Game Coverage
Hornets sting Suns 110-103
by PanamaSun on Nov 19, 2009 11:59 PM MST
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58 comments
During this game, The Phoenix Suns were victims of a severe case of Amnesia. They forgot to not underestimate an opponent. They forgot that they need to earn every win. They forgot to do the little things that have led them to have a good record to start the season. They forgot that they still have a lot to prove.
The Suns went to New Orleans with a 10-2 record, tied for the best record in the NBA with The Atlanta Hawks and had a chance to improve to 11-2 facing a young team without their best player. Most of us thought this game was going to be easy for The Suns. There's nothing wrong with that. We are fans and after comparing their team to ours you can say it was a logical and educated guess. But Basketball is a crazy game and unlike fans...professional players can't afford to think like that. You actually have to play and earn it, because regardless of who you're facing, this is the NBA and any team can beat you. Any team.
Back when I was in High school, we were playing in a Tournament Finals against a team who was clearly inferior to ours. So we showed up to the game feeling good about ourselves and thinking that it was going to be piece of cake. We were relaxed and some might even say that we were cocky at times.
And so the game started and everything was going their way. Shots were raining, three point plays, fast breaks, steals. We couldn't by a bucket to save our lives but even under those circumstances we were thinking: "they can't stay this hot for a long time" or "our defense will get better" but none of those things happened and we ended up losing the game. We argued every single whistle that was called against us, our coach was thrown out of the gym and I fouled out of the game with still 10 minutes to play. My dad, who was watching from the bleachers, had to listen to me bitch about the refs on the way back home until he said the following:
"Jose, the refs didn't make you lose that game. You guys lost it. You didn't hustle, you didn't execute, and you didn't rebound the ball. It's like you were expecting them to suck at some point but it never happened. The fact that all of you, including your incompetent coach, were arguing calls throughout the whole game and blaming them for your misery just proves the fact that you are so arrogant that you can't even tell that you were beaten by the better team tonight and that it had nothing to do with the refs taking it away from you. Suck it up and learn from it"
Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting the Suns were cocky tonight but it certainly looked like they were thinking (just like we did back then) "They can't stay this hot all night"
But they were wrong and just like me...they need to suck it up and learn from it.
That's enough of my stories. Let's talk hoops now.
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Game Thread: Suns vs Hornets
by Phoenix Stan on Nov 19, 2009 5:00 PM MST
in Game Coverage
346 comments
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GAME PREVIEW: SUNS VS. HORNETS (less Chris Paul and Byron Scott)
by Wil Cantrell on Nov 19, 2009 1:26 PM MST
in Game Coverage
15 comments
My how the mighty have fallen. The New Orleans Hornets plight is one that every Suns fan can relate to. Sucking, then becoming a contender, and then sucking again. Going through a coaching change, etc. Of course the Hornets descent from up-and-comers to down-and-outers was much shorter than the Suns. What in God's name happened to these guys? In 2008 the Hornets picked up 56 wins, and barely lost in the Western Conference Semifinals to the dreaded San Antonio Spurs. That team was 5th in the league in offense and 6th in the league in defense. That lineup included the youngster CP3, the up and comer David West, the tenacious Tyson Chandler, and Peja Stojakovic. On the bench was Pargo and Bonzi. That year they owned the Suns, taking all 4 of the match-ups.
But last year the Hornets were one and out in the playoffs. Tyson Chandler fought the injury bug. CP3's main target for assists was gone, leaving David West to shoulder the scoring burden, while the gimpy Peja Stojakovic and James Posey attempted to carry the offensive and defensive load.
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Suns Tighten Defense, Come Back to Down Rockets 111-105
by Wil Cantrell on Nov 18, 2009 7:53 AM MST
in Game Coverage
29 comments
Be honest, did you think the Suns were going to pull this one out? Of course you did, because this team never quits. Tonight the Suns overcame a very slow start by outscoring the Houston Rockets 33-23 in the fourth quarter to win 111-105.
Tonight encapsulated the Suns season of a new hero every night. We could credit any of a number of players with the hero tag:
- Steve Nash with 16 assists
- Amare Stoudemire with 23 points
- Jason Richardson with 20 points
- Leandro Barbosa with a key block on an almost certain Chase "Air Bud" Budinger layup
- Jarron Collins with 6 big points and 6 big rebounds in place of the foul plagued Channing Frye
- Channing Frye with a huge 3 pointer before he fouled out to give the Suns a 5 point lead.
Or why not credit the whole Suns team? 10 players took the floor tonight, and 9 Suns had at least one rebound, and 7 players had at least 3 rebounds. The Suns tightened up the defense when it mattered, as usual this season, forcing the Rockets into jump shots down the stretch in the 4th quarter while containing Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry for their 10th win of the season.
29 comments | 1 recs |
Game Thread: Suns vs Rockets
by Phoenix Stan on Nov 17, 2009 6:00 PM MST
in Game Coverage
482 comments
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Preview: Suns vs Rockets
by Phoenix Stan on Nov 17, 2009 8:36 AM MST
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29 comments
According to 82game.com the Rockets most frequently used line-up is Brooks-Ariza-Battier-Scola-Hayes. They are +24 and account for bulk of the team's minutes. Five solid role players and no all-stars is generally not a winning combination in the NBA and yet the Rockets are 6-4 having beat the Lakers, Trail Blazers and Jazz. Of course they also lost to the Lakers, Trail Blazers and Kings so it's not as if this team can't be beat.
With no Yao and no T-Mac they are said to be getting it done with heart and hustle but I recently heard Rockets GM Daryl Morey explain that just maybe those nobodies everyone is discounting are actually better players then people give them credit for. I buy that.
In what is starting to become the most surprising trend of the season, the Suns enter this game as the better rebounding team. The Rockets are a -3.77 while the Suns at +2.10 has the 10th best rebounding differential in the league. That tells you our team might just have a little heart and hustle as well.
If both teams bring it tonight it should be a fun match-up but one the Suns should win.
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Suns Survive Raptor Attack, 101-100
by Cory Williams on Nov 15, 2009 11:28 PM MST
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8 comments
On a night where both the home team and the home crowd appeared lethargic, it appeared as though the Suns were about to begin their first losing streak of the young 2009-2010 NBA season.
Appearances can be deceiving, however, and Phoenix was able to rally behind solid performances by Amare Stoudemire and Channing Frye to notch their 9th win of the season, a 101-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors (5-5).
Down 84-77 with 10:52 left in the fourth quarter, the Suns finally woke up from their prolonged slumber and began attacking the Raptors where it hurt: Andrea Bargnani.
After the young Italian sharpshooter was removed from the game due to foul trouble, Phoenix went on a 14-2 run and took a 91-86 lead with 6:03 left.
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Preview and Game Thread: Suns vs Raptors
by Phoenix Stan on Nov 15, 2009 11:00 AM MST
in Game Coverage
169 comments
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