Dustin Watson doesn’t subscribe to the theory that talking about a streak will end it, at least not with the run he’s currently on.
Members of the Suns might feel otherwise once they hear the details of Watson’s impact on the outcome of their games – athletes are a superstitious bunch, you know – but the illustrator has full confidence in the ability his Free Throw covers have had recently.
The threat that a little superstition poses doesn’t affect his confidence in the least. [Read more...]
The legend goes that Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León traveled to Florida in search of the fountain of youth. There may be a reason he never found it.
It seems like he had the right idea to search in a place with great weather that what would one day become a retirement destination. He just had the wrong state.
That mythical rejuvenating fountain of water may be located somewhere in Arizona – more specifically the US Airways Center. [Read more...]
The Dan Majerle Hustle Award is presented to the Suns player who fans, the players themselves, coaches, employees and Majerle himself feels embodies the determination, passion and hustle that “Thunder Dan” personified as a player during his illustrious NBA career.
I’ve been discussing this award with colleagues and friends, curious of who others feel is deserving of the award and why. It amazed me to see what people feel qualifies a player for this award. [Read more...]
Heralded as the “Original Sun,” Ring-of-Honor member Dick Van Arsdale unveiled some of his original artwork for a very special event on Wednesday night.
During halftime of the Suns-Thunder game, Van Arsdale presented his former coach, John MacLeod, with a piece of art to commemorate MacLeod’s own induction into the Ring. With jersey numbers to represent each of the players in the exclusive club, initials to mark the front office executives and a pair of socks in recognition of former athletic trainer Joe Proski, the unique artwork is a tribute to the 13 legends whose faces overlook the court at US Airways Center. [Read more...]
As this is being typed, there are five teams with three games of each other for the final three playoff spots in the Western Conference. [Read more...]
Alvin Gentry doesn’t have a short memory.
That’s why he’s hoping that this Portland Trail Blazers team is a lot different on the court, as it is on paper, compared to the team that beat the Suns by 38 points back on January 27.
“I hope they don’t look anything like that team,” Gentry said.
Phoenix wants to avenge that loss to the Trail Blazers, while the Suns are also keeping one eye on the standings and another eye on the calendar. [Read more...]
Posterize
A Basketball term meaning to embarrass someone usually while slamming the ball over them. It refers to the guy who’s being dunked on in basketball posters.
That’s the definition given by Urban Dictionary for the term posterize, but the written definition doesn’t do the act justice. You have to see it play out before your eyes to truly appreciate it. We’ve seen current Suns both be the posterizer, Markieff Morris, and the posterizee, Channing Frye, this season against Blake Griffin – the man who has made the term more popular than Adele is with women. [Read more...]
They say behind every great man is a great woman. In the NBA there should be a similar adage: Behind every great starting lineup is a great bench, at least if you hope to succeed.
The Suns have been the benefactor of just that over the last month of the season. Despite the slow start for the team and their bench, it’s come together as of late. As the bench has improved, so has the Suns record from 12-17 to 30-28. [Read more...]
It couldn’t have been an easy transition for Markieff Morris to learn the NBA game this season, although his recent play has indicated otherwise.
Consider that Morris has had all of this on his table as a rookie in the 2011-12 season: an uncertain labor situation following the NBA Draft; an abbreviated, to say the least, training camp to learn the Suns system; new offensive and defensive principles to abide by; a much longer and more frequent game schedule, in part due to the shortened season; and a mid-season shooting slump. [Read more...]
It’s not only the eye test that the Phoenix Suns are passing right now, after the team has won four of its last five and continued to rise through the Western Conference standings.
The Suns also improved their playoff chances over that stretch according to analytical surveys, as Slamonline.com pointed out in its most recent NERD Rankings. Based off an analytical “platform that uses algorithmic modeling to better understand sports,” – and other such language that barely makes sense – the NERD Rankings place Phoenix as the 19th-best NBA team. [Read more...]
