1st Qtr
It was pretty obvious within about 30 second that this was going to be a different game. The Suns were pushing and firing away, getting up shots early in the clock and playing with a lot of activity on the defensive end.
Jason was hitting his three's (3/4) and scoring in transition in the 1st (15pts). Nash was pushing the ball like Mike 'Stache was back on the bench. 9 assists in 10 minutes of play.
The Blazers kept it close thanks to the stars of the game (so far), the referee's. They have done a fantastic good making sure we don't forget them. They accounted for 10 of the Blazers 26 1st quarter points.
2nd Qtr
The Suns bogged down when Nash went out. LB was trying to do too much on his own and got his shot blocked several times. I like him pushing in transition but in the half court he was a ball-stopper. Fortunately, Dragic and Lou did a good job on Bayless until Gentry brought his starters back a bit earlier than normal.
This quarter, it was the Suns that benefited from the whistles and got into the penalty early and got to the line 13 times.
Nash and Amare playing great but it is Jason and Grant that are the real difference makers. If Frye would have shown up this game would have been even more of a blow out.
22-15 rebounds is probably my favorite stat. Even more than the fast break points.
You know the Blazers are going to fight back. Hopefully, the Suns won't let down. Could they let down in a game like this?