What a trip for the Suns

At first glance, the beginning of the Suns season looked like a bear.

Six out of the first eight on the road, including a 5-game eastern road swing through Florida and the northeast, with two sets of back-to-backs thrown in for good measure.

No problem.

The Suns return home with an NBA-best 7-1 record, including a 4-1 mark on the road trip after a come-from-behind 119-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers last night. Steve Nash had 21 points and his second 20-assist game of the season, while Jason Richardson continued his recent stellar play with 29 points and 8 rebounds.

The best part of last night’s win for Phoenix was simply the effort. A veteran team wrapping up an already successful road trip, on the back end of playing two nights in a row, and trailing by as many as 8 points in the 4th quarter almost always means a notch in the ‘L’ column.

Not this team.

Jared Dudley ignited a brilliant 4th quarter surge with 11 points in the frame, including three 3-pointers and Nash nailed 6 free throws in the final :23 to seal the win.

Now, we’re not planning any parades in downtown Phoenix just yet, but the fast start is extremely promising. Most thought the Suns would struggle out of the gates, based on their early schedule, and the fact that Amare Stoudemire is still playing himself back into shape after major eye surgery.

But an unexpected 7-1 start provides a nice buffer for the inevitable lulls that hit NBA teams during the course of an 82-game schedule.

Highlights from NBA.com

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