

Jarron Collins (Stanford 1997-2001) - Although he is now a stoic bench warming big man, there was a time where Collins was a collegiate force. It may come as a surprise to some of you, but Collins was actually a two-time All-American in his time at Stanford.

8-3 overall tournament record in 3 appearances
Missed the 1999 NCAA Tournament with an ankle injury and Stanford lost to Gonzaga in the 2nd round
1 Final Four appearance (1998). 1 Elite 8 (2001)
3 seed in 1998, 1 seed in 2000 and 2001
1998 - Collins was a freshman big man stuck behind Tim Young, Kris Weems, and Mark Madsen in the front court for a Stanford team that reached the Final Four. Jarron played only 8 total minutes in the first 2 games of the tournament run but foul trouble from Young and Madsen forced him into action in the Sweet 16 against Brad Miller and Brian Cardinal's Purdue squad. The youngster rose to the challenge, putting up 12 points and 11 rebounds (8 offensive) to help Stanford survive.
2000 - Life was a bit different for Collins as he was an All-American this time around, leading a Stanford team that was carrying a one seed. Unfortunately for our hero, the tourney run ended suddenly in the 2nd round when 8th seeded North Carolina pulled the upset behind future mega-bust Joe Forte, center Brendan Haywood, and current Bears defensive end Julius Peppers. Jarron didn't do a whole lot to help the Cardinal cause - hitting just 3 of his 10 shots in the game while getting outscored by Haywood. Former Sun Casey Jacobson managed to out-suck Collins - making 2 of his 12 shots.
2001 - Stanford again went dancing as a one seed and again fell short of the Final Four. This time they did make it to the Elite 8, but for the second year in a row nothing was overwhelmingly impressive about the All-American Collins. While getting knocked out in the regional final by Maryland, Collins battled foul trouble and only had 9 points and 2 rebounds in 24 minutes

Jarron offered up his perspective on the difficulties of carrying a number one seed into the NCAA tournament along with an opinion on how far Stanford would have made it in 1999 had he been healthy.

Jarron on Stanford

ELITE...BUT THAT'S IT

Channing Frye (Arizona 2001-2005) - Most of the people reading this probably have a pretty good handle on the Arizona teams from these years so I won't bore you with the details - but for the uneducated, Channing was a player in March.

8-4 overall tournament record in 4 appearances
2 Elite 8s (2003 and 2005)
3 seed in 2002 and 2005, 1 seed in 2003, 9 seed in 2004
2002 - Just a wee freshman, Frye put up 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 3 tournament games before 'Zona bowed out to Final Four-bound Oklahoma (Hollis Price anyone?).
2003 - I call this year Channing Frye: Rebound Machine. Frye wasn't too shabby scoring wise - including a 22 point performance against Gonzaga in a 2nd round overtime thrilled you should remember - but his 10.3 rebounds per game on Arizona's road to the Elite 8 is what impressed me.
2004 - Not much to say about this one. Arizona was an average team that lost to another average team in Seton Hall. Frye went for 13/12 in the game but it took him 16 shots to get his points.
2005 - Throw out a foul-trouble marred performance in the 2nd round against UAB (25 minutes played), and Frye had a flat out awesome tournament. The finest performance of all happened in a game Arizona fans would prefer not to talk about - as he put up 24 points on 11/14 shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked 6 shots in U of A's heartbreaking Elite 8 loss to Illinois.

Earl Clark (Louisville 2006-2009) - Though he may currently be chillin' in Iowa with the Energy, Earl is still a member of the Suns - and one that happened to be pretty damn good in the NCAA Tournament. Clark was a decent shooter in his 3 college seasons (46.7%) but really stepped his game up in the tourney - popping off for 55% shooting in his 10 games. Leave your sample size arguments at home.

