STRONG. AMARE STRONG.

The SUNS showed real resilience in this game of the year.  They rallied from 22 pts down to come back and melt down the Nuggets.  The Suns put up 81 in the 2nd half. 81! 

Check out these STATS:

Amare Stud-a-mire- 41pts and 14rebs. Amare is deserving those MVP chants. M-V-Freak! The harder teams foul him, the harder he takes it to the rack.

 

Steve Nashty- 36pts, 8ast, 0 turnovers.  Don't hit Nash in the face unless you are ready to pay for it!

Shaq Attack- 20pts. and 12 rebs. 4-5 Fts Of course Shaq had to give that scrub off the bench a little elbow in the mouth just for good measure: )

Raja Give -em' Bell- 15pts. 10rebs.

The Suns played 7 players. Barbosa goes 2-10 only 6 pts in 31 mins., and Giricek with 2pts. in 19 mins. and the Suns still score 132? Are you kidding the Fredstrom?  What an amazing game! What an amazing comeback! And of course don't forget to keep adding up the Suns technical fouls...4 more tonight!

Can the Suns bring the heat to Denver? Will the Suns have anything left in the tank for tomorrow nights rematch? Will they take the lead in the Pacific? The Fredstrom says melt the Nuggets again and start to mold those championship rings baby! Check out the standings below, Suns in 5th with 3rd possible with a win Tues. night.

Nets Torn Down...Literally

The Suns are fired up. If you don't think so just look at their technical foul count over the past 10 games. The Fredstrom likes these nasty and edgy Suns. Speaking of nasty did you see Shaq elbow on Vince Carter's special place? That will change the facial expression on the poster.

 The Fredstrom believes it was his furry friend the Squirrel that said, "Amare is a BEAST baby!" Amare has absolutely dominated everyone. Tonight's 33pts. and 15rebs. makes another great game for STAT.

The Suns are now tied for 1st in Pacific but because of their tie breaker with the Flakers they still hold the 6th spot. Don't ask the Fredstrom how all these standings make sense, it has never looked so confusing. The standings below do not reflect the Warrior/Nugget game currently in progress. The Suns face Denver for a back to back next.  As it looks now the Nuggets will take their 6-game win streak to Phx and are desperate to make the playoffs, could be tough.

By the way, if you voted 5-2 like the Fredstrom...well done! What does the Juicebox have to say for himself?

Off the Pine and Looking Fine

The Fredstrom would like to extend props for the Suns bench showing up and contributing like they are supposed to.  It has been said numerous times that Boris Diaw was the X-factor for the Suns to take it to that championship level.  If he didn't play well last night (17pts, 8-11 FG, 7ast, in 28 mins.), then the Suns barely squeak by the far inferior Sixers.  If you have followed the Suns at all this year then you would know this is the case with losing to many teams that the Suns should blow-out. The Fredstrom is glad that the Suns are reading the blog and responding hard to being called out.

The Lakers have 6 or their next 9 at home. Out of those 9 only 5 are against teams with winning records. However, they did lose to Memphis last night despite Planet Black Hole putting up 37 shots going for 53pts.

The Hornets have 7 of their next 11 on the road. 6 of those 11 are against teams with winning records.

San Antonio has 9 left, 5 home, 4 away.  7 of those are against top contenders in the West.

Planet Orange has 10 left, 5 of each. 7 of those against teams with winning records- 2 of those are Denver and one is Portland, who the Suns have handled easily this year.  Can Planet Orange claim the top spot?  Can the bench put together their own streak? We'll see tonight against a desperate Jersey team trying to make the playoffs.

Suns Extinguished by the Celtics

The Fredstrom will be brief...

1st Quarter: Giving up 33pts. with KG only playing 6 mins. and Ray Allen only scoring 2?

2nd Quarter: The Fredstrom was impressed with the Suns not panicking and getting right back into the ball game...and then...

3rd Quarter: Where was Leandro, Raja, Grant, Steve, shoot where was Amare? 6 turnovers and out rebounded by 7? That's 13 less shots for the Suns. Are you telling the Fredstrom that D'Antoni could only get Amare 2 shots that whole quarter? Hubie Brown said it best, "The Suns were giving it to the Celtics on a platter." Giving up 17 offensive rebounds and turning the ball over 21 times!  Knowing that the Suns like to give away games doesn't make the Fredstrom feel any better.  All the motivation for maximum effort, both coaching and from the players is right there. The Suns could have picked up a game on Kobe, and kept up with CP3,  instead they fall back a little further.  Good thing that Planet Cuban is Planet Combustible. Suns still hold 6th place, but need to rally and make it back to the top!  The Fredstrom thinks that Suns can win 9 out of their next 11. What do you think?

