This has been a rough season for the Phoenix Suns and their fans. Steve Nash called it the hardest of his career.
I've jokingly called this version of the Suns "v. 4.0 - 2008/09" but there is no doubt this season has been a roller coaster ride. At some point, I am going to chart or otherwise document the ups and downs with lots of stats and quotes. The raw material is there ... trust me.
In the meantime, in the spirit of looking forward and not backward, I've come to really only hope for one simple thing for the rest of the season:
No. More. Excuses.
- No players blaming the system and talking about more touches
- No coaches blaming consistency
- No blaming the refs
- No blaming injury
- No pining for Boris
At this point, I really don't care if Alvin Gentry thinks that he can have the smallest line-up in the league on the floor (when Shaq rests) and still rebound and run instead of at least trying to use Lopez or Sims (who is no longer with the team after being released at the end of his 10-day contract).
Alvin wants to run the ball at breakneck pace. Go for it.
All I ask of this team for the next 8 weeks is they stop the excuses. Stop blaming everyone around them and, as Shaq said after the loss to the Bulls on January 31st ...
"M - A - N Mother F-king U - P . Excuse time is over"
I've been a part of a lot of groups in situations a lot more "real" than sports. While the blaming and whining is a natural thing, it really is the teams that can pull together and focus on what they can control that overcome. Any time you are blaming outside forces, you are setting yourself up for failure.
As Panama Sun says - Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it. Lets see what kind of character this team has over the stretch run.
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