7-3 overall tournament record in 3 appearances
2 Elite 8s (2008 and 2009)
6 seed in 2007, 3 seed in 2008, 1 seed in 2009
2007 - Young Earl contributed well in a blowout win over Baby Robin Lopez and Stanford, scoring 12 points on 4/7 shooting. Louisville fell to Acie Law's Texas A&M team in the 2nd round - with Clark hitting just 1 of his 5 attempts from the field.
2008 - This was the year Earl really started to come into his own. Clark averaged 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in the Cardinals 4 tournament games (they lost to UNC in the Elite 8), all while shooting 62.2% from the field. Now I know Louisville had a lot of talent, but would it have killed them to let Earl shoot a bit more? You'd think a guy hitting 62% of his shots would get a chance to shoot more than 9 times a game.
2009 - Another strong tournament performance from both Louisville and Clark. The Cardinals may have again just missed the Final Four (Elite 8 to Michigan State this time), but it wasn't on Earl as he increased his scoring to 15.5 points per game, picked up 7.8 rebounds per game and again shot well - hitting 56.3% of his shots.

Taylor Griffin (Oklahoma 2005-2009) - As a Kansas State fan, I watched a lot of Big 12 basketball. Thus each and every time I see Taylor Griffin in an NBA uniform it shocks me. I mean good for him and all...but the NBA? Prove me wrong Taylor. Oh he played a few times in the NCAA Tournament.

4-3 overall tournament record in 3 appearances
1 Elite 8 (2009)
6 seed in 2006 and 2008, 2 seed in 2009
2006 - By far my favorite Taylor Griffin tournament stat comes from his first year at OU when his Sooners lost to UW-Milwaukee in the first round. T-Griff scored 4 points in the game but that isn't really what's fun - the guy played 5 minutes total and fouled out. Now I thought this statistic was super fun and prompted Seth to ask him about it...as you'll hear below, Taylor didn't think it was nearly as interesting as I did.
2008 - Griffin was only slightly more impressive this year than in his first attempt at the tourney. After a first round win over St. Joe's in which Taylor played 17 minutes without scoring, Griffin and Oklahoma ran head-first into Earl Clark and Louisville. As Taylor himself mentions below - the game was never that close and OU was done.
2009 - Fortunately for Taylor he got his senior moment as his brother Blake carried OU all the way to the Elite 8 before falling to eventual champion North Carolina. This time Taylor had at least one pretty good game in the tournament - going for 18 on 7 of 8 shooting in a first round blowout win over Morgan State. He didn't crack double digits against Michigan or Syracuse and somehow managed to score just 4 points, grab 2 rebounds and put up no other stats to speak of (no assists, steals, blocks...nothing) in 37 minutes in the Elite 8 loss. And just for symmetry sake he ended his last tournament game just how he ended his first - by fouling out.

We got Taylor to speak on a number of subjects including his matchup with Earl Clark, his fouling out, and his predictions for this year's tournament

Taylor on Earl and Fouling Out

Taylor plays prognosticator

ESCAPED THE FIRST WEEKEND:

Jared Dudley (Boston College 2003-2007) - JD was nothing if not consistent in his 4 years of NCAA Tournament play at Boston College - logging less than 35 minutes only once (1st round in 2007) in 9 games. So right from the beginning, Dudley was a guy BC could rely on.

5-4 overall tournament record in 4 appearances
1 Sweet 16 (2006)
6 seed in 2004, 4 seed in 2005 and 2006, 7 seed in 2007
2004 - Dudley played 35 minutes but it was Suns nemesis Craig Smith that carried BC to a win over Andrew Bogut and Utah in the 1st round. Yet not even 13/9 from JD was enough to get past Final Four-bound Georgia Tech in round 2.
2005 - In Dudley's sophomore year the Eagles were again stopped in the 2nd round. While the 18 points per game averaged by Dudley in the 2 tournament games was certainly nice, it's his line from the 2nd round loss against UW-Milwaukee that jumps out at me. Dudley had an impressive 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists - but 18 of his 22 came via the free throw line where he took 21 attempts. That's right, the uber-athletic Jared Dudley was so unstoppable that he shot 21 free throws in a game. As you'll hear below from JD this was partially due to a press and his playing some point guard in the game...but I don't think we'll ever see this in the NBA.
2006 - The furthest JD made it in his four years as Boston College made the Sweet 16 before falling to Villanova by just a point. Dudley had another impressive tournament, putting up 19 points per game while averaging 42(!) minutes in the three games. That's not a misprint, Dudley played 48 minutes in Boston College's double OT win over Pacific in round 1.
2007 - As the newly crowned ACC Player of the Year, Dudley took the 7th seeded Eagles through Texas Tech before being simply overmatched by Georgetown in the 2nd round. However, Dudz averaged 19/7.5 and shot 56.6% in the two games.

