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Title: Nash scores 42 to outshine Kidd (Phoenix Suns Win 161-157)
Source:
Arizona Republic
URL Source: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/1208suns1208.html#
Published: Dec 8, 2006
Author: Paul Coro
Post Date: 2006-12-08 07:27:35 by Red Jones
Keywords: None
Views: 6404
Comments: 140
Nash scores 42 to outshine Kidd Nash scores 42 to outshine Kidd's triple-double in Suns win Paul Coro The Arizona Republic Dec. 8, 2006 12:00 AM EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - As the Nets home crowd was informed that Jason Kidd had just tied Wilt Chamberlain for the third most triple-doubles in NBA history, only Steve Nash could get Kidd to do something he rarely does on the court - smile. Nash patted the back of fellow point guard and his former teammate/mentor's head and said, "You've only got 75 more than me." De-icing Kidd's game face is not the only thing Nash can do. Only Nash could steal his thunder - and a Suns win, their league-best eighth in a row - as he did here in Thursday's dramatic 161-157 Phoenix victory in double overtime over New Jersey. advertisement Kidd was unbelievable. Nash was unbeatable. Kidd had 38 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists to lead the Nets to a franchise scoring record but dribbled off his foot on a potential game-tying possession at the end of the second overtime and missed a game-winner at the close of the first overtime. Nash posted a regular-season career high of 42 points, added 13 assists, hit a three-pointer to tie the game at the end of regulation and had nine of his points and three of his assists in the decisive sixth period. A game after dishing 20 assists, Nash used the flick of his wrist and the smooth, outstretched scoop of his hands to hit 16 of 25 shots in Phoenix's second highest-scoring game ever (173 vs. Denver in 1990 is the record). New Jersey, fueled by a scolding from team President Rod Thorn, ran its hearts out against Phoenix but stayed in step to make the Suns a tired team rolling into Boston for tonight's game. "I would've been sick if we would've lost," Nash said. "That's what it comes down to is just not wanting to lose. I don't care how many points or what happens in the storyline. Win or lose, that's all I was thinking about. "We had won or lost a number of times. It's mentally a great challenge to stay focused and on top." Even topping last year's Suns-Knicks triple-overtime thriller in New York, the teams combined for a tie for the fourth most points ever scored in a NBA game. The only scar left on the game was Nets coach Lawrence Frank's decision to leave in Vince Carter when he told his team to take a foul at the end of the fourth quarter. Carter, who was 13 of 17 from the field for 31 points, fouled out with 4.8 seconds to go. With 4.4 seconds to go in regulation and the Suns in a 133-130 hole, Nash used the best screener in the business, Kurt Thomas, to shake loose and dropped the tying shot off of one of 14 Boris Diaw assists. Nash was 6 of 7 from three-point range, as was Raja Bell before he fouled out in the first overtime. It was the league's highest scoring game in 16 years. "I just told our guys I think we can go home tonight and turn on classic NBA and it will be on already because that was the best game I have ever seen," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. " . . . Those two points guards have the will. They wouldn't let their teams lose."
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#2. To: All (#0)
Nash scored 9 points in the 2'nd overtime - see why he's won the MVP award the last 2 years? They say the 4'th highest scoring game ever in NBA history. and the first highest scoring game - I think it was that game in 1990 where the Suns beat Denver 173-168. Tune in tonight - Suns play Boston in Boston. Watch out! Suns are on an eastern road-trip. and they've won I think 9 games in a row - longest current win streak in the league.
Phoenix Suns won their 9'th straight game by beating Boston on the road tonight. They were behind most of the game and in the last 5 minutes just plain took over - and won the game handily. this is the year!
Suns play on Sunday against Charlotte. It'll be on national tv. and then after that 2 more games on this road trip. Watch out!
Suns won all 5 road games on that trip. Now they have a 12 game win streak. and they're home for 3 games now against teams that they should beat. Tonight they take on Golden State. But Golden State played last night. So Suns have an edge. Watch for the SUns to break their win streak record of 14.