If You're Ain't First, You're Last!

With the Fredstrom out for the weekend he missed not only the Rockets game but the Pistons as well.  He is relying on the readers to be informed. He did read the Seattle sports page that reported the Suns not happy with the officiating.  That's all he knows. How did the Suns look? Could they win a 7-game series against the Pistons? Did Detroit earn the win or did the Suns give it away? And most importantly...What would the Fredstrom do without Will Farrell movies?

The standings in the West are tighter than tight. Just losing one game knocks you down a few spots and winning one only seems to keep you afloat. Yesterday Suns 3rd, tonight 6th!

Apparently the Rockets Aren't Solar Powered

As the Fredstrom ponders what life is like in the first person at some distant locale, he has asked me, none other than hypomanic squirrel, to step in and fill in for tonight’s game.

Knowing that the Fredstrom is second to none in standard game recaps, I decided to give all you readers out there a little something different. Call it a Suns commentary, sitting on my couch, hypomanic squirrel style!

6:55pm Tom Leander just called Grant Hill a “Dukie.” For some reason, my fellow squirrels found this extremely funny.

6:58pm Alright, I just saw Leandro Barbosa’s Maytag Store and Raja Bell’s Leslie’s Pool Supplies commercial back to back. Sorry Raja, as much as I like the fact that you play much more under control and are a much better defender, Leandro wins by a landslide on this one.

7:00pm During the Suns introduction, a vague reference to NCAA’s March Madness is made, which makes me remember how poorly I’m doing in my bracket… I need to eat something…

7:02pm Dan Marleje talks about how Raja Bell is going to sit out today’s game with an ankle sprain. I get the feeling this game will a great test to see exactly where the Suns are at in their efforts to upgrade their defensive prowess.

7:04pm I just saw a Banner Children’s Hospital commercial where a child was strolling though the hospital hall smiling ear to ear while magical animated fish swam across the walls. Somehow I think the real experience is slightly different than what they’re making it appear…

7:12pm Amare just dunked the ball over pretty much all five Rockets. That dude is unbelievable. (Suns 2, Rockets 0)

7:15pm Does anybody else think Dikembe Mutombo looks like the claymation creature Gumby? I swear, the resemblance is uncanny.

7:17pm Barbosa just made a three to put the Suns up by a bunch already, prompting a Rick Adleman timeout. Maybe I will purchase something at Leslie’s Pool Supply… wait… wrong commercial. (Suns 12, Rockets 3)

7:22pm Less than half way through the 1^st Quarter and the Suns already have 10 points in the paint, prompting me to realize I really need to be more loyal to the Suns (reference JuiceBox here).

7:26pm Boris Diaw just checked in… we’re going to lose.

7:28pm Two straight solid plays by Giricek; guarding Tracy McGrady tough on one end and driving for a quick layup on the other. Makes the whole Brent Barry rejection go down a little easier. I still hope he lays an egg in San Antonio.

7:29pm Boris Diaw just scored and completed a three point play… we’re going to win! (Suns 31, Rockets 16)

7:31pm It is officially past my bedtime.

7:34pm Loren Woods just checked in at center for the Rockets. Considering the fact that I watched him play intently when he was an Arizona Wildcat, believe me when I say the Rockets must now have serious depth issues at the center position.

7:40pm As the quarter ends, Gary Bender quips, “Ya know, Shaq is having a lot of fun in this game!” Which subsequently prompts the camera to focus in on Shaq, frowning. (Suns 38, Rockets 21)

7:45pm The Rockets are on a 6-4 run… we’re going to lose.

7:46pm Amare just completed a sick three point play followed by a timeout by the Rockets… we’re going to win! (Suns, 45, Rockets 29)

7:51pm In an occurrence that can only be explained by Pavlov’s Operand Conditioning, I’m starting to crave jalapeño nachos.

7:59pm Steve Nash just sank another clutch three. That guy reminds me a lot of myself… (Suns 61, Rockets 41)

8:04pm Boris Diaw lets the ball slip through his fingers and stares at it as the Rockets pick it up and take it down the court… At least he’s keeping his eye on the ball, right?

8:07pm D’Antoni calls a timeout due to the Rockets 10-7 run… we’re going to lose. WHERE ARE YOU JUICEBOX!?