JD talked to us a bit about his 2005 free throw extravaganza and how BC was stuck with a 4 seed that year despite compiling a 25-4 record.

Jared Dudley on BC

Robin Lopez (Stanford 2006-2008) - If you're like me (and are good at being wrong) you were probably underwhelmed with the Suns 2008 first round selection of Robin Lopez. As I saw it, a center who averaged 10/5 in his last year in college had no real business being in the middle of the first round - no matter how great the hair. But it appears that Robin used a strong 2008 NCAA Tournament to boost his draft stock.

2-2 overall tournament record in 2 appearances
1 Sweet 16 (2008)
11 seed in 2007, 3 seed in 2008
2007 - RoLo's 2007 NCAA Tournament would be considered short and sweet for just about anyone not named Taylor Griffin. In an opening round loss to Earl Clark's Louisville squad - Lopez's 11th seeded Cardinal lost by 20...and it wasn't even that close. However, Robin managed the impressive feat of fouling out in just 12 minutes of game action.
2008 - This was the breakout moment for Lopez. In the first and second round, Robin combined for 32 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 blocks to help Stanford into the Sweet 16. Although he was a bit overshadowed by his brother's 30 point effort in a thriller against Marquette and didn't exactly light the world on fire against Texas in the Sweet 16 (6 pts 5 reb 0 blocks in 21 foul prone minutes) he apparently exhibited the kind of skills that get you drafted in the first round.

STEVE NASH CATEGORY

Steve Nash (Santa Clara 1992-1996) - Although Steve has experienced a ridiculous amount of success at the professional level, he's the only Suns player with a losing record in the NCAA Tournament. Now in the interest of fair disclosure, Nash didn't have guys like Blake Griffin, Christian Laettner or Mateen Cleaves on his team so he gets a bit of a pass. What most U of A fans remember is that Nash was a guard on the 15th seeded Santa Clara Broncos that upset Arizona in 1993.

2-3 overall tournament record in 3 appearances
2nd round in 1993 and 1996
15 seed in 1993, 12 seed in 1995, 10 seed in 1996
1993 - In the aforementioned upset of Arizona, Nash - then a freshman - shot just 1/7 from the field in his 30 minutes of action, scoring 10 points, and in a fun statistical oddity he recorded more rebounds (7) than assists (4). The second round of the tournament didn't go that much better for the fresh faced Canuck as he hit only 1 of his 9 shots while fouling out in a loss to a Temple team featuring future NBAers Eddie Jones, Aaron McKie, and Rick Brunson. Not to belabor the point concerning fouling out, but Santa Clara recorded just 10 team fouls in the game - Nash and teammate John Woolery accounted for all of them.
1995 - Following an unscheduled break from dancing in 1994, Nash and company returned as a 12 seed to battle Erick Dampier and Mississippi State. This time around Nash's shooting improved (he was 7/13) but his skill in hacking did not as he again fouled out in an 8 point loss for the Broncos.
1996 - A mature Nash led Santa Clara back to the tournament - this time as a 10 seed (cue Jefferson's theme music) - to take on Exree Hipp and Maryland (had to work the name in). This time Nash avoided fouling out (he did pick up 4 fouls) and instead worked Maryland to the tune of 28 points, 12 assists and 6 boards to lead his squad to the win. But that was his second and final win as in the next round a loaded Kansas team (Pierce, LaFrentz, Vaughn, and Pollard) crushed Steve and his Santa's in a 25 point rout. Nash shot just 1/11 in the game and for those of you scoring at home that means the man John Hollinger described as the best shooter ever hit a grand total of 29.2% of his shots in 5 NCAA Tournament games. I suppose he turned out alright though.