Suns beat Golden State last night. This win #13 in a row. It was a wild game. The Suns were up 15-0 in less than 6 minutes. They were up by 25 early in the 2'nd quarter. Then, miraculously mid-way through the 3'rd quarter the Warriors actually took the lead and were up by 4 at one point. The Suns had to fight to win. and they did win 105-101. Tonight they play Sacramento in Sacramento. It will be a big game. because if they win they'll match their own record win streak of 14. Both teams will be playing for the 2'nd night in a row. and both teams had to travel today to get to the game. Sacramento beat Utah last night in Utah. And Utah has about the best record in the league. Sacramento is a very good team. It'll be a big game.
Cow town has a dedicated fan base too.
Suns won against Sacramento tonight 105-98. This was #14 in their win streak. This ties the franchise record for the win streak. Tuesday they play Toronto in Phoenix and Phoenix will be strongly favored in that one. Now Phoenix is 17-6 in won-loss record. when they started this streak they were 3-6. After the first 6 games of the season they were 1-5. Now they have 2'nd best record in the league behind San Antonio, and tied with Utah.
They are on a roll now.
Suns beat Toronto tonight 115-98. That is #15 in a row. That is a franchise record win streak and the longest win streak of any team in the league so far this year. Tomorrow they play Denver in Denver. Odds are the streak will end tomorrow night because Denver is a very good team and playing on-the-road, back-to-back odds will be with Denver. Denver just added Iverson who will want to win. But Suns are on a tear. They led the whole way tonight and by as much as 28. Suns now have 2'nd best record in the league, a half game behind San Antonio.
Maybe the Suns are prepared for this disadvantage. Thanks for keeping me posted.
The Suns streak ended tonight. The Washington Wizards came to Phoenix and beat them. Suns were favored by 11, but it didn't matter. Wizards won 144-139 in overtime. Suns had a bad day, started in Denver where they've been snowed in for 3 days. they took 3-hour bus trip to Colorado Springs that didn't star until too late and then flew to Phoenix, came straight from airport to basketball arena. The first half Suns did poorly and were down by 8 at half-time. This fellow from Washington Gilbert Arenas was fantastic. He scored 54 points. Nash scored 42. Washington is a good team. They beat the Lakers in LA the other night with Arenas scoring 60. They put an end to Dallas' 12 game win streak as well in Dallas recently. At least they set franchise record 15 game win streak, up from previous record of 14.
Thanks for the update :/
Suns are edging up to near first place. Right now they're 2'nd in overall standings and 1 game behind Dallas. pretty good for a team that started out 1- 5. Thursday night's contest against Cleveland will be big because Cleveland is a very good team. The Suns' weakness it seems so far is they've not been so good at defeating the other top teams of the western conference like Dallas, San Antonio & Utah. They've done nothing but lose to those teams. but the games have been close. They'll try to turn that around. The Suns are highest scoring team in the league and numerous people have remarked a very exciting team to watch. Steve Nash, 2 time league MVP, shoots 51% from 3 point range. Following is AP story on this evening's game. Streaking Suns win 7th straight Bob Baum AP Sports Writer Jan. 9, 2007 09:22 PM PHOENIX - Shawn Marion had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Steve Nash added 27 points and 11 assists, and the Phoenix Suns beat the fading Seattle SuperSonics 113-102 on Tuesday night for their seventh consecutive victory. The Suns overcame career bests of 29 points and 21 rebounds by Seattle's Nick Collison to hand the Sonics their fifth loss in a row and 12th straight defeat on the road, two shy of the franchise record. Leandro Barbosa scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter for Phoenix. Ray Allen scored 25 for Seattle. The Suns, with the longest active winning streak in the league, took the lead for good with a 16-2 run at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth.
Nice. Streaking Suns win 7th straight another roll!