8:10pm Suns go on another run to finish up the 2^nd quarter… we’re going to win! (Suns 74, Rockets 57)

8:15pm I could be wrong, but… wait… yep, Tracy McGrady still has a lazy eye.

8:27pm Am I the only one who thinks Phil Webber wears a toupe? (Suns 77, Rockets 59)

8:33pm Shane Battier, a fellow “Dukie”, …… I lost my train of thought. (Suns 83, Rockets 61)

8:40pm Timeout called by Phoenix, making the score 87-76. When Mutombo scores, you gotta know Phoenix is experiencing some defensive breakdowns. Just need to calm down… take deep breaths… we’ll make it through this…

8:42pm UNBELIEVABLE tip pass from Nash to Diaw for a lay-up. We needed that one… (Suns 89, Rockets 78)

8:45pm Great defense from Stoudemire, tallying up about 4 blocks in one Rockets possession. STAT’S A BEAST BABY!

8:50pm WORST CALL OF THE NIGHT: Foul called on Diaw for apparently breathing on McGrady as he scored on a fastbreak lay-up, thus completing a three-point play. I think I’m going to be sick… (Suns 93, Rockets 85)

8:53pm At the end of the third quarter, Suns lead 95-85. The Rockets seem to slowly be chipping away at the lead while the Suns seemingly can’t buy a bucket. More importantly, chances are looking good that everyone at the game will receive two free Jack in the Box monster tacos.

8:58pm It’s official, everyone gets monster tacos… except me. Now all the Suns need to do is receive the McDonald’s fry coupon. Suns still leading 101-87.

9:06pm With the Suns leading 105-91, I’m starting to run out of things to write.

9:07pm Shaq sweats a lot. (Suns 107, Rockets 93)

9:13pm As much as I just love a close, competitive game, I really need our boys to put away the Rockets so that I can see whether or not Eric Piatkowski is wearing his white nurse-issued orthopedics again. (Suns 107, Rockets 99)

9:15pm Okay, things are really not going… STEVE NASH BABY! Clutch three to stop the bleeding. Man we needed that. (Suns 112, Rockets 101)

9:20pm Shaq gets fouled and subsequently sinks both free throws. I love the way that guy can turn it on when he needs to. Timeout Rockets. (Suns 114, Rockets 105)

9:24pm Game over. Suns win 122-113. For the record, I knew we were going to win the whole time…

The Suns Are Going Streaking!

6 wins in a row for a streaking Planet Orange. Only a half game out of 1st, the Suns are making some noise.  As a Suns fan it is a lot of fun to see the 3pt. shot back again.  15-21? Are you kidding the Fredstrom?  The Suns are going to be really difficult to guard going into the playoffs. The Big Saguaro is looking more comfortable with the ball in the post.  He has been passing the ball very well and is shooting ~50% from the field.  The Suns 3pt. abilities are improving game by game as O'Neal gets more comfortable.  Can anyone stop Amare?  Nope.

The Suns need to get that home court advantage badly.  Looking at the standings they would face Utah who has only lost 3 home games this year.  It seems like no matter where the Suns end up they will be tough to beat.  The question is will the other teams in the West be burned out by then? Fredstrom thinks Planet T-Mac peaked too soon.  Planet Spuranus is finally showing their age.  Planet Dirk is Planet Done.  Planet B. Diddy is Broke Down. Planet Lake Show is Planet Lame, injuries could be a problem.  Planet CP3 and Planet Sloan worry the Fredstrom most.  Who worries you?

Suns Come Out Guns Blazin'

"I saw a championship caliber team that is seemingly overflowing with confidence and swagger right before my eyes" (Squirrel, 2008).

The Fredstrom couldn't agree more.  The Suns are looking really strong right now. They have won 5 straight. The Diesel is looking better and better.  Tonight Shaq misses just 2 shots going 7-9, scoring 16pts. and ripping off 15 rebounds. Did you see him talking all that trash after that big block and outlet to Boris in the 4th quarter? The Fredstrom doesn't want to run into an angry Diesel in a dark alley.  The Fredstrom loves to see the Big Saguaro all fired up.  The better Shaq does the more we are seeing the 3-pointer coming back. The Suns are averaging 11 3's and are shooting 50% from downtown over the last 3 games. 

Things in the West are getting interesting as well.  The Suns are orbiting closer to 1st place in the West only 1 game out now. Pao Gasol is still listed day-to-day so the Lake Show is hobbling at best.  Bynum is now delaying his return until the playoffs and that could take awhile for him to get into playing shape...interesting...

