| 01 November 2009
So - we're sitting on top of the world - or at least the Pacific Division with a nice 2 -0 season start. And it is not just a Halloween costume.
The Suns offense was particularly hot when they rolled over Golden State 123 - 101 on Saturday and there shouldn't be any complaints from the peanut gallery. But now we have the Minnesota Timberwolves (1 - 1) coming into Phoenix to do battle with our Suns at the US Airways Center at 5:00pm local time on Sunday.
This a real test for the rebound fanatics out there because - while the Suns have a better W/L record - they have a substantial deficit on the boards averaging just 41.5 rebounds per game while the T'wolves have been hauling in an admittedly impressive 48.5 boards per game. That puts Minnesota second in the NBA in rpg while the Suns are proudly holding down 19th in the league. Sounds a bit like the Suns ranking last year, doesn't it?!?
There's a reason for optimism because our guys have been making-up the rebound gap by leading the NBA as scoring beasts with an average of 116 points per game - a full 25 points a game more than the T'wolves.
Please click "Read More" to continue reading--This opens the door to a little experiment pitting those - like your loyal scribe here - who believe that the key success meter in Suns-ball is their field goal percentage (Suns-52.4%, T'wolves-39.1%) not their rebounding. Yes - we've pushed this before - but Sunday's game marks the first time the Suns are going into a game with such a mega difference in shooting percentage and boards.
And with Leandro Barbosa responding brilliantly to the ramped-up minutes he has been playing in Jason Richardson's absence - he hit 24 points in that Saturday outing and has averaged better than 20 ppg so far this season - the Suns scoring is on course to keep blowing-out the opposition. That is - as long as Steve Nash's near record setting assist pace continues.
Sure - we'll cheer for every rebound they get - but expect Sunday's game to offer more proof that a high scoring percentage is more important to the Suns success than grabbing rebounds. For those on the other side of this Big Debate - we welcome your catcalls but ask that you keep your rotten fruit to yourself.
See ya'.
| < Prev |
|---|
