I know there are those of you who wish you were a Boston sports fan, and how can anyone blame you after seeing what those folks have been able to enjoy over the last few years. But as of right now I don’t think there are many better places to be a sports fan than right here in Phoenix.
The Cardinals are hosting their first playoff game since coming to Arizona this Saturday and it should be quite an atmosphere at University of Phoenix Stadium. In fact, I truly believe that Cards fans will play a huge role in the victory should they be able to knock off the Falcons this weekend.
The Suns are back to playing a more entertaining brand of basketball and there are some very good matchups coming up at the purple palace not to mention the NBA All Star Weekend in February.
One of the best sporting events of the year happens in our backyard although the majority of you who go to the FBR Open don’t go for the sport, but rather the spectacle that takes place annually at the FBR Open. Not that I’m mad at you for that…you still have to admit that the “Greatest Show on Grass” is one of the highlights of your year!
As a full fledged college hoops junkie, I’m excited to follow James Harden and the ASU Sun Devils as they get into the Pac-10 season and gear up for my favorite time of year…March Madness. The spring here is unparalleled as we not only get the Sweet Sixteen at U of P Stadium, but as usual Spring Training takes over and if you don’t take time to enjoy that as a valley resident, you can’t call yourself a true sports fan.
Oh and another reason to be excited…last time I checked we won’t be dealing with 2 feet of snow blocking our driveways or below freezing windchills unlike the majority of this wonderful country we call home.
So as you get ready to enter 2009 just remember how lucky you are to be living here right now and don’t forget to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there for you…I know I won’t!
For those who think there aren’t enough basketballs for the Suns star players to share, let tonight’s game in Portland be an example. The way the offense looks right now reminds me of what it’s like when I get together with my boys from high school. Whenever we hit the bars we have a knack of rotating who buys the rounds throughout the night, and nobody worries about being left out of the rotation. It’s something that we’ve picked up over years of practice, and while our core group has remained the same there have been new additions to the posse and they eventually blend right in the fold.
Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa are the three guys left from the Suns core over the past few years. Those guys know they are going to get their touches and while Shaq, J-Rich, Grant Hill and Matt Barnes are new to the group, it seems as if their roles are starting to get defined.
Phoenix opened the game pounding it down to Shaq while Amare showed some surprising unselfishness in the post. Jason Richardson got free and hit 3 of 4 shots from downtown to help the Suns out to an early lead which stood at seven at the half. That was with just six points on 1 of 5 shooting from Amare, prompting a studio discussion between technical director Jarrett Carlen and myself about when Stoudemire will start complaining of the lack of touches. That issue was kicked to the curb as the Suns made STAT the focal point of the offense to start the second half and built a 12 point lead on his broad shoulders and smooth stroke from the free throw line. Steve Nash and Shaq both took a back seat to start the second half, while Matt Barnes and Leandro Barbosa continued to give the team solid minutes off the bench.
The bugaboos that continue to hurt the Suns are turnovers and perimeter defense and once again those were both exploited by the Blazers. Brandon Roy was the man doing the damage this time as he continued his hot stretch with his 5th straight game over 29 points and a career high 52 points. Before you point your finger at Jason Richardson and yearn for Raja Bell’s so-called defensive prowess, watch the film and you’ll see that Roy did most of his scoring when guarded by those not wearing #23, but that doesn’t excuse the Suns for their inability to shut the Blazers star down. In the end it goes down as a very entertaining but painful 124-119 loss to an extremely talented and young Portland team who had lost 11 in a row to the Suns heading in. I guess the streak had to end sometime.