Suns win streak is now at 12 in a row. Their previous win streak was 15 earlier this year. The Suns are on track now to have the best regular season in franchise history. Also, they are #1 in the league in scoring, #1 in the league in field goal percentage, #1 in the league in 3-point percentage, #1 in the league in free-throw percentage. But they're still behind Dallas in the standings. Dallas is very good and just keeps winning. When playoffs come it looks likely that the Western Conference Finals will feature Dallas & Phoenix and that that will be the big show-down of the playoffs. But it is unlikely PHoenix' win streak will continue much longer. They play Minnesota Sunday and that will be a challenge. Then they go on the road to play Washington Tuesday night who is a very good team and broke Phoenix' first win streak this year. Then on Wednesday night they play New York. So it is very unlikely they keep this streak going to 15. Below is story about yesterday's game. Suns' streak survives scare Uninspired play takes the joy out of 12th consecutive victory Paul Coro The Arizona Republic Jan. 20, 2007 12:00 AM The sound of a coach with his Suns team on a 12-game winning streak was upset, frustrated and disappointed. The locker room of players who became the franchise's first team to have two win streaks of at least 12 games was joyless and solemn. The Suns' staffers and players participating in the no-shave-until-we-lose edict might start looking like ZZ Top soon if Phoenix is truly as invincible as it acted Friday night, when another slow start and stumbling finish did not matter against a poor team. The Suns still beat Portland 106-101 but it looked nothing like the previous five blowouts of the Blazers that came by an average of 23.4 points. For the third straight game and sixth time during the streak, Phoenix trailed at the end of the first quarter. The Suns' typical runs came and Phoenix wound up with a 15-point lead with fewer than nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter but still needed two tough jumpers from Steve Nash and another from Leandro Barbosa to put away the Blazers, who cut the lead to three repeatedly in the final two minutes. The Suns started with ease, as Nash assessed, and wound up with something harder than it should have been. "We were very lucky to win," Nash said. "We relied on a lot of talent and a lot of luck tonight and I just think that's not good enough, especially when you play the regular season and you beat a lot of teams you should beat and you fool yourself into thinking you're good because you've won 12 in a row. Our team needs to realize the amount of ground we have to cover, the amount of improvement we have to make in order to be a championship team. Right now, I think we've forgotten that." Phoenix played to its opponent's level again and Portland raised its game, getting a season-high 36 points from Zach Randolph. He had 15 rebounds, including six of Portland's 16 offensive rebounds that kept the Blazers in the game despite no fast-break points, six free-throw points and 44 percent shooting through three quarters. "We didn't have our focus," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We didn't come ready to play, one of the few times." The Suns thrived in an unusual ways. Boris Diaw looked for his shot often, scoring 21 with only one assist. Shawn Marion scored only four but was a menace defensively with five blocks and two steals. The Suns got to the bonus early and hit 22 of 23 free throws. Nash was 2 of 6 from the field until, surprise, he stepped up and hit two tough jumpers in the game's final 87 seconds. A 52.8 percent shooting night said the Suns were efficient but only a 32-point tear during eight minutes of the third quarter looked like it. When Nash and Amaré Stoudemire were out to start the fourth, Phoenix immediately got a shot- clock violation and stumbled to feed Portland hope. Again, the Suns cruised as if they knew they could crank it back up if necessary.
