<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#412367"><span style="font-family:Impact">Phoenix</span> </span></span><span style="color:#412367">(22-15)</span> vs. <span style="color:#c8362d"><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><span style="font-family:Impact">Toronto</span></span></span> <span style="color:#c8362d">(16-25)</span> </div> <div align="center"> When: Sunday January 18th, 2008 @ 12:30 PM EST Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON TV/Radio: CBC, FAN 590 </div> <span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center"> <span style="font-family:Impact"><u>THOUGHTS ON THE GAME</u></span></div></span> This would have been an intriguing game if, you know, we didn't suck. With Steve Kerr's all-around sucking as a GM, the Suns have scaled back the run-and-gun in favour of... I don't know. Who really does know what Kerr envisioned Phoenix becoming, but the end result is a team with a boatload of talent that is kind of stuck without a consistent team philosophy. If Jose Calderon was healthy and JO had his requisite 10-games-before-he-can-stop-sucking, we could've seen a pretty evenly matched clash of question marks. Instead, Toronto will be forced to overachieve and actually execute down the stretch for once in order to come out of here with a win. Jay Triano will be playing against his old national team partner, Steve Nash, which should give everyone warm and happy feelings... except for Leo Rautins. If he's commentating this game, I can't help but feel he'll be like the third guy in threesome who's stuck holding his dick in his hand, wishing he could get some love. <span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Impact"><u>STARTING LINEUPS</u></span></div></span> <div align="center"> <span style="color:#412367">Steve Nash - Jason Richardson - Grant Hill - Amare Stoudemire - Shaquille O'Neal</span> <span style="color:#c8362d">Will Solomon- Anthony Parker - Jamario Moon - Chris Bosh - Andrea Bargnani</span></div> <span style="font-family:Impact"><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center"><u>KEY MATCHUP</u></div></span></span> <div align="center"> <span style="color:#412367">Shaquille O'Neal</span> vs. <span style="color:#c8362d">Andrea Bargnani</span></div> If ever Andrea was going to slow down and break his recent hot streak, I'd bet i'd be against this team. Not that he couldn't get any shot he wanted against the Sun's piss-poor defense. But he'd have a hard time guarding their beefy post players and they'd be sure to try and physically intimidate him. That kind of stuff has the ability to trickle down and force him into an all-around bad game. This matchup will hinge especially on which player can impose their style on the other. Neither matches up with each other, so Andrea will need to be hitting his shots and exposing Shaq for the pathetic defender that he is. There's not much of a chance of him handling his physicality, so he'll have to be smarter and more fundamental (deny him position before the entry pass, disrupt his shot with your arms without fouling, rotate decisively). <div align="center"><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><span style="font-family:Impact"><u>MARTY YORK'S DISINFORMATION OF THE GAME</u></span></span></div>
We've got the early start time as an advantage! I don't know we scored that, but it's such an awesome thing to have. Opponents always struggle with such an early start time coming off a flight.
I love waking up and having basketball on TV. I really hope we win, and it's possible. We lose to bad teams and we can beat good teams. I just want Shawn Marion.
well against pacers raps came back in the 4th bein down by 24 pts, to be down by 1 with that line up in the 4th, and today parker was on fire and raps were down by 11 made it down by 1, parker missed a heartbreak in the end ball went all over the rim but didnt go in! its been a effective line up
What are your thoughts on keeping AP as a starting PG until Jose's back? I'm actually quite amazed at how well its worked the past two games. I remember we did it once or twice last season and it brought mixed results. I bet the fact that we've played two run-and-gun teams with no defense in a row has something to do with it.
Parker and Graham played amazingly well together, and I'm all for keeping them together. We just need to remember, this was against the Suns. They have no defense and I would like to see how we play with that starting line-up against other teams. I know Jay will go with the same line-up, and I like it. This team is playing well, but they just can't seem to win any games. But all we can do is keep playing and the wins should start dropping.
couple of heartbreaks and key mistakes, i think raps should be really concerned with bosh, he went down really hard on shaq's feet
I'm all for making them both starters. I've thought Joey should be a starter for a while now. Out of everyone on this roster, he's been the most committed to driving to the basket lately (which isn't very flattering to Bosh). He might not always have a good shooting night or play smart defensively, but he brings the kind of aggressiveness that's usually missing from our starters. I don't think we can get away with AP at the 1 for too long, but its an interesting change up. The cool thing is that, when he's the primary ball handler, Parker's more willing to drive and become more than just a spot up shooter.