The Rockets gassed out tonight (at home) getting beat down by The Truth and The Big Ticket. Planet Spuranus has dropped 4 straight looking old, looking off. The Spurs gave up a 21 point lead and lost to the Celtics without Ray Allen.  Golden State gets beat by the Queens tonight as well.  The Mavs have dropped 7 straight games against Western contenders, 5 of those were with Jason Kidd. The Mavs are still navel-lint soft. The Hornets peaked a month ago and are flying with a bent stinger.  8 of their last 16 games are against higher playoff seeded teams, can they stay in the air?

Two weeks ago: The Spurs, the Lakers, New Orleans, Golden State, and others have scared the Suns.  Today: Everyone should be scared of the rejuvenated Suns. They are now a hybrid team..wanna play small ball? Run and gun?  They can do that..just ask the Warri-hers.  Wanna slow it down and play a half-court game?  Ask Boston and San Antonio how that worked out.

Juicebox-make a wake, get ashore, and give a take.  Squirrel-always reliable.  The Billy, Capt. Moore, Hazen? Where you at?

Suns Giricekmate the Kings

If you voted blow out you were right!  Another good win for the Suns.  Don't look now but that's 4 in a row.  The Spurs have dropped 3 straight, Utah and New Orleans both lost their last game, and the Suns find themselves 5th in the West. Things are getting interesting!

As the blog title suggests, Giricek is making some noise with the Suns.  He is settling in very nicely.  He brings some defensive toughness and an offensive aggressiveness that Planet Orange really needs. Mini props for now to Mr. Kerragious for making this deal, also this should show D'Antoni that his bench can't contribute or shine if they stay in the black hole known as the bench. 

The Fredstrom will be adding 2 new questions.  He better hear from you NCAA fans on this one!

The standings below do not reflect the results of the Laker/Rockets game currently in progress. (Rockets up by 15 at the half) Winner earns top spot in the West.

Extreme Makeover Blog Edition

Just a couple of new things for the newly upgraded Fredstrom's Blog. There will now be polls for the readers to vote on. Also The Fredstrom has added a link to freerice.com.

If you are a subscriber you will not be able to view the youtube videos in your email. Also the comments will not be accessible either. And trust the Fredstrom when he says that the comments are coming alive. The Fredstrom wants to strongly encourage you to check out the actual blog so that you can view and interact with the rest of Planet Fredstrom.

Technically The Suns Win!

Great game and great win! 14 lead changes 20 ties and 4 Techinicals!  The Fredstrom expects it from D'Antoni, but Nash? Hill? and Shaq?  That game was the worst referee job the Fredstrom has ever seen!  There were at least 5 foul calls that were only made after the shot resulted in a miss. These refs were on a 5 second live-tv delay. It was ridiculous!

Props to the Juicebox for predicting the Suns would win by 7.  He was close.  As mentioned in the blog before the San Antonio game, the Suns have gained some momentum and are showing some promising potential. Props also to the Suns bench: 14-24 from the field, much improvement from the Utah game.

More good news...the Suns next 3 games are totally winnable. Saturday vs the Kings, Tues. at Portland, and Wed. vs. Seattle.  Next Saturday should be a great game and an important one against Planet Deathstar.  This Houston/Phx could be a playoff preview.  The Fredstrom predicts the Suns will win the next 4 in a row including the Houston game. With only 3 games Thursday night there was not much movement in the standings.

Shaq Parts the Orange Sea

In case you missed it...the first video below was Shaq's first launch from Planet Orange Sunday against the Spurs.

Then Tuesday night Shaq was ready for takeoff again only to hit the brakes at the last minute. Watch this video and see the Suns bench completely scatter. They don't just run out of the way, they fall over each other into a pile at the end of the bench. It was hilarious! Check it out.


As far as the game goes. Just what the doctor ordered. A good win that allowed the starters to get some rest, important considering the Warriors come to town Thursday night. Not that the Cubs are a great shooting team but the Suns defense seems to have stepped up a notch. Good win...a little more momentum...the Diesel and Planet Orange are building speed as they shift into second gear. The Fredstrom will start attaching the current standings below as we head down the playoff stretch. Click to see full size.

Suns Win Big Despite "The Conspuracy Theory"

Out of all the games the Fredstrom has been to, the Spurs games feel so much different. There's losing to a better team, having an off night or whatever, but losing players due to foul trouble or having your momentum halted because of a flop call is getting really old. Spurs games are very hard to watch.

