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No, I’m not dusting off a line that made me infamous back in the day. I’m telling it like it’s going to be. Yes, I realize that the national media is almost unanimous in picking the Lakers (the only reason I say “almost” is the off chance I may have overlooked one or two pundits who didn’t). And that’s just one of the reasons I think the Suns will win this series.
Think about it. Never in the history of the NBA has a team so good been given so little chance by so many —and that plays right into this team’s personality.
The karma or mojo (or whatever you wish to call that easy to see but hard to define characteristic) of these Suns is off the charts.
In fact, they are giving off many off the same vibes as their illustrious ’76 ancestors, who came from out of nowhere to stun the defending champion Warriors in the West Finals and then took fought a gallant battle against the storied Celtics in a Finals made unforgettable by the triple overtime Game Five.
Granted, while vibes and such are nice plusses, they are not enough by themselves to get the job done. And fortunately, the Suns have a lot more than that going for them.
For one thing, they have the best offense in the NBA, and this time enough toughness, depth, and defense to go with it.
They are, to put it bluntly, much better than the outside world seems to think they are, and the Lakers are not nearly as good as the outside world seem to think they are.
The Lakers may have started the season as mortal locks, but they have been very mortal ever since the All Star break. In fact, they’ve been in survival mode much of the postseason, and far from being chastised for not living up expectations should be praised for actually overachieving a bit.
Too much has been written about their “length”, and not enough about their shortage of shooters and depth. The Suns have a far more productive bench, and almost twice as many dangerous shooters.
Factor in Kobe and Bynum playing hurt, and, thanks to the misguided punditry, the heavy expectation baggage the Lakers are lugging against a foe that, again thanks to the punditry, has not a single bag to check, and you’ve got . . .
Well, you’ve got Suns in Six.
PS: I also have a gut feeling it’s both Steve Nash’s and the franchise’s time at long last.
And no, I’m not dusting off a line that made me infamous back in the day. I’m telling it like it’s going to be.
Yes, I realize that the national media is almost unanimous in picking the Lakers (the only reason I say “almost” is the off chance I may have overlooked one or two pundits who didn’t).
And that’s just one of the reasons I think the Suns will win this series.
Think about it. Never in the history of the NBA has a team so good been given so little chance by so many —and that plays right into this team’s personality.
The karma or mojo (or whatever you wish to call that easy to see but hard to define characteristic) of these Suns is off the charts.
In fact, they are giving off many off the same vibes as their illustrious ’76 ancestors, who came from out of nowhere to stun the defending champion Warriors in the West Finals and then took fought a gallant battle against the storied Celtics in a Finals made unforgettable by the triple overtime Game Five.
Granted, while vibes and such are nice plusses, they are not enough by themselves to get the job done. And fortunately, the Suns have a lot more than that going for them.
For one thing, they have the best offense in the NBA, and this time enough toughness, depth, and defense to go with it.
They are, to put it bluntly, much better than the outside world seems to think they are, and the Lakers are not nearly as good as the outside world seem to think they are.
The Lakers may have started the season as mortal locks, but they have been very mortal ever since the All Star break. In fact, they’ve been in survival mode much of the postseason, and far from being chastised for not living up expectations should be praised for actually overachieving a bit.
Too much has been written about their “length”, and not enough about their shortage of shooters and depth. The Suns have a far more productive bench, and almost twice as many dangerous shooters.
Factor in Kobe and Bynum playing hurt, and, thanks to the misguided punditry, the heavy expectation baggage the Lakers are lugging against a foe that, again thanks to the punditry, has not a single bag to check, and you’ve got . . .
Well, you’ve got Suns in Six.
PS — I also have a gut feeling it’s both Steve Nash’s and the franchise’s time at long last.