Suns won against Minnesota tonight. The current streak is now at 13. Minnesota came on strong in 2'nd quarter and took the lead twice. They wanted to end the streak, for a while it looked like they would. but Suns kicked ass big-time in 3'rd quarter and won by 29 points. Suns now go on a 5 game eastern road trip. It is overwhelmingly likely the streak won't last much longer as they play Washington Tuesday and New York Wednesday. both are formidable on their own home court. But their achievements this year are already legion. Suns are the only team in the league that is still undefeated in 2007. below is 'gameboys' summary, a fans' blog. Post game After a strange first half where the T-Wolves lurked by shooting a ridiculous 70%+ three point land, the Suns put down the hammer in the third quarter. They posted 46 points and ran away with it. Amar&eacte; Stoudemire led the team with 25 points and Marion had a whopping 20 rebounds. Nash quietly led the troops, with 16 points and 11 assists. Everyone contributed, coming together in the second half to send a message to the East. They join an elite 8 teams with two 13 game streaks in a season. Good news: all but two of those teams won championships that year. The East is going to be smashed by this team. When it clicks its almost scary to watch. See you again in Februry, if this squad is still rolling they will have streaked to 18 games. The East is weak and the Suns are rolling. Here's wishing Thomas gets well soon.
The real story in DC last note was not SOTU, it was Suns playing the Wizards. that's what I watched instead of the liar. Suns win streak is now at 14. Washington was the team that broke the Suns' first win streak at 15 when they beat the Suns after Suns were snowed in at Denver & had to travel all day (several hours on bus) and then went straight to arena in phoenix to play basketball. Last night Suns came out & scored 41 in 1'st quarter racking up 20 point lead before game had been played even 10 minutes. Tonight they play New York nicks in New York. Suns are now 1 of only 5 teams in league history to have 2 streaks in the same season at 14 games or more. They are truly part of an elite group now. Suns shot 61% last night. Steve Nash is shooting 50% from 3-point range for the season and 53% overall, as well as leading the league in assists. Suns lead the league in all offensive categories. Problem is - dallas mavericks are still #1 in the standings. Here is the story. Suns' fast start lifts streak to 14 Phoenix hits 14 of first 18 shots en route to 41-point 1st quarter in Washington Paul Coro The Arizona Republic Jan. 24, 2007 12:00 AM WASHINGTON - A mile down Pennsylvania Avenue and around a corner from where the State of the Union address was taking place, Phoenix was presenting the "State of the Suns." The Suns' midseason address drew bipartisan support Tuesday, thrilling Valley viewers with a loss-avenging 127-105 rout of East contender Washington while drawing more admired reactions than the Wizards earned from the sold-out crowd. The Suns' approval rating is soaring, there is no energy shortage and they rarely have a deficit. On pace for a 66-win season that would set a club record, the Suns go after a victory tonight in New York that would match the franchise record of 15 consecutive wins they set five weeks ago. "I can't find anything wrong," coach Mike D'Antoni said apologetically after gushing about a team that put seven scorers in double figures. "I wouldn't trade my job for anything in the world." Tuesday's game was hardly about revenge for the Wizards' 144-139 win that broke Phoenix's 15-win streak. If anything, such talk annoyed the Suns. They made this clear: they play Washington better when they fly in 22 hours before tip- off rather than two hours before it, like their first game after the Denver blizzard. "We weren't the same team that came into Phoenix (Dec. 22)," D'Antoni said. "I think we surprised them a little bit." The Suns pounced on the Wizards, hitting 14 of their first 18 shots to build a 20-point lead in the first 10 minutes. Any MVP quandaries with Steve Nash and Gilbert Arenas looked moot as Arenas went 1 for 6 in the first quarter and Nash was 5 for 5 on his way to a 7-for-7, 8-assist, 18-point half. Against a fully loaded Wizards team that entered Tuesday with the East's best record, the Suns went on a 16-2 run that was shortly followed by four straight possessions of three-point scores, including a gorgeous Nash left-handed drive that blew by one defender and split two more. The 41-point first quarter matched a season high and the Suns did not relent despite Amaré Stoudemire playing 10 minutes in the first three quarters because of foul trouble. As the lead approached 30 in the second, the Suns' barrage of 11 first-half threes took the life out of Washington. A team Arenas calls "The Suns of the East" was walking the ball up and went to halftime down 76-51. Nash had as many assists (14) as the Wizards. The Suns shot a season-best 60.8 percent to score more than the Wizards had given up in regulation this season. "We played almost as well as we could play in the first quarter," Nash said. "After that, we were a C-plus for the night. We were certainly an A-plus in the first quarter."