So what can we conclude from this? Well frankly not a whole lot. - you were just supposed to have fun. Enjoy March Madness and enjoy the Suns playoff push.

Earl Clark Shines In His First D-league Game

2010-03-18T03:22:37Z

Earl Clark. Full of talent and promise. (Photo by Max Simbron)

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I can't say I watched Earl Clark's entire D-league debut game, but I did catch the full overtime period. Earl obviously did his work early putting up 27 points on 11/16 shooting. Impressive. As was the 12 rebounds and 5 assists. He got to the line for 8 FTA's as well.

He played a full 45 minutes game which had to have worn him out a bit. He works hard in Phoenix, putting in extra gym time after almost every Suns home game and has earned praise from the coaching staff for his effort. But there's nothing like playing in a real game.

Earl had 25 of his 27 in the first three quarters with only 2 points in the fourth and none in the OT. I tuned in just in time to see him miss a long two and commit a turnover trying to drive the lane. He was striped and may have been fouled. It's hard to tell watching on a computer screen.

Perhaps most surprising and impressive were the comments from Iowa Energy Head Coach Nick Nurse in his post game interview. He said he was impressed by Earl's basketball IQ and his ability to learn the plays and fit into to the team with only one day of practice. He called Clark a good team player and was happy with a few of his "man" rebounds.

According to Nurse, Steve Kerr will be in Iowa this weekend to watch Earl play in his next two games with the Energy. The plan is for him just to play three games with the Energy to hopefully get him some "seasoning" in preparation for the Suns playoff run.

The Energy next play their rival Sioux Falls Skyforce on Friday and Saturday. If Kerr skips the Suns-Jazz game on Friday to watch Earl play in Des Moines you know how serious he is about Clark.

The unanswered question is how many of Earl's shots came in the paint and how many were jump shots. We'll track down an answer to that.

It is also worth pointing out and congratulating the Energy on their D-league leading 33-11 record. Clark is playing for a fine organization and with some solid teammates including Cartier Martin, who hit a big shot to clinch the game; Curtis Stinson, who had 19 points and 21 assists(!); Mark Tyndale, who had 30 points and a few big shots in OT; and Earl Barron, who controlled the paint with 14 and 10.

The Energy, by the way, scored 135 points and were only 3/8 from behind the arc. Nice.

[Note by Seth Pollack, 03/18/10 8:44 AM MST ]

Coach Nurse emailed me this additional report on Earl's play:

He did most of his damage off the bounce and with mid range jumpers. He made great decisions all night as to when to go all the way to the cup and when to pull up or when to pass. He didnt make many mistakes on his decision-making. His tempo was great and he played great team ball. He also worked hard at the defensive end.

Coach said he may have got tired as the game wore on but the other team started doubling him as well.

Here's the quotes from Earl from the local paper:

NBA D-League: Suns rookie gives Energy a boost | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register
“I got tired a little bit at the end,” Clark said after scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. “But it’s good to get out here and play 40 minutes.”

Clark, a 6-foot-10 swing player out of Louisville with a quick first step, was taken with the 14th pick of the NBA Draft by Phoenix. He has played 45 games there this season, averaging 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 7.7 minutes. He was making his NBA Development League debut Wednesday.

“At first, it’s kind of, you don’t know what to think,” Clark said of his demotion. “But it’s a situation in Phoenix where I’m playing behind a lot of hall of famers. I’ve been working real hard. And they want me to get out here and show the things I’ve been working on, stretch out. It’s a good opportunity to play this many minutes.”

Box Score

Daily Links: A Rout By Any Other Name Smells As Sweet

2010-03-17T19:39:55Z

(Photo by Max Simbron)

We are all happy today, Steve.

Except Timberwolves fans that is...