Every Spurs vs. Suns contest continues to amaze the Fredstrom. He knows the Spurs are good defensively but late into the 4th quarter Shaq and STAT combined for 10 fouls while Kurt Thomas and Timmy combined for 2 fouls. They don't play physical or anything.  Oberto running into Shaq's elbow was silly, Bowen's flop on Stat's screen was dumb, Parker bear-hugging Raja Bell drawing a double foul then later dragging Grant Hill to the ground in the post? Ridonkalous! And there were many other very suspicious calls.

Here's the good news..the Suns held the Spurs to 35% shooting, out rebounded the Spurs by 8, and held the Spurs to only 11 assists, Nash had 14 alone! The Suns are capable of playing big "D". Can they continue that intensity? With chances of slipping out of the playoffs possible, let's hope so.

The Fredstrom does need to call out Amare Stoudamire on his foul situation. It seems like every game he gets one or two dumb reach-in or over-the-back fouls. STAT only saw 32 mins. against the Spurs, that's not good. The Suns are going to need him out there for more time than that.

As was mentioned by the Juice Box...this is why the Suns decided to Go Diesel.  This is what the Big Saguaro was brought here to do; mainly help the Suns match up better with Planet Spuranus.  The Suns have beaten the Spurs 5 times in their last 22 meetings, one of those was with out Tony Parker and the others were playing pseudo-run and gun.  But on Sunday the Suns beat the Spurs playing their way.  Fredstrom wants to hear from the Juice, the Squirrel, and The Gabe on this one. Billy where you at?

Planet Orange Joining Pluto?

Um....Ah....Ok...Uh...Well...The light from Planet Orange is going dim.  Shaq goes for 20 and 7, Amare scores 37, Raja 19, and the Suns still can't get it done. Reason being? DEFENSE! You can't give up 126 in your home building and expect to win.  The Jazz shot almost 58% from the field, 45% from 3pt. land, and shot 40 fts. making 31 of them...OUCH! The Suns bench going 7 for 25 in 67 mins. isn't good either.

The Fredstrom believes the next four home games will make them or break them.  They face the Floppers on Sun. afternoon, then Memphis Tues., Golden State on Thursday, and Sacramento Saturday.  If the Suns can pull off some sort of astronomical miracle and win maybe 3 out of their next 4 that might just give them the momentum to secure a playoff spot, but the Fredstrom isn't hopeful. As of tonight they are 1.5 games out of 9th!  Even if they make the playoffs they have a terrible 4-13 record against the top Western teams.

 Planet Spuranus looks pretty strong right now despite their crying tendencies.  Did you see Babyvich's tantrum Thurs. night? Wow!  Planet Kobe is looking very good right now as well. Planet McGrady is going DeathStar - destroying all planets in it's path.  Planet Orange is quickly about to share the same fate as former ex-planet Pluto...only the top 8 make it in...the 9th one is cut-not counting as a real planet.

Suns Going to TV in "The Biggest Loser"

Britney Spears isn't the only one experiencing a meltdown.  The Suns have gone to Prime Time Network TV for a successful spot on the Biggest Loser.  They are 3-5 in their last 8.  They haven't gone 3-5 since Dec. 2007, and did it twice last season.  Last season those losses occurred without Steve Nash.  His assists are down by 6 a game, shooting % is down as well.  Steve doesn't seem to be able to score at will like he used to. Assists must be difficult when Shaq, Raja, Boris, and Leondro couldn't throw the rock into the ocean. Will someone tell the Fredstrom whatsa going on? (Oh, and let's not count blowing a 23 pt. lead over the Blazers to win by a couple of free throws a feel good win.)

The Fredstrom is feeling sick over this ugly brand of basketball.  He is actually looking forward to Spring Training and the Diamondbacks.  He never thought he would be talking like this but holy cow this is difficult to watch.  Watching the Suns of the Diesel era is like watching B.K. Kim in the 2001 World Series, or like watching the Spurs flop around the court with their pacifiers.....yeah it's that bad.

Sleeping with a sick sack,

The Fredstrom

Suns Star in Their 1st Movie: "Semi-Pro"

The Suns could use Jackie Moon right now...oh wait they already made him their general manager! If creating buzz was winning a championship then great, but Fredstrom wants wins not buzz! That Shaq trade is looking really bad right now.  If slipping out of the playoffs and being flat out embarrassed night after night doesn't bring on a little effort and pride then The Fredstrom doesn't know what will.

Giving up 119 points to the Sixers is unacceptable.  This outscore and no defense system is not going to work any more. D' (Antoni) up or D' (Antoni) out!

What do you think? Are the Suns cooked?  How long does it take to get this team playing pro basketball?