When and against who will the next loss occur? Here are the next 10 games: Jan 26 @ Milwaukee Jan 28 @ Cleveland Jan 29 @ Minnesota Feb 1 San Antonio Feb 3 Utah Feb 5 @ Denver Feb 6 @ Portland Feb 9 Atlanta Feb 11 Chicago Feb 14 @ Seattle I think the best chances are the Jan 29th game @ Minnesota and the Feb 5th game @ Denver. I know the Spurs and Jazz are big games and they've lost to both of them already (to the Jazz twice). But they are both home games and neither team are playing their best basketball. Utah is 16-14 after a 12-1 start, the Spurs last 8 victories are over teams with a combined 130-201 (.392) record -- which includes the Melo-less Nuggets. That also includes the Wizards, but they had to hold them to 31% shooting, something they won't be able to do with Phoenix. All 6 losses the Spurs suffered this month are against playoff teams (5 from the West). Of course the Spurs and Jazz are probably going to be up for the games, and they have the talent to win, so I'm not saying they can't win. I just think the best conditions for a Suns loss is going to be on the road, a game where they have little rest, and against a team with a player who can light it up. The T-Wolves game is on the road and the 2nd game of a back-to-back. The night before they'll be in Cleveland, which should be a tough game, I don't think the Cavs or LeBron haven't forgetten the beatdown the Suns handed them in Phoenix. So if they pull out the win, it should be hard fought, after which they have to travel to Minnesota and play a game the next night. After an emotional game the Suns have had a hard time getting into the swing of things the next game (i.e. the Celtics game after the Nets game, the Raptors game after a last second win in Chicago) As for the Denver game, it's on the road, it's after the Spurs and Jazz games, and they have 3 players who may light it up (Melo, JR Smith, & Iverson). If the Suns can win the 2 big home games, they may be feeling good about themselves, feeling unbeatable, go into the thin air and have a letdown.
Absaolutly no idea. I think they will lose one of these coming 3games but they will win San Antonia and Jazz.
I personally don't think it will come until Chicago. They're the only team that I've been scared of in the last... season that would beat the Suns had it not been for Barbosa's 3. Most of their losses can be excused for one reason or another, and I don't see any of those teams on the schedule with what it takes to beat the Suns.
Best bet is San Antonio cause the rest of those teams (Besides Utah, Minnesota,Chicago, and Denver) shouldn't even be in this league. pathetic. It's crazy how they get the easy teams and then when they play the decent teams they are comming off back to backs.
<div class="quote_poster">Windmill360? Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Best bet is San Antonio cause the rest of those teams (Besides Utah, Minnesota,Chicago, and Denver) shouldn't even be in this league. pathetic.</div> I dunno if I'd called LeBron James "pathetic", especially considering the Cavs have beaten the Spurs both times this season. <div class="quote_poster">Windmill360? Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">It's crazy how they get the easy teams and then when they play the decent teams they are comming off back to backs.</div> This isn't the NFL, one team doesn't have an easier schedule than another. All West teams play the same schedule by the end of the season. The Mavs & Spurs get the same 2 games against each Eastern teams the Suns get. The only team coming off a back-to-back to play the Suns is the Spurs, but the Suns had a Spurs/Mavs back-to-back earlier in the season... teams have back-to-backs its part of the game, they're big boys, they can handle it; the Suns have won their last 6 back-to-backs and they have more reason to be tired as they don't stop running.
I believe that the Spurs will win them. Still, it has been an amazing streak and everything can happen. If they win Spurs, I'm pretty sure that they will lose against a) Jazz or Denver. Those 3 teams are all good teams. Good luck ofcourse for the Suns !
<div class="quote_poster">scorbutic Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I think the best chances are the Jan 29th game @ Minnesota</div> I hated being right in this case, I wanted a 20 game win streak at least. You have to expect KG to get his (44) but I figured for the Suns to lose other players would have to have big nights, and they did. It was actually a combination of 3 players that led to the T-Wolves win, Jaric (11), Blount (10), and Hassell (10). The Suns could handle good games from KG, Davis, and Foye, it was expected, but that trio of role players ended up with 31 and it cost them the game. Amare had an off night, but every game one or two players usually don't reach their season average, that's why the Suns have 6 players average 10 PPG or better, 5 of those over 15 PPG. I think it came down to Minnesota's defense, I dunno why but the Suns had a breakdown once they used the zone (which is odd because the Suns are such a good shooting team, zones rarely work). Sad to see the streak go, but hopefully they've learned and can return home and win 2 very big games.
How the hell does a big man score 44 anymore? We haven't seen that since Shaq around 2000-2001. I love Phoenix, they're a fun team to watch, but outscoring opponents won't always work in the Playoffs. Someone needs to D up and not rely on the team's offense. Obviously KG was taking some quality shots. He shot 18-29 and was 8-10 from the stripe. The wing players (Marion, Barbosa and Bell) really got into foul trouble while Stoudemire only had 2 fouls. Didn't watch the game but I can imagine that some help defense had to be applied and Phoenix had to foul KG. Oh well, the streak was fun while it lasted. I was hoping it'd get to 20. I am sure they will start another one sometime soon.
<div class="quote_poster">Butter Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">How the hell does a big man score 44 anymore?</div> Amare had 42 points in a game 2 weeks ago. Yao has five 35+ games this season. It happens. Most of KG's points came in the 4th quarter and very few were near the basket, he was setting screens, coming off and spotting up from about 15 feet, he simply couldn't miss. He even nailed a 3 late in the game (maybe his foot was on the line because I don't see it in the box score). Not much you can do to defend somebody when they're just hot, he wasn't posting up, so help defense wasn't even an issue, he simply just had the magic touch. As for the foul situation, it's not like they were hacking KG, he really wasn't posting up like you'd expect from a big man, a lot of his shots were actual shots, not dunks/layups. A few of Marion's fouls were questionable, he had a few clean blocks called a foul, so it's not like he was having a hard time with KG in the post and having to foul. Minnesota just hung in there until the 4th quarter and KG got hot at the right time, I don't think the Suns lost it as much as Minnesota won it. Like I have stated in another post, the Suns don't rely on outscoring opponents, this is the best defense they've had in 3 years. Fans of other teams are just not used to seeing 100+ points or 90 shots per game. Atlanta had 68 shot attempts tonight, Minnesota had 83. Teams that play against the Suns get more shots because the Suns push the ball and take quick open shots. More shots = more points, even if the Suns have a great defense and force more misses (which they do, they are top 10 in defensive FG%, defensive 3P%, defensive PPS and defensive ADJ FG%), more shots still means more made baskets. I'd rather a team score 110 points on me shooting 90 shots (1.2 PPS) than scoring 90 shooting only 60 shots (1.5 PPS) because it means my defense made them miss more often.
