The Phoenix Suns, fresh from the blockbuster 6-player trade with the Orlando Magic, were shut down by Lebron James and the Miami Heat, scoring only 83 points. However, it was not all bad news for Phoenix, with Jared Dudley setting a new career high (for the second game in a row) with 33 points and 12 rebounds.
Steve Nash got the Suns off to an electric 21-10 start, assisting on Phoenix’s first eight field goals. But Miami turned up the heat on defense and the Suns were shut out of the game in the second quarter. There were two moments when I was distinctly uncomfortable.
- When Vince Carter was seen wearing street clothes, I thought, “Oh no, that hurts our chances of winning.” Yes, in Phoenix, we’re relying on Air Canada to win games. Let’s see how that pans out.
- When Lebron James went to the bench with his fourth foul, and with Dwyane Wade in street clothes, I thought, “Yes, now we perhaps have a chance of getting back into the game.” Yes, in Phoenix, we’re relying on the other team’s best players to be off the court to win games.
Gortat and Pietrus were uninspiring in their debut, Childress was extraordinarily ordinary and the second unit was ineffective. But the trade was the right move, and in time, Phoenix will be competing for the right to be swept at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture.
Watching Bynum, one word comes to mind. Patience. The Lakers finished eleventh in the Western Conference in 2004-05 season. Kobe Bryant could only manage All-NBA Third Team and the MVP was one Steve Nash. With the 10th pick in the 2005 draft, the Lakers took Andrew Bynum and he became (at the time) the youngest player to ever play in the NBA. No-one outside of the Lakers’ front office believed in the pick, and certainly not Kobe, who would have loved to turn Bynum into Jason Kidd. But times have changed.
There was however only one talking point from the game. In the first quarter, Lebron James drove to the hoop and had his dunk blocked by Jermaine O’Neal. Dwyane Wade calmly collected the loose ball, pushed up the court and surprised Anderson Varejao at the rim with the dunk of the season. In fact, it was one of the most explosive in-your-face dunks that I have ever seen.
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