The Suns walked into San Antonio and left with a supreme amount of confidence knowing they took the season series 3-1 and they dominated the Spurs on their home court.  The Suns perfectly followed my keys to the game: shut down Ginobili and the bench, let Parker and Duncan try to beat you.  Make no mistake, we had trouble with Parker in the first half.  His drives were furious and his outside shooting was surprisingly on.  Duncan was his typical self … that is until the 4th quarter when the Big Aristotle took over.  Shaq went on a tear, shutting down the Spurs interior offense.

Amare Stoudemire is beginning to look like a 6″11 shooting guard.  He moves with the speed and agility of a tiger.  Slashing and slamming his way to twenty-one points.  If he can carry this momentum into the playoffs then the Suns’ chances of taking the title are looking good.   Friday is a big game against the Suns.  T-Mac has been benched with some shoulder problems, so hopefully we can capitalize on this and take it to them strong.

Tomorrow is the make or break game for the Suns’ season.  After the meltdown against Dallas the Suns have little  to no leeway in terms of the last four games, they are must wins. Even if we do win the games it doesn’t guarantee anything.  We still need the Lakers to lose their games against New Orleans and San Antonio in order to take the Pacific Division.  In order for us to retain home-court advantage against Utah we need Utah to lose their up coming game against Dallas (and we need to win out).

We rested Shaq, which will help, but the main thing im concerned about is how our role players will do.  This team will go as far as the bench will take them.  If LB and Boris come out sluggish and timid then we’re done.

The key to the game will be limiting Ginobili and other role players (like Udoka and Thomas).  If we can shut down those players, then we can live with Duncan and Parker torching us for 25 each.

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.

The Suns and Nuggets face off in back to back games this Monday and Tuesday. It will be a good test for the Suns, who are still trying to recover from the shellshock known as the Detroit game. Expect nothing less than playoff intensity. Why? Look at the fucking standings. It’s ridiculous, like nothing I’ve ever seen. There is a 3 way tie for the 7th spot (between Denver, Dallas, and Golden Sate) - and on top of that, the Suns are in a dogfight with the Lakers for 1st in the Pacific division.

Speaking of ridiculous, has anyone seen the new Nike SPARQ commercial with Steve Nash wearing X-Ray glasses? Really dumbs down his artistically directed Training Day masterpiece. I don’t think I’ve ever been more inspired in my life to do something great then after watching that gem of a commercial. The only thing that would have made it slightly better is if Nash were naked and / or throwing a bounce pass to God himself for a mammoth dunk, brining the world - and all existence to an end (as shown below).

Anyhow, the Suns need to treat these next two games as if the playoffs had started. If we come out - play lackadaisical defense and take the Nuggets for granted, then we may as well pack it in. There are nine games left in the season, and with every passing day each game becomes more and more important in the ever-turbulent Western Conference.

Here at the Sunssource - we pride ourselves in accurate and ground breaking blogs. It should be to no surprise that our fan base has grown to catastrophic numbers. On March 24th, Sunssource received roughly 4.3 billion internet hits, bringing the entire internet to a stand still for 17 minutes and taking over the number one most visited site from Google. The repercussions of such a monumental surge? Many. According to www.Bloombeg.com, the traffic caused 3.6 billion dollars lost in total. On top of the fiscal meltdown, a good amount of lives were lost, too. In Aneta, North Dakota 153 of the 282 citizens committed suicide. Of the numerous suicide notes found, 67 attributed their deaths to not “being able to keep updated on Sam Cassel’s blitzkrieg.”

What does this mean for you the reader? It means that the Sunssource now fully understand how much we mean to not only you, but the world community. We will strive even harder to blog with passion and tenacity. Making sure our posts are honest, intriguing, and intelligent. Above everything though, we vow to protect you, the reader, from Sam Cassel. We’ve seen what he and his children can do - we’ve seen the gore … the screaming … the soulless stare they give after they’re done feasting.

It is a horror we would only wish on Kobe Bryant.

Easter Sunday turned from being a day of rejoice and celebration - to a day of horror for Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki went down late in the third quarter with an apparent season / life ending leg injury. The culprit you ask? No other then Sam Cassel’s own Dumbo-Octopi. The AP reports that team officials found several Dumbo-Octopi stowed away on the Spurs private team jet. Unknowingly, they let the hell-spawn free to devour another NBA veteran in front of a national audience.

Sunssource sends its condolences out to the Nowitzki family, as well as all Mavs fans. Better luck next year guys.

Saturday night not only marked the Suns’ seventh victory in seven games, but also flaunted a franchise record twenty of twenty free-throw effort by Amare Stoudemire. 