I wasted several minutes watching SOTU. The thread here on 4um on SOTU is a better way to catch up on the Liar. Good for the Suns.
Suns won last night against Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee. This is #16 in the current streak. That is a franchise record. They have 2 more games on this road trip, Cleveland on Sunday & Minnesota on Monday. Then they come back home & play San Antonio, then Utah. Cleveland is a top eastern team. San Antonio & Utah are both very good. The streak can't last much longer. Every team is gunning for the Suns now. Story is below. No. 16 not so sweet Suns' record win comes despite lackluster effort Paul Coro The Arizona Republic Jan. 27, 2007 12:00 AM MILWAUKEE - Instead of champagne, the only thing spraying in the Suns postgame locker room was deodorant aerosol. Instead of celebratory hugs, there were only good-natured jabs being exchanged. The Suns set a franchise standard Friday in Milwaukee with a 98-90 victory, a club record-breaking 16th consecutive win that went immediately into the corner garbage with a toss more accurate than the night's shooting. Phoenix could not be too giddy about its record achievement after another lackluster effort needed to be saved by Raja Bell's 7-for-11 three-point shooting and Shawn Marion's 23 rebounds, his second 20-rebound game in six days after have one previously during his eight-year career. The Suns needed a stellar play from each late, a Bell three that made it 96-90 with 19.9 seconds to go and a Marion block that prompted a Bucks 24-second violation, to dispose of an injury-depleted Bucks team that lost for the sixth straight game. "We're not going to quibble," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We'll take this one and go on to the next one. I told our guys, 'We'll just throw this game away,' in the sense that we'll be proud of the streak and proud of what we've done and really happy about it." The Suns looked as though they might overcome some rugged offense early because a spell of zone defense surprised Milwaukee and shut out the Bucks for four minutes to put Phoenix ahead 20-9. But the Suns bench offered little, going 3 for 24 from the field to help keep the Bucks. The game had an undesirable pace and rhythm for Phoenix. D'Antoni said giving the team a day off Thursday probably contributed to Phoenix's first sub-100 point win since the Jan. 2 Chicago game. Phoenix had to rely on defense in the fourth quarter after losing much of a 14- point, third-quarter lead. Milwaukee missed 11 of 17 shots in the fourth as it tries to survive on Earl Boykins' and Charlie Bell's offense in the absence of Michael Redd and Mo Williams. "Our activity caused some problems," Marion said. "By doing that, we could get some loose balls, rebounds and steals. Sometimes, you can't go out and blow everybody out. We're just poised and taking what's given to us." The Suns led 91-81 with 4:43 to go but missed their next six shots and fouled frequently to help Milwaukee back. The victory was not safe until the Bucks defense collapsed hard once again on Nash and Amaré Stoudemire's pick-and-roll, leaving Bell in the corner alone for the cincher. "It was a win, but we didn't play the way we need to play to beat good teams," Bell said. "But we got away with it." Nash is finding the theme predictable. The Suns come out blazing for perceived challenges and have a wait-and-see look against teams with poor records or missing stars. "It's hard to feel real proud of it (the streak) because we haven't played as well as we can during most of the streak," Nash said. Who's been better? Here is a list of the teams in NBA history that have won more consecutive games than the Suns' current 16-game winning streak. TEAM STREAK SEASON L.A. Lakers 33 1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks 20 1970-71 LA Lakers 19 1999-2000 Chicago Bulls 18 1995-96 Boston Celtics 18 1981-82 New York Knicks 18 1969-70 San Antonio Spurs 17 1995-96 Boston Celtics 17 1959-60 Washington Capitols 17 1946-47
Suns' record win comes despite lackluster effort I hope they don't find winning a bore.
