Jinxes, an MVP, and the search for defense

First of all, I’m sorry.  I am.  I’m sorry for putting a hex on the Suns, for jinxing them against the Thunder last night.  If I had known my prediction of an easy win would cause them to play pretty much their most uninspired basketball of the year, I would have shut my stupid mouth.  Again, I apologize.

Now, how about that Steve Nash, huh?  It’s a shame he had to put in that kind of effort against the Thunder and lead the Suns to a squeaker of a win, but his second-half performance was fun to watch.  The two-man game with Amare was once again a thing of beauty and Nash’s leaning, three-point dot was nothing short of amazing.

I went from being sick to my stomach and as frustrated as I’ve been all year in watching this team, to excited and amazed in just a few minutes.  The Suns didn’t disappoint in the entertainment category last night, that’s for sure.

It’s a shame they disappointed in so many others.

They came out incredibly flat without Shaquille (again) and a hungry Thunder team pounced.  Rather than get after it and meet the home team’s intensity, the Suns looked content to mope up and down the court, turning the ball over on the offensive end, and rotating late on the defensive end.

All the talk about the Suns being an improved defensive team seems rather hollow after last night, and their effort against the Jazz the other night.  It’s great that teams are being forced to get their points from the outside, but a hand has to be in their face for this to be effective.

Speaking of effectiveness, it’s tough to run an offense when a team turns the ball over 17 times.  I’m sick and tired of hearing this “work in progress” nonsense.  They may as well start saying “it is what it is” or some other nonsense like that, because the cliche is thinner than Kate Moss after a month-long coke bender.  I know it’s a new system, I know we have a new coaching staff and they’re asking for something completely different, but when does it end?

The players need to get it together, and so do the coaches.  They’ve had training camp, the preseason, and a dozen games together.  I don’t think it’s too much to show improvement and produce results, or at the very least, drop the convenient excuse.

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