It’s kind of ironic that one of the Suns’ core defensive strategies is to force Ron Artest to shoot the basketball.
It worked when Artest hoisted up a pair of bricks with the Lakers up three with a minute left, but with Grant Hill and Steve Nash draped all over Kobe Bryant on his last-second fadeaway [...]

[Read more →]

Nothing demoralizes a team more than second-chance points, and the Phoenix Suns learned that the hardest way possible tonight when Ron Artest snared a Kobe Bryant air ball and finished the game winner at the buzzer to hand the Lakers a pivotal 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals.
The Suns played perfect defense on Kobe, [...]

[Read more →]

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns’ bench has been building leads and making comebacks all season.
But this was the Western Conference Finals, a time when the stars usually shine, not an occasion that usually ends with an entire bench unit being interviewed by Craig Sager.
On a night that appeared to be the Suns’ signature three-point shooting [...]

[Read more →]

PHOENIX — After observing the last 15 minutes of practice today, the Phoenix Suns looked like the team with a 2-0 series lead heading into Game 3, rather than the squad scrambling for answers against a seemingly unbeatable Lakers team.
There were smiles scattered across the court as the team wrapped up practice with a half-court [...]

[Read more →]

There’s no question that Kobe Bryant kept the Phoenix Suns teetering backward and finally delivered the knockout punch with 26 second-half points (40 total) in tonight’s Western Conference Finals series opener.
But although Kobe had a special night offensively, no Los Angeles Laker changed the complexion of the game more than Lamar Odom.
The Suns looked crisp [...]

[Read more →]

PHOENIX — Kobe Bryant, two seven-foot starters, arguably the league’s best coach (unless you ask Steve Nash), the triangle offense and one of the most versatile players in the NBA coming off the bench.
It is no secret why the Los Angeles Lakers are the reigning champs.
“It’s a huge, huge task for us to beat these [...]

[Read more →]