Final Score: Suns punked by Timberwolves, 117-86

No game this season has left me with an emptier feeling about this team, and I love the Phoenix Suns with a passion.

Over the course of this season, my first with media access to the team, has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. I love this team, and now I get to talk to them and write about what I've seen first-hand without just taking someone else's word for it.

But I've never really followed a Suns team just going through the motions to finish the season.

Now, I can say I am watching that happen right now.

It baffles me, though. These are NBA players who, purportedly, have poured their entire lives into this sport. How can you just mail it in so often? And so dramatically?

How can you feel so entitled to your salary?

How can you conclude that the millions of dollars in your pocket deserve anything less than 100% of your effort for SIX OR EIGHT HOURS A WEEK!!

Goran Dragic gives it his all every night. As does Luis Scola. And P.J. Tucker. Kudos to them. But this is a 5-on-5 game.

The other guys who play hard every game -- Jermaine O'Neal and Jared Dudley -- were out tonight, making it even more obvious just who isn't cutting it.

Not to say some of the other guys didn't try - Haddadi put out effort, as did Shannon Brown and Wesley Johnson - but they seemed to have no idea where to put that effort into good use.

As much as we want to blame the coach, and the front office, we also need to blame the PLAYERS. They are the ones not giving their 100% effort every single minute on the court.

The Suns lost by 30 tonight. And it wasn't even close at any point in the game.

UGLY.