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?