Though there were periods of laxity, the Suns perfectly executed tonight’s game plan - give the ball to Amare.  The Rockets had no answer for the athleticism and quickness of STAT.  They did their best to collapse - forcing Amare to kick the ball out, however this became problematic when Shaq decided to have on of his more dominant offensive games of the year - scoring twenty-three points while shooting a whopping 78% from the stripe. 

You could definitel see the Rockets were struggling to keep up with the Suns.  T-Mac picked up some of the slack early - but over time the Suns’ defensive tenacity wore him down to just eleven of thirty-one shooting.  If you read my blog early - you can see that keeping T-Mac contained is one of our key’s to success.  The Suns definitely did that, as well as keeping role players like Alston and Head from reaching the basket easily.

Late in the 4th the Rockets went on a minor run cutting the Suns’ once mammoth lead to eight.  Then Steve Nash decided to show everyone why he was voted the MVP, twice.  He lit up the rockets, draining a long three and dissecting the offense with ease.  When all was said and done, the Suns came out victorious.

The main thing the Suns need to work on are turnovers.  Come play off time, when every possession matters, this facet of our game may come back to haunt us. 

Tonight the Suns will go for their seventh win in a row - without their most feared perimeter defender, Raja Bell. The absence of Bell leaves a HUGE hole in the Suns defensive, especially in regards to the containment of Tracy McGrady. If the Suns want to win the game, then Barbosa and Hill need to step it up. As many of you know, this game is for 3rd place in the West. If the Suns win it will put them at 47-22, if the Rockets lose it will put them at 47-23. This win will be a welcomed boost for an injured Suns team preparing to take on the daunting task of conescutive Boston / Detroit games.

Keys to the Game:

-Contain T-Mac, let the role players beat you. T-Mac has been struggling of late. There is no doubt in my mind the Rockets are going to try to get him going early, the Suns have to put a hand in his face and let Skip and Battier try to beat us

-Break down the Rocket’s defense. This is one of the toughest Ds in the league. If the Suns can execute perfect passing while keeping the turnovers low - then frustration will ensue. Sure, defense is rewarding if it works - but it’s a hell of a lot harder to give 100% on offensive if your energy has been futilely dispensed trying to shut down one of the league’s most potent offense.

- Capitalize on the Rocket’s exhaustion. The Rockets won a hard-fought game against the Warriors last night. It should be to no one’s surprise if they are thoroughly worn out. So, the Suns should come out early and destroy their confidence. Don’t give them a chance to breath. The faster we can put this game away, the faster we can prepare for the upcoming gauntlet.

An update will follow tonight’s game.

The Suns came away with their 6th consecutive win - but not without a scare.  Midway through the 3rd quarter Raja Bell lined up another three-pointer (he had hit five prior), unfortunately he came down on the foot of Kevin Durant. Bell hit the floor, clawing at the air - screaming in agony.  There was no solace to be found in Bell’s sixth three-pointer made (thus making him perfect for the night), only terror.  Early reports show it as a medium ankle sprain - nothing serious, however, the Suns have an extremely important road trip coming up.  If Bell is not healthy, the Suns will be without their best perimeter defender as well as the hottest shooter on the team.  This means we won’t be able to spread the floor against disciplined defenders like the Celtics and the Pistons.  We should all cross our fingers and hope for the best.   

As far as the game went the Suns were extremely sloppy.  They threw the ball around without care.  If the concentration and execution was there, we would have won by fifty.  The Suns shout an astounding 15-21 from the three-point line.  Tying a record for three-point shooting percentage with twenty or more shots.  The main thing to remember is this was a back-to-back against a young team that likes to run.  Though the Suns were sloppy, they were also dominant on the offensive end.  

Things to watch in the coming weeks:

Raja Bell’s Ankle.  This could be potentially the injury that throws off our chemistry - yet again.  Hopefully it is only minor and the Suns will continue their recent dominance.

Thursday - March 20th’s Games.    All the teams the Suns want to lose (excluding the Hornets) are playing on the 20th.  The Lakers face-off against a tough nosed Jazz team and the Mavericks collide with the red hot Celtics.  San Antonio seemingly has an easy win agains Chicago, however, with their recent struggles who knows how that one will turn out.

Sam Cassel’s Push for World Dominance.  I’m not sure about everyone else - but those Dumbo-Octopi look scary as hell.  After seeing the end result of Manu Ginobili on TMZ.com I want nothing to do with Sam I Am or his merciless killers once they decide to occupy the Sonoran Desert.  I’ve already begun planning for the inevitable.  If you’re still reading this … when they come … do not hesitate to e-mail me.  I have three years worth of MREs as well a two year supply of purified water.  My brothers and I have begun to build a bunker just west of Camelback Mountain… precautions to defend ourselves are being made.