Suns just defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on national tv. They went into half-time tied. but in 2'nd half the Suns led the whole way. Cleveland is one of the top teams in the east. Suns beat them by 15. Steve Nash played 35 minutes, always handles the ball and had zero turnovers. They play Minnesota tomorrow night and will try to extend the streak to 18. here is story. Suns top Cavs to extend win streak to 17 By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) -- Steve Nash scored 23 points and kept Phoenix's high-energy offense purring with 15 assists as the Suns extended their winning streak to 17 games - the NBA's longest in seven years - by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-100 on Sunday. Shawn Marion added 23 points, Amare Stoudemire 22 and Leandro Barbosa had 19 for the Suns, who improved to 34-4 since opening the season 1-5. Phoenix, which had a 15-game win streak earlier this season, also matched a franchise record with their ninth straight road win and are 20-1 vs. Eastern Conference teams. The Suns haven't lost since Dec. 28, and with the way their running and sharing the ball right now, it's going to take a spectacular effort to beat them. LeBron James scored 30 points and Drew Gooden 19 to lead the Cavaliers, who were within four points going into the fourth. However, they couldn't match the Suns' blazing up-and-down pace and managed just 13 points in the final 12 minutes.
the streak ended tonight in Minnesota. Minnesota Timberwolves played great in beating Suns especially Kevin Garnett who had 43 points. Suns were close the whole game and even up most of the game. but in the 4'th quarter they just plain did not do well. and Minnesota beat them. the crowd loved it. Suns are now tied with Dallas with best record in the league at 36-9. this is the first defeat for the Suns all year long. now it is back to Phoenix to play western conference teams. they won 4 out of 5 on this road trip to the east. They're now 20-2 against Eastern Conference teams. but they need to focus on beating the top western teams now because that's the competition. San Antonio on Thursday in Phoenix, then Utah on Saturday also in phoenix.
Wow! Home games next, that should be good.
here's how the Suns have done since the last winning streak ended at 17. They beat San Antonio in Phoenix last Tuesday by a very nice margin. then they lost to Utah also in Phoenix on Saturday in a close game where they were down most the whole game but came back in the end to make it close. Then they beat Denver last night in Denver, but again the Suns were down the whole game and had to come back in the end. Tonight they beat Portland in Portland. they were ahead mostly the whole game, but in the end Portland came back & made it close. Portland took it into overtime and the Suns won by 5. Tonight's game was completely without Steve Nash who is considered a key person on the team as Nash is out with minor injury. The knock on the Suns is still that they don't do well against the top western teams. The top teams they need to be able to beat when playoffs come are Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Utah & LA Lakers. These are the teams the Suns haven't done well against, but haven't played them much either since the first 6 games of the season when the Suns lost 5 of those 6 games.
That's no easy task. Good luck!
The Suns lost last night against Atlanta in Phoenix. Atlanta has one of the 3 or 4 worst records in the league. Now phoenix is 39-11, a full 2 games behind Dallas who is 41-9 after winning easily last night against Houston. It's starting to look harder & harder to catch Dallas. The story last night was that Steve Nash was out for the 3'rd game in a row. He has a bruised shoulder. They're letting him rest it because they don't want it to turn into a nagging injury with the rest of the season coming and steve not going to get any rest even on all-star weekend. Steve Nash is the phoenix point guard & the play-maker, the catalyst. he leads the team in assists. Ever since Steve first arrived in phoenix 3 years ago the team is very good with him & mediocre without him. that's why he's two-time MVP winner. and likely will get it a 3'rd consequtive time. If he does that, then I think he'll be the only player in league history to do that 3 times in a row. here are pictures of Steve Nash. he used to play for Dallas Steve likes soccer & hockey too. He's from canada. This is Steve in game a few nights ago where he sat on bench - bruised shoulder Steve getting drunk steve gets a hair-cut once every 2 years. Nash is 2'nd best in league at free throw percentage. 2'nd best in league at overall field-goal percentage. and 2'nd best in league at 3-point field goal percentage. and #1 in league at assists. he can score as well as any from the outside. and he can take it right to basket in the middle of big men, and score. he rarely turns ball over. the fans don't recognize him as being best player in the league. that's why he's 2'nd string western conference all-star this year. the coaches do though, that's why he's likely to win MVP award for 3'rd consequtive year this year. A knock on the Suns is they don't have a great bench. Last night they let this guy play named Marcus Banques as point guard in 2'nd half. He scored a lot of points, but the ball didn't get passed around when he was in and our team lost badly. they've got 7 very good players and with Nash healthy they are formidable. it'll be tough to win the NBA championship. but they'll try.
