| 02 November 2009
We haven't quite stashed the kids in the trunk or tied them down to the roof of that old aqua blue station wagon - but we can dream of a road trip. That's especially true when it starts with the Phoenix Suns going to just about the only warm weather NBA spot in the East for a Tuesday evening contest. And the numbers for our guys don't look too bad either when they are stacked-up against the Miami Heat.
Start with the league leading Suns offense and that average of 117.3 points per game - a full 15 ppg higher than Miami. Or take a gander at how Phoenix is blowing the doors off the Heat when it comes to their 3-point field goal percentage (Suns - 52.4%, Heat - 32.4%). And the Suns are even on the same court when it comes to doing the Big Ugly and grabbing rebounds (Suns - 41.7rpg, Heat - 42.7rpg).
It is enough to make a dedicated fan look forward to the upcoming showdown against the undefeated Heat. But there is still some "must do" for the Suns to get the job done.
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Channing Frye's reign of terror must continue unabated. Playing an outside center with a long distance relationship with the rim, Frye has hit a stunning 65% from beyond the 3-point line. That scoring blitz has powered him to nearly 20ppg - better than twice his career average. Facing the Heat, Frye will be going against Jermaine ONeal - a better than average NBA big man who hasn't even attempted at 3-point shot so far this season.
O'Neal prefers to shoot from close range and both his field goal percentage and points per game are close to Frye's (64.5% & 17.3). Which leads us to our second mega "must do" for the Suns.
Grant Hill and Amar'e Stoudemire must dominate the paint. With Frye drawing attention away from the basket, do we really need to explain how important it is for Hill to continue with his All-Star level play and exploit the gaps. (He leads the Suns in both average points and rebounds per game this season). Amar'e is still recovering from his eye injury in the spring but that doesn't mean he should concede everything down low. And let's not forget the damage he's done on the offensive end even though he's not at the top of his game (18.3ppg and 6rpg).
Keeping Steve Nash on the good foot. Another one of the Suns in his golden years (Nash 35-years old, Hill 37-years old) Steve-O has been hitting on all cylinders with 18.7 points per game plus 14 assists. In addition, the accuracy of his 3-point shot has improved from his career level. (46.2% vs. 43.2%)
Sure we haven't said much about defense and keeping the Heat's scoring phenom Dwayne Wade from pounding the Suns into submission. But we're convinced that - even with his brilliance and average 27.7 points per game this season - the Suns grab another "W" if they stay focused on offense. After all - nailing 117.3 points per game - they are the highest scoring team in the NBA and it feels good.
See ya'.
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