(Christian Petersen)

Historically, reaching the .500 plateau has never been cause to break out the bubbly and have street dancing break out in Planet Orange. And indeed, there were no streamers and balloons floating down from the ceiling at US Airways Center when the final horn sounded in the victory over the Warriors that brought the team back to that level for the first time since December 19th.

But put it in proper context (i.e. where the Suns were just a few short weeks ago), there is cause for at least a few attaboys for what symbolically at least signifies a wiping the slate of all the woe and raising the prospects for a bright future. (more…)

(Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images)

Some nights you get old Vince Carter, some nights you get the Vince Carter of old. And some nights you get both.

This was one of those “both” nights. Carter was his unstoppable old “Vinsanity” self through three periods as he scored 30 points on 10 of 14 shooting, including 5 of 7 threes. But alas, in the fourth quarter Father Time, or maybe the law of averages caught up with him, and he went 1 for seven and missed three threes, and thus a very good chance to beat a very good, albeit very young Oklahoma City team and climb back to .500 for the first time since December 19th slipped away.

Oh well, easy come easy go. Or in basketball-speak, you live by the three you die by the three. (more…)

(Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images)

Pretty interesting game between two South of the .500 border teams. But alas, as is the case more often the case in this the winter of Planet Orange’s discontent, the finish was anything but pretty.

Even when they hit 16 threes, their point guard scores 27 points, goes 4-4 on threes, and has 15 assists with only one turnover, their two newbies, Vince Carter and Marcin Gortat, combine for 38 points, and they get more than their share of good bounces, especially off the offensive boards, and commit only 9 turnovers the Suns still can’t win.

The obvious question is why? And the short answer is that these Suns are like an infielder who plays every hop right on a ground ball except the last one.

(more…)

When the talk around the NBA turns to great “closers”, Steve Nash’s name doesn’t seem to come up nearly as often as it should, and sometimes not at all.

He is given due props for his playmaking, uncanny ability to out-think defenses, and almost unparallel productivity for a point guard his age. While all of the above is true, I’m here to tell you he is also as deadly a clutch shooter as there is in the game today.

(more…)