Basketball is a rougher sport than most people realize (especially pickup ball). What a versatile athlete.
Last night the Suns lost 114-90 against Seattle. It was the 4'th game in a row without Nash and the 3'rd loss in a row. Nash says the team seems to have gotten used to him running things on the court and become dependent on him. Without him they're just not the same. Good news is we have all-star break and Nash will sit that out and rest. When the break is over in 1 week the Suns will get back from injury center Kurt Thomas, as well as Steve Nash and Boris Diaw. So after the break they'll come back. They still have 2'nd best record in the league. and time to make a run at Dallas. I think only foolish people doubt that Steve Nash is the legitimate MVP of the league.
That's impressive. Playing w/o Nash didn't hurt his reputation.
#37. To: robin (#36)
here's a story from Arizona Republic saying that many basketball insiders expect that Phoenix will not win championship this season. but time will tell. Insiders favor Mavs over Suns Paul Coro The Arizona Republic Feb. 17, 2007 12:00 AM LAS VEGAS - Steve Nash can win the big one, but the Suns can't. That is the consensus among those watching Nash's bid for a third consecutive Most Valuable Player Award and Phoenix's quest for its first NBA title. The Suns have earned some respect. Coach Mike D'Antoni went his entire 30- minute media session Friday without being questioned about whether his style can win a title. But as much as the NBA gets comfortable with the idea of a Canadian three-time MVP, most league personnel and observers can't see the Suns getting past the Dallas Mavericks. advertisement "Dallas has been there," Washington coach Eddie Jordan said. "They've got the bitter taste of losing in the Finals. With that taste in their mouths, that experience and the way they've been going, Dallas is a huge favorite to me." For some, it's not that Phoenix can't win the title. With center Amaré Stoudemire back, Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said the Suns have a dominating inside presence to give them "a great chance." "With Stoudemire back, no question they could (win a championship)," Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins said of the Suns. "Because you have to double him, you have everyone on the wings open for jump shots. Last year, they didn't have a great post player, and you were relying on those wings to break people down for shots. They have a shot with Dallas and San Antonio, but people don't even talk about San Antonio." But, as usual, the debate returns to Phoenix's defense. "Anybody can win a championship if you get hot with the scorers they have," said former center Bill Laimbeer, who won two titles with the Detroit Pistons. "If you make big shots and happen to get big stops, you can win. In a knockdown, drag-out series with both teams playing at their peak, it's unclear if (the Suns) could get enough stops to get it done." Former defensive star Michael Cooper, who played on five Los Angeles Lakers title teams, had even stronger doubts. "Not this year," Cooper said. "The Suns have a big team ahead of them that is so hungry that it's incredible. Dallas is going to be tough to beat. The Suns can put points on the board, but in order to win a championship, you've got to be able to stop some people. Until they get that in their repertoire, it's going to be difficult for them to challenge." Like Wilkins said, San Antonio has been omitted from much of the West title talk. But that's not true in Dallas, where guard Jerry Stackhouse recently said the Mavericks are more concerned with the Spurs, even as the Suns pressed them for the Western Conference's top seed. "Before it's all said and done, San Antonio is going to be there," Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "They are too experienced, with a great coach. They're going through a little slump, but once the playoffs come around, they'll be right there. Everything goes through them in the West." Nowitzki appears to be Nash's toughest challenger in the MVP race, especially if the Mavericks continue to have better overall and head-to-head records. Nash thought Nowitzki, one of his best friends, deserved it last season and is more worthy this time. "Dirk has shown so much growth in being a leader and selling out for his teammates, doing the little things to help his team win," Dallas All-Star forward Josh Howard said. "Steve deserves to be an All-Star, but it's time to move on. Steve can get the MVP next year. I want Dirk to get it this year." To some, Nowitzki is penalized for his good health. Nash's shoulder injury has caused the Suns to struggle recently, fueling his MVP consideration like it did during the 2004-05 season. "A lot of people, if Steve has been playing, might've been reluctant to give him three in a row," TNT analyst Reggie Miller said. "This is going to, as people have mentioned, help his case because he is the system. People see the system goes down without him."
