I’ve been wanting to post how the Suns are totally going to crush in the NBA Finals. Totally. Gonna blow them Celtics out, sweep ‘em in four, payback for 34 years ago. But as we know, that didn’t happen. And to that end, I’ve been mourning and haven’t posted anything.

So, a quick recap on game 6 of the Suns-Lakers series. In a nutshell, not enough Amare, and too much Kobe. Once again, as in games 1 and 2, Stoudemire seemed lost and was not aggressive in going to the hoop. On the other hand, once Kobe smelled victory, he was unstoppable. Near the end of the game, when the Suns nearly completed the comeback, Kobe scored several baskets with Grant Hill basically draped on him. On one long shot, right in front of coach Gentry, Kobe nailed it. Gentry yelled “Good defense” and Kobe tapped Gentry and said “Not good enough.” That about sums it up.
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Those first two games: history. The last two: also history. Sure, the Suns win tonight was awesome. It warmed my heart to see Kobe and company chased off the court. Even better was how it was done. The bench scored an astonishing 54 points, this to the Lakers 20 bench points. Sure, Kobe almost had 40 points again, and Stoudemire, while the high Suns scorer, got it going inside again, the real story was the bench.

Channing Frye finally found his touch, sinking three treys in the second and another in the fourth to help put the lead out of reach.

Dudley had one of the finest games of these playoffs, not only scoring but with a couple of sweet dishes. Barbosa got it going, and Dragic highlighted it by torching Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom for two points on the same play. That same play sent an about-to-check-in Steve Nash back to the bench until the game was nearly over. That rest is going to pay off since all the games are on an every-other-day schedule.

But, hey, all that’s happened so far is each team has protected home court. That’s not going to do it for the Suns, since 2 of the next three are in LA. Should this go to a game seven, the Lakers will have a clear advantage. I’d like to see the Suns go back to LA and steal a game there, putting the Lakers on their heels.

So, what helped the Suns win this game? Zone, zone and more zone. Once again the Lakers seemed uncomfortable attacking the zone. The second quarter was a back and forth offensive showcase between the Suns and Lakers, with Kobe and various Suns players taking turns sinking three pointers in a game of “if you can make one, I can do it too.” Just imagine Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes: “I’ve hustled alot better players than you.” Stoudemire attacked the rim again and got Gasol in foul trouble. Although Bynum had more of an impact on this game, Channing Frye did more for the Suns than Bynum did for the Lakers.
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Folks, we can call of the APB. We finally – FINALLY – have an Amare Stoudemire sighting in game three of the Lakers-Suns Western Conference Finals. Forty-two points, 11 rebounds and a dedication to getting to the hoop instead of settling for outside jumpers. THIS is the Stoudemire that played from late February through the Western Conference Semi-Finals. This is the player that other teams planned their defense around. This is the guy who was contesting shots and grabbing rebounds with passion.

All it took was a little home-cooking. The TNT Analysts made a point of mentioning that the Suns had not played a home game in 18 days. I loved seeing Barkley out there before the game letting the crowd know he’s a Suns fan and holding the Westphal 5:93 sign. Epic.

So, do I think the SUns have a chance in this series? Talk to me after the next game. But for now, I will revel in the glow of this victory.

So, what looked different this time around? Well, I am not the person who breaks down tape and analyzes all the plays. But I’ll tell you what I casually observed from my couch.

1. The Suns broke out the zone defense early and often. This helped relieve Hill, Richardson and Dudley from being worn out by defending Kobe Bryant. Bryant was switched over from one defender to the next in the zone defense. That ended up in Lopez coming over to challenge the shot on many occassions.

2. Stoudemire attacked the rim relentlessly. I believe I only saw him shoot 2 or three jump shots on his way to a 42 point night. This, in turn, helped get Odom and Bynum in foul trouble, in addition to 18 free-throws, easily the most he has shot in a few games.

3. Although the Suns bench stunk it up on the offense (3-21), their defense was good enough to keep the game close. There had been some talk that in game 2, coach Gentry should have stuck with Nash going into the 4th quarter, instead of letting the bench come in and allow the Lakers to go on a big run, but the bench gave enough defense and Stoudemire gave enough offense to make it work.

4. Robin Lopez gave 18 points, providing the perfect sidekick and third-foil to the Lakers big inside line. As the series goes on, Lopez should get better and Bynum should continue getting worse, so maybe there is some hope.

5. Jason Richardson once again hitting big shots, including a crucial three-pointer with less than a minute left that stretched the lead back to 10 points, effectively closing out the Lakers. Does that guy have ice in his veins or what? He has iced at least 3 games during the playoffs with a big shot near the end of the game.

So, we’ll sit around, savor this victory for a day, then see if the Suns can follow this up on Tuesday or if Phil Jackson has something up his sleeve.

Remember when we were so excited that the Suns beat the Spurs and would face the dreaded Lakers? Remember when we thought that we had a chance against the Lakers, that our improved defense and team mentality would help us be more competitive?

Remember that? It was just 11 days ago. Surely you remember. Game 1 we could dismiss as an anomaly. Jitters. Too much anticipation. Many players not being able to believe that the winner of this series will go to the Finals. Ok, I can buy that.

Well, the good news is that Game 2 was MORE competitive. Mainly through thanks of the bench and primarily Jared Dudley who hit all five of his three-pointers. But Channing Frye was another no-show, as was Barbosa and Dragic did very little.

But the biggest story, in my mind, is the half-hearted play of Stoudemire. Sure, his numbers look OK. I mean, decent. 18 points, six boards, 2 blocks. But at least three of those rebounds literally just landed in his hands. The beast that was grabbing double-digit rebounds on a regular basis has been nowhere to be seen. And he hasn’t been agressive going to the basket trying to get Odom, Gasol and Bynum in foul trouble. Is he trying to save his elbow for free-agency like LeBron? Is he having a meltdown a ‘la Joe Johnson?

No one but Amare knows for sure. But I know that if he doesn’t show up, put a fork in the Suns, they’re done.

The hardest part about watching the game, besides watching the beloved Purple and Orange lose, is the way in which they have been losing. No effort from Stoudemire. Frye looking lost on the perimeter. Nash throwing the ball away and getting chased off the three-point line. I know the Suns can play better than this. The Suns have faced tougher defenses. No, these Suns have not been a joy to watch.

Credit goes to the Lakers, of course. They made shots, and Gasol is very crafty around the basket. They are running a very effective defense. But I keep getting the feeling that the Suns are just not competing in this series.

Perhaps it’s time to pull out the Paul Westphal: “We’ll come home, win 2 here, go back to LA and win one, then come back home and win that game and everyone will say what a great series it was.”

I’d like to start this by blaming the refs. And although there was some serious star-protection in play – how about when Grant Hill did the upfake and got hit by Bryant, yet it was a no-call?

But as much as I want to blame the refs, this game wasn’t even close. I mean, it was close in the first quarter, but once the Lakers started clicking, and Kobe started hitting ridiculous shot after ridiculous shot, it was over. Lamar Odom came through huge for the Lakers, because Bynum didn’t really do much. Even after he dunked in the opening quarter and the TNT Analyst claimed that he was “Dominating” the game. By the way, Mr. TNT Analyst, Bynum ended up with 4 points and 4 boards. That was totally dominating. I was being facetious, in case you couldn’t tell.

No, the Suns came out with the jitters like game 1 in the first round when the Blazers won game 1. Yet the Suns came back to win that in six. Of course, the Blazers never completely dominated on the offensive end nor disrupted the Suns so completely on defense. Looks like Gentry has some moving of x’s and o’s before the next game.
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