Apastration - Canis Hoopus
Surely there has to be a word that describes what is going on with the Wolves right now. It's somewhere in between boredom and apathy, frustration and anger, regret and hope, and all sorts of other polar and not-so-polar dichotomies. After the worst stampling (another combo word deserving of this team) of the year I can't quite find the right word to describe how I feel about this club right now.

On one hand we were told from the get-go that this was going to be a rebuilding year. The team's front office has been very open about this fact and they have engaged in what they call an "aggressive fan development program" to win back the casual viewing sports public in this town.

Nash, Suns hand Wolves embarrassing defeat | StarTribune.com
PHOENIX - The season is fast running out -- well, not nearly fast enough -- but school sure was in Tuesday night during the Timberwolves' astounding 152-114 loss at Phoenix

Other Game Links

The Suns just scored again ... and again ... and again - Ball Don't Lie - NBA Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Comprehensive National Basketball Association news, scores, standings, fantasy games, rumors, and more
SUNS: Suns Set New NBA Season High in Points in Rout Over T-Wolves
Suns Drop 152 Points on Timberwolves -- NBA FanHouse
When head coach of the Timberwolves Kurt Rambis was asked about whether or not it bothered him that the Suns put up a record number points on his team, he said, "Records are records. I don't give a s**t about records". Poor Rambis.
azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Barbosa's back
And this is why we love Barbosa: After being asked about the ovation he received, he said, "It was great, man. I didn't know what to do, if I should wave my hands. I was like a little kid over there. It was a great time."

Other Fun Links

The Difference A Season Makes | Fanster.com - All Sports. All Phoenix.
Discussing the Suns' younger players, and how much of a difference getting a full season under your belt can really make.
Going through the motions... (Nuggets/Wizards recap) - Denver Stiffs
The Nuggets tried their hardest to play down to the level of their competition tonight. But it's pretty tough to play as poorly as the Wizards do, and thus the Nuggets walked away with their 46th victory of the season.
George Karl's treatment diary... - Denver Stiffs
Nuggets head coach George Karl, his partner Kim and their young daughter Kaci Grace are keeping a running diary of Coach Karl's experiences as he undergoes painful, difficult and trying radiation treatment to eradicate the neck and throat cancer he's afflicted with.
azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Doh for 'Do! Tucker isn't getting more run
"But when the Dec. 29 trade to Minnesota was presented ... the Suns assumed he would play more. Minnesota said it would give him a shot. And Tucker is playing less than ever. Mike D'Antoni used him more (barely)." About sums that up. Too bad for Alando. I like the kid.
Griz owner Michael Heisley told a group of season ticket holders that the team intends to match any... - Straight Outta Vancouver
Griz owner Michael Heisley told a group of season ticket holders that the team intends to match any offer Gay might receive as a restricted free agent this summer.
Stephen Curry's Shooting Ability Allows the Rest of His Game To Grow | Bleacher Report
Remember when the Suns rejoiced when the Golden State Warriors had supposedly drafted Stephen Curry for them? Yeah...turns out he's an even better player than either side envisioned at that point.
Rare Photos of Charles Barkley - SI.com
If there's one thing I gained from seeing these, it's that Sir Charles really likes to eat (go figure) and also enjoys posing.
We broke 100! | Basketball Prospectus
This season, it's not just the Suns who are putting up the points in bunches. For the first time since the 1994-95 season, the average team in the NBA is scoring over 100 points.
2010 NBA Summer League Schedule Taking Shape - Ridiculous Upside
The 2010 NBA Summer Leagues are less than four months away! NBA Summer League Schedule: Vegas (July 9-18), Orlando (July 5-9), Utah (July 24-30), Chicago (July 11-15)
The Difference A Season Makes | Fanster.com - All Sports. All Phoenix.
Discussing the Suns' younger players, and how much of a difference getting a full season under your belt can really make.
Mike Gansey: A D-League Road Trip for the Ages - Ridiculous Upside
He flew Abq-San Francisco-Portland, Oregon-Boise!!! Now that is a heck of a day right there. Need I remind you we all left somewhere between 4:45-6:30 am to get to the airport and we had a game at 7 pm that night! We all got to our Boise hotel from 2-4 pm depending on the group you were in, which left enough time to go touch your hotel room wall and head to the game.

