Scorching Suns

So far I have done two quick profiles on the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavaliers, on possible NBA championship teams...and now it's time to hit one of the big boys, if not the biggest bully on the block: the Phoenix Suns.

First and most important, there is a stat I need to throw out that I saw on ESPN the other day. The Suns are the only team in the league to have no double-digit losses this year. This is a streak of 39 games, of which only a few teams have had better, the overall streak being in the 40's by one of the Michael Jordan led Bulls teams. ESPN showed 5 or 6 teams with that sort of streak up there, and half of them went on to win championships. That's pretty good odds.

Second, what do you call a two-time MVP winner who comes back with a chip on his shoulder, is having a career, year, who cuts off his hair to look more hardcore (I guess, the Canadian is tired of being the nice guy, because nice guys finish last and he does not want to finish anywhere but on top), and leads his team in some truly inspiring and astounding basketball...

Three-peat, and very possibly, NBA Finals MVP.

This team shows up every night. They are in every game. If you go up 15 on them in the middle of the third quarter, the game is far from over. Amare is back, maybe not 100%, but playing near the level of where he left off, providing a spark for his team as soon as he became the regular starter. Sulking on the bench, Mike Antoni saw that wouldn't work and threw him in and the Suns haven't looked back...who, with Amare patrolling the paint, have a true shot blocker to compliment the pretty good defense of Marion and Bell--and Barbosa ain't too shabby either, and Nash, yeah...he's meaner and is actually playing some all right D too.

Not the greatest D, but better. And their offense is just as good, if not better. They are an absolute joy to watch, unless they happen to be dismantling your favorite team before your bittersweet eyes.

Are the Suns the best team in the league? Maybe, maybe not. That distinction may belong to the Mark Cuban team (who have beaten the Suns twice), who came back this year with a collective chip on their shoulder the size of Dwayne Wade's "fouled" body...but that's in a blog post yet to come.

Can the Suns win this year? Of course. 18-3 at home = huge advantage in a best of seven series. The worry is that they will fade in the latter part of the season and in the playoffs, and while that is cause for concern, conventional wisdom states this is foolish and not enough to doubt the power of this team.

Phoenix has a fitting name for its franchise, for this team is hot, is bright, and is capable of lighting up every team in the league.