| 03 April 2010
Lame title, I know, but I couldn't resist and the lameness doesn't make it any less true. After tonight's loss to the Bucks,... Who called that one? Yeah, you can all punch me later. But after watching enough basketball you can feel the ebb and flow from game to game, from home to road, and so forth. I was just looking at things objectively. You can't win them all and the Suns were indeed ripe to lose.
Anyway, After tonight's loss to the Bucks, that puts Phoenix in another four way tie for the 2nd through 5th seeds in the west again. Not just a tie in the loss column, but a bonefide four way tie at 50-27. Which means, yup, Phoenix is back in the number five slot.
Yet, Phoenix's fate is completely in their own hands.
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If the Suns can win out their last five games, that means they will have to beat Denver and Utah in the last two games of the season, April 13th and 14th respectively. Obviously, that means the best the Mavs can do is win out and hold onto the 2nd seed making Phoenix the third seed. That's the worst case scenario to cleaning up the season with five straight victories.
But that's a lot to ask. Four of the Suns last five opponents are playoff bound. We have must win games at home against San Antonio and then on the road in Oklahoma. A home game against Houston, a team well out of the hunt in the west, but would be tied for the eighth spot in the east with Toronto. And then our two most important games of the season hosting Denver and finally Utah on the road. Five games you can't sneeze at, but nonetheless, the Sun's fate is in their own hands.
What more can a team/fan ask for?
This is the test. The preview to the playoffs to see how well our beloved Suns can really do. If they do well enough to pull out that 2nd/3rd seed, not only is that cause for celebration, but it gives a little hope to raise the bar of expectation. At the beginning of the season we all would have been happy to have a good first round showing. A month ago, we all expected a first round win and a second round loss. What if they can pull out a 2nd seed? Is it fair for us to expect a western conference finals appearance? Could we expect more? Especially since the Lakers appear to be in a bit of a slump.
These next ten days will decide. Hopefully, Phoenix will be able to bounce right back after this loss. A couple or three quick losses puts us right back in the 6th/7th seed again.
In the end, the Suns are who they are. In a conference this close, the seeding is only relevant as a mind game. Any team can win a seven game series. I'm thinking the best we can do is keep our fingers crossed.
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