Move over Steve Nash. The Boom Tho Movement is coming for you... and don't cheat yourself....watch...

2010-03-17T18:11:53Z

Move over Steve Nash. The Boom Tho Movement is coming for you...

and don't cheat yourself....watch the entire thing

5 Games the Phoenix Suns Shoulda Coulda Won

2010-03-17T17:36:04Z

At 42 and 26 the Suns are half-game back from the Thunder and a game and a half back from the Jazz...But let's take a trip in the Hot Tub Time Machine and play the favorite game of sports fans everywhere...The What If Game.

What If the Suns had won five more games this season?

They would be 47 and 21 which would be good enough for 2nd place in the West. And before you go all "every team can find five games they shoulda coulda won" on me - stop. This is our What If game, they can play their own if they want.

Here's the five games the Suns shoulda coulda won:

1: Suns vs Knicks, December 1, 2009

You will recall the Suns going 14 and 3 to start the season and rolling into New York feeling pretty pretty good about themselves. Coming off a comfortable win on Sunday in Toronto, the Suns got to Phoenix in the early evening and then had a full day off in NEW YORK CITY, before facing Mike D'Antoni's mustache on Tuesday.

No one (as far as I know) ever came out and said it, but speculation is the Suns had a bit too much fun in the Big Apple and they certainly overlooked the 3 and 14 Knicks. From this loss, the Suns would begin a two month run of sub .500 basketball but there was good news to come out of this game...Alando Tucker scored 14 points in garbage time.

2. Suns vs Trail Blazers, December 18, 2009

This game starts a trend of blown leads. The Suns were up 13 going into the fourth quarter before Jerryd Bayless (who can't spell his name right, but can sure score the ball) went nuts. This was also the 17th straight TNT loss for the Suns. I suppose given that streak it was inevitable that the Suns lost this game, and they were playing without Jason Richardson and Leandro Barbosa, but the Blazers were missing about 1/3rd of their roster so that's really no excuse.

The bottom line is that the Suns were playing uninspired basketball at that point and this loss was a result. Do you think the March 2010 version of the Phoenix Suns blows a 13 point fourth quarter lead? Let's hope not.

3. Suns vs Warriors, December 26, 2009

Yes, this was the second of a back-to-back but the first of the back-to-back was a Christmas Day drubbing of the Clippers that only took about 3 quarters of effort. The bottom line is that Suns should have beaten the Warriors and because they weren't playing much defense at that point in the season, they didn't.

After a Jared Dudley 3, the Suns were again only down two, 123-121. They managed a stop and a Stoudemire jam brought the game to a deadlock at 123. But the Suns, true to form, tonight couldn't stop the opposition. Baskets were traded, turnovers were made, and suddenly the Warriors stood atop this trash heap of a game.

4. Suns vs Pacers, January 13, 2010

The fact that this game is presented fourth proves that the list was created based on chronological order and not based on something more subjective like...order of pain. Because this loss was clearly the worse of the season.

Dropping a 24-point third quarter lead to the Pacers is unacceptable. Getting beat by Mike Dunleavy scoring 11 straight points is embarrassing. And let's not forget that the Suns allowed the Pacers to hang 70 second-half points on their heads.

This loss got the Suns off to an 0 and 4 road trip which was the low point of the season. By far.

5. Suns vs Hawks, January 15, 2010 AND Suns vs Bobcats, January 26, 2010

I couldn't decide. Both had bright spots and both were clearly winnable games.

In Atlanta coming off the Indiana Smack Down, the Suns actually played very good basketball against a very good team. Then Jamal Crawford happened. Painful. A gut punch was how Coach Gentry described it.

The Bobcats game had its moments but it came down to late game execution. After being held to only 15 fourth quarter points by a stingy Charlotte defense, the Suns were up 3 with 24 seconds and gave up a three to Stephen Jackson and then failed to get a shot off to win the game at the buzzer. Overtime was a disaster.

