Tonight’s game turned from being important to HUGE in terms of position in the western conference.  San Antonio is on a three game slide and that means the Suns can strike tonight if they play their cards right.  In terms of difficulty, the game shouldn’t be too hard.  However, the Suns are infamous for playing down to the level of their opponents.  We’ll see how the Kings defend STAT - maybe Artest?  I don’t think Brad Miller can hang with STAT on the high post - he’s too fast.  The Kings defense better be there tonight.  I’ll blog following the game.

I know this blog is supposed to be all about the Suns, but after recent events in the NBA - namely Bruce Bowen’s suspension, I thought it was necessary to throw together a rant. Bowen is a bitch, plain and simple. He cries, complains, and flops worse than any player in the league (atleast American born player). I for one am happy Bowen caused his own demise in terms of records. It seems as though the NBA turns a blind eye to this stuff, however, there are countless “Bowen Punches / Kicks [insert name]” videos on youtube. The Spurs play a tumultuous type of basketball, undoubtedly they have the most skilled and fundamental power forward of all time in Tim Duncan, but its the system that has won the Spurs four championships. The system, as well as the NBA, reward thugs like Bowen for turning a free flowing, fast paced, skilled game into garbage basketball. The same type of garbage basketball that has turned the NBA into a ratings joke. I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m bitter, or that I think the NBA is inconsistent in the way it calls games from the regular season to the playoffs. There needs to be a change. Bruce Bowen isn’t a superb athlete, everyone in the league under thirty is completely capable of doing what Bowen does - but guranteed, if Al Horford decided tomorrow to dedicate himself to being the most revered, irratible, cheating defender in the league, the NBA wouldn’t have it. They wouldn’t have a rookie hounding MVPs like Steve Nash and Allen Iverson the way Bowen does. Hell, if one of the more athletic teams like Golden State or Denver decided to dispense their energy into defense as opposed to offense, and they did so utilizing a lock down defender like Bowen, the NBA wouldn’t allow it. The referees have a predisposed notion of how the Denver Nuggets are supposed to play - so god forbid they get away with the same things the Spurs do.

Here is a video of Bowen’s most recent temper tantrum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8WXVJQ06Sk&feature=related

Obviously by his reaction he didn’t do anything ….

Last night showed the intensity and grit of a team tired of being pushed around. They’ve read all of the “expert” reports on how they’ve fallen off since the trade with Miami. They’ve read all of the “expert” reports telling them that The Diesel’s tank has run dry. And lastly, they’ve read all the “expert” reports telling them they can’t run anymore.

Someone should ask the “experts” then, how they beat the new run-n-gun team of the NBA?

Given - the Suns started off shaky. Shaq picked up a couple early fouls and Stash uncharacteristically picked up a technical . It seemed as though nothing would go our way - that is until late in the 3rd quarter when the Suns went on a tear. Between Barbosa, Nash, and Bell the Suns were deadly from the three-point line (something that has not been as good since the Shaq acquisition). As much as Golden State tried to shut down STAT (at times triple teaming him), he was too dominative. He really exposed Golden State’s defense.

What does this win mean for us? Little in terms of playoff matchups. I don’t see any team that would lose to Golden State (I guess other than the Mavericks - haha), so I’m not too worried about our end result. What it does mean for us is that we can still run with Shaq. Given he sat for the entire fourth quarters - but he’s not the engine that makes the Suns high-octane offense run, that job is for Nash. Shaq can be used effectively in short spurts. The media writes so one-dimensional in terms of Shaq’s physical ability. He is a professional athlete and a human being. Just beause for years he has been playing slow, low-post, grind it out basketball does not mean he cannot run as efficiently as any other big in the league. I’m not talking about the same type of run-n-gun we had with Marion - I’m saying if the fast break doesn’t develop, The Big Aristotle is fully capable of scoring in the low post and hustling back on defensive every time in three and four minute spurts.  Don’t Pigeonhole Kazaam, he  can make it rain candy.

Somethings to watch out for toward the end of the season in regards to the Suns:

The Hawks draft pick. The Hawks have dropped two as of late and are loosing ground in the East playoff race. Hopefully they’ll drop a few more games and Suns will be sitting pretty.

The return of Andrew Bynum. Let’s face it, the Lakers are a new team since Memphis gave them Gasol. If the Lakers can insert Bynum into their system come playoff time - Stash may be eating his “we’ll whoop them every year in the playoffs” comment.

The urgency of the Suns. If the Suns are still playing with playoff-esque intensity the next time they face a “Memphis” of the league then obviously things still aren’t where they want them to be. Looking at the Suns’ schedule, April 4th - Minnesota at Phoenix. This will be the game to watch. All year the Suns have played uninspired ball against the T-Wolves. This will be a good game to check our level of franticness. If the Suns easily control the game - execute on both ends of the floor, and not run their starters raggid - then I believe we’re ready to go for the playoffs (noted that alot of games take place inbetween now and the April 4th game, however, I have supreme confidence in the Suns ability to string together Wins).