If tonight was any indication of the Phoenix Suns mindset after the deal with Orlando, perhaps we can all put our white flags away.
Grant Hill went for 30 and 11 while Robin Lopez hit for 19 on 9 of 10 shooting, leading the Suns to an improbable victory in Oklahoma City over the Thunder 113-110.
In the first half the Suns looked sharp moving the ball while shooting 55% and extending their lead to 11 points. The Thunder shot 1-11 from beyond the arc, and 27%. But in the second half the Thunder went on a 12-3 run with Russell Westbrook scoring 9 of his squad's 40 3rd quarter points, alleviating the Suns lead.
In the 4th, Grant Hill scored 10 and Josh Childress locked down Kevin Durant (as much as anyone can) and the Suns battled amid an awakened Thunder squad. A solid Suns defense created 6 Thunder turnovers, Josh Childress had a huge steal of Durant, and the Suns survived a last second half court Jeff Green miss that hit the front of the iron.
Props:
- Nash 20 and 10: Stevie looked energized and comfortable working with his teammates. Perhaps Nash is rising to the occasion as leader of this team to set an example while the trade cloud hovers over the Suns' heads.
- Goran Dragic: 11 points 5 assists while playing solid D in 32 minutes of action. Methinks he'll see plenty of time next to Nash fir the rest of the season, the Suns may be better with both play makers on the floor
- Josh Childress: 10 points 5 rebounds, 3 steals. We love Chill's game. After missing 2 straight Josh plays like he hasn't missed any time. Let's hope he gets regular rotation minutes.
- The Suns out rebounded the Thunder 37-32
Master of the Obvious Thought and Analysis:
The Suns had every reason to lose this game. But they nutted up and didn't back down from the Thunder. Grant Hill is simply amazing. He said he was pissed about his performance in the Dallas game so he went off. From inside and outide.
Robin Lopez looks very good. Of course he wasn't battling a top tier center tonight, but he's active, aggressive and seemingly injury free. He worked well with Nash tonight on the two man game and only missed one shot.
The Thunder shot 16 more free throws than the Suns. Some of the calls by the oficials were atrocious, and Kevin Durant was the beneficiary of many of the calls. Still the Suns didn't piss and moan about it, they played hard and loose, like they had nothing to lose. If one thing remained from last year's team, it's heart. There are nights our boys don't look in it, but they are few. Tonight is why you love your Suns, why your tears are purple, and why you put up with front office shenanigans. The Suns usually bring in guys that want to play, that don't need effort coached into them. And perhaps Nash is a huge part of the Suns attitude. You aren't going to quit when Steve Nash runs your squad.
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