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 B & B Help Lead Suns to Victory
Posted By: Joe Gilmartin |
 Barbosa broke out of his slump to help the Suns win against Orlando. |
These two key cogs in the team’s octane machine have been struggling with various nagging injuries lately, most notably in the loss to Houston Wednesday when they went a combined 5 for 18 from the field and 0-4 from Arc City while managing only 11 points.
But Friday night they combined for 15 of 30 from the field and 6 of 11 from three-point land and totaled 37 points. Raja was particularly impressive in a 35 minute tour, hitting his first four threes to help the Suns build a lead and went on to score 20 points. What’s even more encouraging was how well he moved, although he understandably appeared to tire a tad at the end.
“Raja’s a heckuva player,” said Coach Mike. “He makes a world of difference to our team, and he’ll just keep getting better.”
Leandro, who had cooled off and slowed down (for him) with an ankle problem, got back at least partly into his old groove with 7 for 14 shooting and 17 points.
Overall, this night was something of a mixed bag for the Suns.
They did a lot of things very well early, executing well at the offensive end and playing some solid defense at the other, and really seemed to be in control of the game most of the way.
But they seemed to hit a wall about halfway through the third period, and actually needed plenty of pluck and a bit of luck at the finish to escape with an important victory over a team that came in to town leading the NBA in victories, and that boasts one of the most impressive young players in the game in 6-10 Dwight Howard.
For Howard, “impressive” doesn’t even come close to getting describing his talents. “Awesome” is a lot closer. Friday night he made scoring 30 points and grabbing 23 rebounds as easy as peeling off his warm-ups. True, he also had 8 turnovers and missed 6 free throws, but trust me, those are minor flaws that experience will doubtless smooth out.
The Suns offset his effort with double figure scoring from all five starters plus Barbosa, and got 14 assists from Steve Nash, who took only eight shots and missed six of them, and missed his first free throw on the year after making his first 33.
As luck would have it, that miss was a significant one that left the door ajar for the Magic. But not to worry. He broke out of his slump a few seconds later by making two free throws to slam that door shut.
Coach Mike was half pleased with his team’s night work. Well, maybe three quarters.
“Obviously we won, but we’re still not totally sharp yet. We just don’t seem to have that killer instinct that puts people away. But there was some really good stuff for us out there, especially in the first half.”
The bottom line: The Suns showed enough early to indicate just how good they can be at something still only beginning to approach 100 percent in either the sync or game shape departments. And 12-4 is a fabulous record for the shape they are in.
Comments
Susan :-) - Hawaii
Looks like the Phoenix Suns are slowly piecing the "chemistry" jigsaw puzzle together one game at a time! :-) Sending a HUGE congrats to the team, Coach Mike D'Antoni & staffers. I'm believin' the BEST is yet to come for the Suns! Yay! ~Aloha from your #1 Hawaii Suns fan~
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
Against Orlando we (SUNS) play the best complete team game so far. Yes, Raja showed he still has the heart. Amare played a younger, stronger, trmendously talented Howard tough all game, blocking a key shot in crunch time. Nash still needs to cut down on the errant passes which are piling up this season. Even Diaw finally played up to his potential. More Barbosa can never be wrong. Di'Antoni still has a problem with players coming in at the proper time and it was almost to late in the 4th quarter before Amare and Nash saved it. This game showed we are an elite team when we want to be.
Antoinette - Phoenix, AZ
I cannot wait until they are sharp!! Go Suns!! We are behind you no matter what... Go B & B!!
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
Grant Hill shows why he could possibly ( if he remains healthy) be the comeback player of the year , as he single handily puts the game away against the Knicks. Suns must do something about the interior defense, it is horrible. Di'Antoni has to see that Amare can't handle the middle by himself. To many easy baskets by the Knicks who only scored 50+ points the whole game against Boston. If we have to trade so be it, Kerr should do it now. Diaw, Banks, and the draft choice from Atlanta for Ben Wallace and it's on to the trophy. Without some kind of interior defensive help I can't see a serious run at the championship.
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
I read in today's paper(Monday) that some bickering went on between Suns players in the game against the Knicks. I thought I saw that watching the game, but wasn't sure. I say good, players should be getting on each other some time, especially when we (Suns) play defense that borders on nonexistent. Thats what Amare and Nash as captains are supposed to do. Sometime it takes a good kick in the rear to fire a player up. Suns need that kind of mental toughness. Either all teamates are on the same page or sit down and someone else will be in your spot. Keep up the good job Amare.
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
Congrats to Amare on the big game against Indiana. Do we all no how to say interior defense? We can't keep saying the Suns will hit their defensive stride, this is it. What you see is what you get, and it's not championship caliber. We need help and a trade is the only way. You don't give up over 100 to the Knicks and Pacers and hope to contain a real top playoff contender. If Nash doesn't hit that three with seconds to go it's heartbreak city. Point a critical finger anywhere you want, Di'Antoni, Kerr, whoever, it won't win us a championship. We need interior defense!!! Needed it last year and it still tops my Santa list.
terry m - cottonwood az
the suns are doing what they need to do. (win) as the surprise man has said we need (D)in the middle. steve kerr and coach D know this and will do something trade is the only way. but remember last year we got riped off by the spurs and refs. we were on our way so maybee stay with what we have. we are better than the spurs and even they know it. without horry and whatever the refs did last year was ours. this is the year.go SUNS.
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
Terry m from cottonwood I agree with you. Yes, the league ripped us and basketball fans everwhere when they didn't show restraint in the enforcement of a non flagrant step off the bench incident. Yes,the Nash collision with Parker was a freak bad break. But we all have been down this road of " we can outscore you basketball", and the outcome will always be, no Championship. We just let the Raptors score 123 points without two of their star players. Don't be fooled into thinking that this wide open, no interior defense system will defeat a disciplined elite team. The word is out in the league, keep the Suns below 100 points and you beat them. Why? Because we (SUNS) view defense as a last resort, rather than an integral part of our style.
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
Joe, just watched our Suns play an excellent game against the Wizards. It looks like Amare is all the way back? If we could only get a true presence in the middle and put Amare back to his comfortable position of power forward, play even average defense, we could be the closest thing the NBA has to an unbeatable team.
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
Joe, I watched it all fall apart tonight against the Heat. The Timberwolf disaster was bad, but this was total humiliation. There's no chemistry, no hustle. Suns looked disorganized on offense, and helpless on defense. The players expressions and body language show a lack of motivation and unity. I believe for whatever reason, be it Di'Antoni, problems in the locker room, whatever, Suns have lost that something that made them special. Whether it's gone for good remains to be seen.
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