The good news, this game was the wake-up call the team needed. The Suns decided they had enough of losing and from this point forward have gone 16 and 5 since.

Sorry to depress you the morning after scoring 152 points. You can now return to your ecstatic gloating.

Last Fan Standing 2010 (Update!)

2010-03-17T08:00:56Z

Last Fan Standing 2010 (Update!)

So, the Last Fan Standing 2010 tournament is under way! I have been assigned the Wisconsin Badgers to follow and write about until they get eliminated. I can't post the article(s) I write for the competition here, but you can read them on the Last Fan Standing site.

There's a catch, though. You (yes, you!) can vote for me! I would appreciate all the votes you can muster up. There are prizes for those bloggers that make it to the latter rounds of the tourney.

The Grand Prize is for my articles to be featured on CBSSports.com (awesome) and a Lenovo laptop (also awesome). For the runner up, it's a trip for two to Indianapolis and tickets to the NCAA National Championship game. Then, the remaining people that made it to the Final Four round get a trip for two to Las Vegas.

Again, thank you so much for voting, and I hope you continue to read the great articles that are posted on the site...there are a lot of great bloggers!

(But you should still vote for me)

Phoenix Suns Embarrass the Minnesota Timberwolves: 152(!) to 114

2010-03-17T04:29:25Z

The Gorilla turned 30 today. I just hope they give him a bath every few years. (Photo by Max Simbron)

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"You can't win letting a team score 150."

Ryan Gomes, March 16, 2010.Phoenix, AZ

Not much in the way of a recap here. The Suns came out and shot the ball well, abused a porous Timberwolves defense and ended the game early. The Wolves really don't defend the pick and roll well and the Suns didn't miss anything they threw at the rim. Or near the rim.

Up 64-56 with about 3 minutes to go in the first half, Nash came back in the game and lead the Suns on a 15-5 run. The 79 first-half points is the most in league this season. Jason Richardson was smoking hot from three going 5 of 6 and the Suns shot 67% overall in the first half.

From there it was cruise control time with a 35-27 third quarter to end the game for good. The fourth quarter was played (technically) but as you can imagine it wasn't anything to write home about. Or write here about for that matter.

Leandro Barbosa played a total of 16 minutes and had 7 points on 3 of 7 shooting. He missed a couple wide open three's when he first checked in to a rousing ovation from the crowd but he settled down and played OK.

Amare with 25 and Jason with 27 lead the way scoring-wise and Steve Nash dished out 14 dimes and went 5 for 7 from the field for his second straight Nash-like outing.

The Suns did manage to set the mark for the point points scored in a game this season which was 146 and is now 152. That is clearly the most interesting part of this game.

It's hard to even be a little excited about this one. It was more shooting clinic/layup line than NBA basketball game but hey, we'll take it.

Post game locker room from the Suns was pretty subdued considering. Very business-like.

Except for Leandro Barbosa who received a big ovation when he came into the game for the first time, "I was like a little kid over there. Seriously, it was great time. Only the first time coach put me in. I don't know how many minutes I played the first time but it was enough for me. I was just happy to be on the bench with the clothes of the Suns and see the fans doing that is such a great thing. I appreciate they wait for me for month and a half. It was just a good time for me. It made my night. And my day."

LB said he had no pain but his legs were a little tight. He said the pace of the game was a little slow for him. Slow? Only LB would call that game slow. Hilarious.

Needless to say, Timberwolves Coach Rambis wasn't thrilled, "Records are records. I don't give a shit about records. I was not happy with our defensive effort. Our defensive rotations. Those were not good. But what do I care about their records."

Game Photos from Max

Corey Brewer's massive dunk all over Robin. Wow, that kid can fly.

But they were able to share a laugh about it later so it's all good....

