Suns-Magic is the commish’s almost-worst nightmare. The only reason I can think of for him to want the Suns in the Finals is because Nash is such a great player and all-around classy guy that he figures Nash should get at least one crack at a trophy.

However, if the refs let them play a fair game, I think the Suns have as good a crack at the Finals as they have in a long time, even better than 2006 because of the contributions the bench has been bringing.

Now, having said that, I am still riding the high that comes with a 119-90-something win that happened tonight. Good efforts all around, and JRich/Hill (almost) made up for their lackluster series opener tonight. Nash traded in his big-point total for a big-assist total, which is clearly what Nash needs to do, and has styled his game to do for years.

Eddie Johnson did make a good point though: that sometimes Nash can be so selfless with his field goal attempts, dishing the rock to all the other cast members, that it could be argued that he does himself a diservice. What I’d like to see is what Eddie Johnson suggested: keep getting those assists, getting your trammates involved and active, and once the lead is established, kick into point-production and put some nails into a few Portland coffins. Well said.

TP