NBA Update 3/14/08 - Suns @ NBAWeblog.com
I've been super busy lately, moving into a new house, cleaning an old apartment, and traveling to Vegas for the Nascar race a couple weeks ago. For regular readers, I apologize that I haven't been covering the team as much lately... and there's a lot going on for sure.
The Phoenix Suns have been making news lately; and it's not for their poor play this time. After a comeback victory over the hated Spurs, the Suns have reeled off two additional wins over the Grizzlies & Warriors, respectively. The team is still struggling to find it's identity, but does seem a little closer to getting there. The Suns were down double digits late in the game, but their defense & solid shooting allowed them to comeback & get the tough win. The game against the Grizzlies was a no-brainer... former Suns' coach Mark Ivaroni (now head coach of Memphis) has his hands full; the Grizzlies cannot run & score like the Suns.
Last night's game against the Warriors was another test for Phoenix and it looked like a tough battle almost until the end. Shaq was in foul trouble early, so he didn't play much, but he didn't really fit into the style of play anyway. Steve Nash had a strong 2nd half to propel the Suns to victory - Amare also had another solid game to help the Suns win.
The Suns are currently sitting 6th in the crowded Western Conference playoff standings, but they're within 1-2 games of everyone except the conference-leading Lakers so anything can happen. Putting a loss on both the Spurs and Warriors certainly helped to keep the Suns in the playoff race, but they'll have to keep it up throughout the rest of the season; there is no room for mistakes or "we had the win, but...".
The MVP race is pretty tight this year, although the Lakers' Kobe Bryant and the Cavs' Lebron James are the clear front-runners. Both are playing at a high level, but the Lakers' record amidst the toughest conference could enable him to receive his 1st MVP award. Arguments can also be made or Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard, but Kobe & Lebron are at a slightly higher level.
Several players who have been injured for awhile are starting to come back into the fray... the Wizards got Caron Butler back in the lineup last night & beat the Cavs, and Gilbert Arenas is practicing in preparation for a playoff run (doesn't help fantasy stats.. doh!)... the Lakers' aren't rushing Andrew Bynum, but he has begun testing his knee... #1 draft pick Greg Oden participated in his first Blazers practice this week.
