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Nobody gave the Phoenix Suns a chance to beat the defending champion Miami Heat on the road on the second of a back-to-back. Nobody was right. The Suns didn't have a chance and this one was over pretty much as soon as it started.
The first quarter started with an easy drive to the basket by Chris Bosh followed by a couple of quick buckets by Dwyane Wade. LeBron James cruised through with six points and six rebounds and the period ended with a buzzer-beating half court heave by Norris Cole and his hightop fade.
Little that happened after that in the Phoenix Suns 25-point loss to the Miami Heat mattered much.
James led the Heat with 23 points while Wade added 22, Bosh 18 and Ray Allen 15. The Suns saw Shannon Brown finish with a team-high 18 points.
Miami's offense finally seems to be living up to their potential after a few years of stagnant isolation play. They now look an awful like the Suns with their highly efficient, fast-paced pick and roll game. Utilizing a variety of ball handlers and roll men they force the defense to collapse quickly or get beat for a quick bucket in the lane. Even if the rotations are on point, Ray Allen is alone in the corner to drain a three after the ball swings quickly from inside to the perimeter to the open man.
That offense that used to be run by the Orange and Purple dropped 65 points on the Suns in the first half and shot 55 percent for the game. It was a clinic that seemed to only require about half-speed effort from LeBron.
The Suns kept things within striking distance to start the second half, but Miami stopped fooling around and dropped a 13-0 run in the middle of the third quarter to put the game away for good.
This was a highly forgettable game early in a long season that's likely to see many more results like Monday night's "contest".
Next up for the Suns is a team a bit more in their league. The squad faces the Bobcats in Charlotte on Wednesday to close out the road trip.
Check out Hot Hot Hoops for the Heat side of things.