| 07 November 2009
Okay everyone - put that hangover aside. It is time to get back to work.
After seeing the Suns dissect the Boston Celtics and the toughest D-Fense in the NBA by 110 -103, it was time to take a slight break. But now we're back to full strength and ready to look at whether the Suns East Coast Victory Tour will continue against the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Oh - by the way - does anyone know why the game was scheduled for such a ridiculous hour on what is supposed to be a day of rest?!? Maybe that's one of those questions you ask when you're waiting at the Pearly Gates.
And speaking of religion - the general consensus is that prayers are the best option for the Wizards as they prepare to get on the court against our Suns. Yes - we should be modest and not let our collective egos get out of hand. As George H. W. Bush would say - it's the prudent thing to do. But it is real hard to look at the Wizards without licking your chops.
In their latest effort on the court - Washington was manhandled by the Indiana Pacers in a 102 - 86 defeat that saw the Wizards hit just 39.3% from the field. They were hardly better from the free throw line and hit less than 58% of those gimme shots. Talk about your missed opportunities. Does it even look like they have a chance against a Suns team that hit 54.2% of their 3-point shots against the stingiest defense in the NBA?
But there are some wrinkles in the match-ups and the Suns will have to be careful.
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Keep in mind this is a home game for the Wizards and they have done better in front of a friendly crowd (1-1) than on the road (1-3). And that - despite their ugly L in Indiana - their offense did show some spark. Most of it came from two big men who combined for nearly half their scoring; Caron Butler (8-21, 24 pts) and Gilbert Arenas (5-10, 13 pts). They also have a potent outside shooter in Randy Foye - a guard who added some outside pop and went 2-5 from three-point range against the Pacers.
Foye is not quite Channing Frye or Jason Richardson from beyond the 3-point line - but he tries real hard.
Sure the Suns can rack-up points with abandon - assuming that old pros like J-Rich, Grant Hill, Frye and Amar'e Stoudemire don't go totally cold - and they are still the highest scoring team so far this season with an average 111 ppg. But the Wizards average of 96.5 ppg presents the Suns with an excellent opportunity to polish-up our unheralded and under-appreciated defense. Let's use this 48-minute stretch on the court to not only bring home another win - but to tap into those defensive skills that are lurking just beneath the surface.
Let's start by bringing Louis Amundson to the forefront to burnish his shot blocking talents - Sweet Lou averages 1.5 blocks per game (a rate of 3.93 per 48 minutes played). We should also continue the rebuilding of our man Amar'e - he has an average of 1.33 blocks per game to go along with his offensive prowess. And let's give some big minutes to Jared Dudley - he's averaged 8.5 ppg while playing 138 minutes so far this season. Extra playing time would help groom him for the long haul.
Coach Alvin Gentry has done a spectacular job in putting the pieces of the complex Suns puzzle together and getting the most from the terribly under-rated team. We sure are glad the odds were so juicy during our jaunts to Vegas and Reno. Those may become some of the best bets we've ever made.
Ooops - time to check that old crystal ball again. See ya'.
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