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11-2 | 5-7 | |
8:30 PM Mountain / 10:30 PM Eastern | ||
TV: My45 HD, NBA TV HD | ||
Probable starters: | ||
Steve Nash | PG | Baron Davis |
Raja Bell | SG | Kelenna Azubuike |
Grant Hill | SF | Stephen Jackson |
Shawn Marion | PF | Al Harrington |
Amare Stoudemire | C | Andris Biedrins |
One of the best games of the season happened just about a year ago when the Suns visited the Oracle Arena to take on the Golden State Warriors for the first of four meetings last season. That game ignited a franchise-record winning streak of 15 games (later surpassed by a 17-game streak), and featured one of the most memorable shots of the season, courtesy of Steve Nash. When the Suns met the Warriors a year ago, they were just starting to emerge from some early season struggles that had them heading into that game at 3-6. The Warriors, on the other hand, were blazing along at 7-3. This year, it's the Suns who have gotten off to a hot start, matching their franchise record of 11-2. The Warriors come into the game having struggled in the early going with a 5-7 record. However, that record is a bit deceiving. Six of those losses came while Stephen Jackson was serving a suspension. Since Jackson's return, the Warriors have lost only once, and they have won five of their last six. But much like the Suns, their wins have come mostly against teams with losing records, so it's kind of hard to gauge how good they really are. This game should be a test for the Warriors as well as for the Suns. The Suns won three of the four meetings last season, however the last one was a Warrior win that wasn't nearly as close as the final score. Of course, the Warriors no longer have Jason Richardson to shoot 8-13 from the three-point line, but they do still have the other culprits from that night (Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, and Jackson) with Kelenna Azubuike doing a decent job of filling in the J. Richardson-sized vacancy. The Suns should still be the better team here, but they'll need to treat this more like an 11-2 team facing a 5-1 team than a 5-7 team.
This should be fun. Expect lots of points, lots of running, and a close game down to the last second. For the Warriors' side of the story, see Golden State of Mind (they're a little schizophrenic with their prediction, though).
Live blogging will begin at tipoff, so check back during the game for running commentary, and after the game for the usual recap. As for today's YouTube, I'm sure it's no surprise: