All is well in the world again, and it’s thanks to the Suns captains. Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal led the Suns to a fantastic victory over the Nuggets.
Here’s why these three saved the game.
Grant Hill: He did an absolutely phenomenal job on Carmelo Anthony tonight, and was my MVP of the game. Though he didn’t have a stellar game offensively, his play on the defensive end was so much more important. Did anyone remember that Carmelo was on the Nuggets in the 2nd half tonight? I completely forgot Anthony was on the Nuggets and that was due to Hill’s defense. I was more worried about J.R. Smith or Chauncey Billups than Carmelo catching on fire. Grant Hill played his best defense of the year on Carmelo and held him to only 10 points on 3-13 shooting and a plus/minus of -26 with 4 turnovers. Conversely, Hill had 11 points and 4 rebounds and had a plus/minus of +29 (a team high).
Steve Nash: He single-handily won the game for the Suns in the 4th quarter tonight. When he was on the bench to start the 4th, the Suns and Nuggets were in a turnover battle with the Suns having difficulty even getting a shot off. When Nash came back in, the whole complexion of the game changed. Nash scored 8 straight points hitting three clutch shots in the last 2 minutes, including 2 three’s, to put the Suns ahead. Unreal. He finished with a plus/minus of +22 along with 16 points, 11 assists, and only three turnovers. The turning point for Nash was a jumper he hit over Kenyon Martin. It was after a foul on the ground but Nash seemed to find his stroke. I said to my fiancee that the shot he hit would at least give him confidence (he passed up several shots tonight since he wasn’t shooting well). He then hit a long two and nailed 2 three’s to put the Suns up. His defense was also underrated on Billups.
Shaquille O’Neal: When the Suns weren’t functioning on the break or started to miss shots, all we had to do was dump the ball into Shaq to get back on track. This is exactly what needs to happen when we hit a lull on the offensive end. The Nuggets continually double teamed Shaq and when that happened, he kicked it back out to our guards or into Amare (also a terrific game) who finished it off. He also came up huge for us tonight at the foul line hitting 5-8 and one big one at the end of the game.
Other Players: Jason Richardson hit some big shots, Amare Stoudemire had a fairly quiet 27-10, and Matt Barnes played his usual steady game. Robin Lopez even had some productive time on the court which I love.
This win, in my opinion, was the biggest of the year for the Suns. We just had a heartbreaking loss in Portland, where they hit some lucky shots in the last minute of the game to pull it out. We are now 3-1 since acquiring Jason Richardson and it is clearly visible in our play, the team’s reactions, and the fans that the team has been rejuvenated.
Despite a rocky start to the season at 16-11, I’m having a damn good time watching this team evolve.
I don’t think anyone can disagree that we could be something special if we play to our potential.
