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“Next Year”, alas, came early for the Suns this year. And it is my sad duty to report that the beginning of “Next Year” got off to an even more dismal start than the tag end of this year.

Although mathematically still alive in the playoff hunt, even the players themselves acknowledge the rest of the season is all about looking ahead to the future. And the preview we got last night was not a pretty sight.

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It was good to see all the repaired parts back in place, and even better to note the engine seems to be running at pretty much the same 12-4 speed it was before the carburetor and one of the pistons broke down.

This wasn’t necessarily a GREAT win, but it was an absolutely not only a MUST win, but a MUST pump-some-mojo-back-in-the-tank-for-the-closing-weeks-of-the-playoffs win.

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No excuses. No explanation either. At least I don’t have one.

The Nuggets, a team with no names but lots of game, did unto the Suns as even the most star-studded rosters have been unable to do since the All-Star break. And give Coach George Karl credit for putting his post-Melo trade pieces together in such impressive fashion that the team has gone 7-2 since losing Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups.

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Easy comes hard for these Suns.

Granted, 105-97 doesn’t seem all THAT hard, but after building an 18-point lead largely with reserve power, the Suns found themselves in a 92-92 struggle for survival with 4:50 to play before FINALLY nailing down the victory with an 8-0 run.

Still, as Coach Alvin, speaking for every coach who has ever drawn an X or an O on a blackboard, says, “There is no such thing as a bad win,” and one of the good things about this one is that it drew the Suns into a tie in the loss column with Memphis for the bottom rung in the Western Conference playoff ladder. (more…)

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When Coach Alvin praises Grant Hill, he is definitely preaching to this choir. And after last night’s squeaker over the short-handed Jazz he was singing them to the high heaven.

After giving due props to Channing Frye’s career night, Mickael Pietrus’s clutch play at both ends of the court, and another routine 20-14 night by Steve Nash, Gentry got down to the crux of the matter and, not incidentally, the real key to this victory.

Coach started off slowly, saying, “I can’t say enough about Grant Hill”, but then proceeded to give it a very good try.

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