The Suns were left to ponder a million different “what-ifs” following their 126 - 120 loss to the Nuggets Tuesday night. Not to sound like a complete homer - but for the love of God how does the officiating crew (namely, Kevin Fehr) throw out Raja Bell for laughing in one of the most important games of the year? That call put the Suns down two starters (Hill was on injured list). With the odds stacked against them, and just as you thought we were putting together a run in 4th Quarter (led by a Nash 3-pointer) - the refs bailed out the Nuggets, again. The whistle literally sounded seconds after Anthony’s shot hit the rim. They sent him to the line, tying the game up 113-113 and switching the momentum from the Suns to Nuggets, ultimately sealing our fate.

There is no excuse for type of officiating. How often does a team shoot twenty more free throws than their opponent? Seldom. This game is jut another call for adjustments the NBA needs to make in terms of refereeing. It is too inconsistent, too many “super-star calls”. I guarantee if Leandro Barbosa had the same star power Iverson had, then he’d be living at the free-throw line. There needs to be more of a solution then a team submitted “area to watch” at half-time. There should be a 4th official, off the floor in a booth somewhere in the arena. He doesn’t necessarily need to be making the calls - but he should be giving in the game feed back, letting the other three referees know what to watch. The more we let this type of officiating to perpetuate, the longer we’re going to have to watch a Pistons - Spurs championship.

Wow.

Such a copious amount of emotions felt in the Suns 132-117 win over the Nuggets. Below, I have typed up a quarter by quarter analysis of my personal emotions during the game - so you can better understand why NBA basketball is better than any other sport in the world:

1st Quarter: Optimistic - Anxious - Depressed. We started of strong - our offense flowed and our defense was sticky (so sticky it led to a fast break by the Diesel … which ultimately led to a turnover, but how often do you get to see The Big Cactus dribble the ball down the court?). We chose to get Shaq going early as opposed to STAT and the rest of the bench, which ultimately was costly. The Nuggets proceeded to go on a 10-0 run to end the 1st, leaving the Suns down 39-25 and me emotionally distraught.

2nd Quarter: Angry - Furious - Demoralized. I couldn’t believe the effort we were putting in, it was surreal. Nothing would go our way - the calls, shots, and help defense. I even started to question D’ Antoni with his suspect line-up changes. At one point neither Nash nor Stoudemire were on the floor - leaving Shaq as the only person of potency left on the court (Both Barbosa and Diaw were having terrible games thus far). Tell me this D’ Antoni, you refuse to play more than seven players against one of the most conditioned / deep teams in the league and you expect an aging Shaquille O’Neal to pull the weight of a struggling bench? Blasphemy. The Suns find themselves down 19 at half, pondering not only their character, but also the value of their lives.

3rd Quarter: Bitter - Sardonic - Sanguine. I was blinded by bitterness. It was everyones fault but the Suns. The refs were TERRIBLE - they want the race in the west to be close; they’re sabotaging this one the same way the sabotaged the Pistons game. Bullshit - Steve Nash was totally in position on that charge call. Slowly my bitterness calmed down and I began mocking every call, play, and tough shot made by the Nuggets. I began to own up and attribute the terrible play to the due players, Barbosa and Diaw. Morale was low and just as a thought of pure lunacy crossed my mind (changing the channel), the impossible happened … the Suns began to come back.

4th Quarter: Apprehensive - Confident - Ecstatic. The 4th Quarter began just as the 1st did - a back and forth shooting spree with neither team taking control. This is until the Suns went to work shooting an unfathomable 80% from the field. STAT and Nash went off. Everything they touched turned to gold. By some mysterious act of God, the Suns found themselves up by ten with four minutes left in the game and playing with confidence and passion. Stoudemire caps off the night with two free throws brining his point total to 41, one shy of his season high.

In closing, I would like to say that I was throughly impressed with the Suns’ tenacity and heart. They didn’t give up when most teams would have. This type of resolve is what separates the contenders from the pretenders. As stated in earlier blogs, tomorrow’s game is one that they most likely drop - however, after tonight’s game I predict we ride the wave of emotion into the Mile-High City and bring their playoff hopes to an end.