you're right - everyone in the league was reminded how important Nash is to the Suns. He was out for 4 games, Suns lost 3 and played mediocre teams too. The same thing happened in each of the 2 previous seasons when he was out. Over a 3 year period since Nash came to Phoenix from Dallas when Nash is out with injury they win less than 25% of the games. and when he is not injured they win almost 75%. Nash came back from injury last night against the LA Clippers. Suns won 115- 90. Tonight they are up 14 points early in 3'rd quarter against Boston. Nash is in the game.
Suns beat Minnesota Timberwolves in Minnesota last night 116-104. Minnesota is the team that broke Phoenix' 17 game win streak last month. Kevin Garnett, the Minnesota star, played great as usual. But Phoenix just had too much firepower with Nash dishing assists out. Nash only scored 9, but had 15 assists. Shawn Marion of Phoenix had an excellent game. Marion has developed a pattern where without Nash in the game he doesn't do well, but with Nash he really shines. Next up is Atlanta on Sunday. Suns are still 3 games behind Dallas who just doesn't lose.
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#3. To: All (#2)
Shawn Marion scored 29 points and Steve Nash added 16 points and 14 assists to help the Suns extend their winning streak to nine games with a 116-111 winover the Celtics.
#4. To: All (#3)
#5. To: All (#4)
#6. To: All (#5)
#7. To: Red Jones (#6)
(Edited)
Sacramento is a very good team. It'll be a big game.
#8. To: robin (#7)
#9. To: Red Jones (#8)
Now Phoenix is 17-6 in won-loss record. when they started this streak they were 3-6. After the first 6 games of the season they were 1-5.
#10. To: robin (#9)
#11. To: Red Jones (#10)
#12. To: robin (#11)
#13. To: Red Jones (#12)
#14. To: robin, Arator (#13)
#15. To: Red Jones (#14)
Steve Nash, 2 time league MVP, shoots 51% from 3 point range.
#16. To: robin (#15)
#17. To: All, robin (#16)
#18. To: All (#17)
#19. To: Red Jones (#18)
The real story in DC last note was not SOTU, it was Suns playing the Wizards. that's what I watched instead of the liar. Suns win streak is now at 14.
#23. To: robin (#19)
#24. To: Red Jones (#23)
This is #16 in the current streak. That is a franchise record.
#25. To: robin (#24)
#26. To: All, robin (#25)
#27. To: Red Jones (#26)
#29. To: robin (#27)
#30. To: Red Jones (#29)
The top teams they need to be able to beat when playoffs come are Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Utah & LA Lakers.
#31. To: robin (#30)
#33. To: Red Jones (#31)
#35. To: robin (#33)
#36. To: Red Jones (#35)
So after the break they'll come back. They still have 2'nd best record in the league. and time to make a run at Dallas.
Replies to Comment # 36.
#38. To: robin (#36)
Playing w/o Nash didn't hurt his reputation
#39. To: robin (#36)
End Trace Mode for Comment # 36.