Post Game Audio:

Game Links

Game Notes

1st Qtr

Small crowd for the Timberwolves game. Shame, all those people are missing out on Darko starting
Suns start Robin on Al Jeff
JRich missed another dunk in transition! That one was a little harder than the wide-open look in SA
Do you get the feeling that Nash doesn't think he will be playing a full game tonight and wants to get some early work in? I do
Actually, Robin and Amare are alternating on Al Jeff. Whoever gets to him first seems to be the rule right now
Al Jeff is just a joy to watch in the post
Suns up 16-15 at 7 min. Neither teams really playing much defense. Suns getting a lot of run outs
Darko w/ 2 fouls - out. Kevin Love with two feet - in.
It's The Gorilla's birthday so mascots from all over are on hard. Crowd boo's the Spurs mascot. Well played, Suns fans. Well played
Suns really looking for JRich. He's got 10 points
Both teams hitting their three's....My SWAG is about 60% for each team
Al Jeff sagging off on the pick and roll just giving Steve wide open looks off the screen. That's probably not an effective defensive strategy
Suns running JRich / Robin pick and roll a few times. That's new
Nice coast to coast from Ramon Sessions
Suns up 33-30 with 1:21 to go. I am fine with this pace and high scoring as long as the defense kicks in second half. Especially if the Suns are going to keep hitting their outside shots
Jason just hit another three. His 3rd in the qtr (15 pts)
38-33 to end the 1st. That will work
Suns 4/7 from 3 (57%) I was close. T-wolves 3/4 (75%).
Nash with 9 assist in the quarter. Wolves 7 total. Steve also 4/5 for 8 points. Nice to see him back in good form

2nd Qtr

Suns are switching a lot of screens
Whoa. Nice drive, spin and finish from Goran. LB who?
Suns up 11 now, 47-36
Wilkins looks pretty good. I remember him being stiff. He's not a stiff tonight
If the Suns just got a few stops this would be a 20 point game
It is a 9 point game 52-43 with 7:10 to go
LB checking in for Goran. Big cheer from the crowd. He's going to brick first shot
Yup. Wide open corner three
Missed the second one too, a three from the angle left
To be excepted. Nerves and what not
LB gets his first bucket on the break from Hil
Amare is money tonight (like most nights)
Jason misses another dunk...tried to go reverse. That's three whiffs for the game so far which happens to be how many Jared Dudley has made all season. I wouldn't read anything into that btw
Brewer just posterized Robin off a turnover...I guess you give Robin credit for trying to chase it down but we'll be seeing that one again
Nash back in at about 3 min mark. So I guess LB is going to take Steve's minutes. 64-56
Good game I guess. If you like scoring....and turn overs (7 for T-wolves, 3 for Suns). I guess that's not too many turnovers but it sure seems like a lot of run outs
Here's nice stat. Suns have 4 FTA's, T-wolves with 13
Pretty much anything the Suns throw near the rim's general direction is going in
Suns end the half on a 15-5 run up 79-61. Run started when Nash came back in the game

3rd Qtr

JRich 5 of 6 from behind the line...Suns 9/16. Not much more to say than that. 67% shoot for home team. 49% for the visitors
Robin just had 12 offensive rebounds on that possession...and still didn't score
The game is an auto pilot now. Hope it stays that way. Up 24 87-65
Scoring notes about Suns 79 1st half points: NBA season high in 1st half points; 2nd-most points in an NBA half this season (Bucks, 80 vs GSW of course); Most in a half by Suns since Phx had 80 against GSW (of course) on March 15, 2009; Suns fourth 70-point half this season
Amare doing his thing...his thing is scoring and he does it well. 19 points on 9/13 shooting. He's only got to the line once though
Early tacos'. 100-76 with 4:12 to go in the 3rd
Robin Lopez stands at least 4 inches behind the line when he takes his free throws...can't complain about the results though, 70% is solid
Suns bringing help against Al Jeff but he still has...several nice post baskets. Brewer actually leading the Wolves with 21. He's really improved this year
Old people kissing in kiss cam...still gross
Suns still up 27....not gross
114-88

4th Qtr

No notes for garbage time
Alando Tucker is in the game...still the human victory cigar / towel of defeat