The Phoenix Suns, playing without the injured Steve Nash, stormed back in the closing minutes to win an important matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-102. Jason Richardson hit a floater in the lane with 0.7 seconds remaining, setting up one last shot for the Thunder. Jeff Green’s three pointer, while falling out of bounds, rimmed out.
I’ve been waiting all month for this game, and it didn’t disappoint. A close first half, a classic 3rd quarter Suns’ run out to a 15 point lead, and a emotional comeback by Oklahoma City to lead right down the stretch. Some thoughts:
- Hill. It is time to stop with all the “what might have been without the injuries” talk and simply enjoy the way Grant is playing now. 21-9-3 and the most important player on the court for the Suns. His play in his 15th season is amazing when you realise that the (effective 4th Q) OKC lineup of Durant-Westbrook-Ibaka-Harden-Maynor has a combined season total half that of Hill’s.
- Dragic. I saw some of Dragic last season when the Suns put their garbage time lineup on the floor. In his third career start, with Nash and Barbosa in street clothes, his play dazzled. His finishing at the rim was beautiful and his shot, both midrange and from three, was on. Can he be the point guard of a Championship team?
- Stoudemire. He got his numbers – 30 pts, 9 rbds – but his lack of pop was evident. While he finished inside with dunks on a number of occasions, he was manhandled on others. Amare ’04-05 was absolutely devastating within six feet of the rim. Can he adjust his game to play to his strengths in ’09-10?
The Thunder are immensely enjoyable to watch. Young, exciting, winning (nearly) and starting to gain the “team no-one wants to play” mantle heading into the playoffs. The Suns meanwhile are 9-2 in their last eleven games and quietly building momentum of their own. Together, these teams make for great NBA basketball.
Trade Deadline
A quick word about the Suns’ (lack of) activity at the trade deadline. I’m glad they passed on deals with Cleveland, Miami and Philly, even if it wasn’t their call. None of those teams were offering value for Amare, and the Suns wait until the summer to see what the ramifications are.
I still believe that the only Stoudemire trade that has made sense in the past three years was the three way deal with Minnesota and Atlanta that would have landed Kevin Garnett in the desert. Sarver balked at the money and Garnett ultimately took the Championship to Boston. No doubt that a Nash-Garnett-Marion core would have been competing for two or three rings.
As it is, we wait to see whether the Suns rebuild during the end of the Nash era, or make some amazing deals that put them into contention. As it stands, Phoenix will ultimately be first round fodder for the Lakers, Nuggets or Jazz.
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