14Jan/1010:49 AM

Where have we seen this plot before?

By Vince Marotta

You ever become a fan of a television show, and then realize that a few weeks into your viewership, that every episode is exactly the same?

“Three’s Company” is a perfect example. Every week, you were sure to get a heaping dose of sexual innuendo, braless roommates, a major misunderstanding involving a character who was eavesdropping and Mr. Roper’s trademark smirk into the camera. But, in the end, the show had a happy ending.

Watching a Phoenix Suns game is becoming a lot like watching “Three’s Company” was in the 70’s and 80’s–you know exactly what you’re going to get. There’s gonna be a lot of offense, hardly any defense, the Suns will get outrebounded, will blow a big lead, and you’ll get several references to the Regal Beagle during the broadcast. Ok, so I added the Regal Beagle references, but everything else is sure to happen.

And that script played itself out again last night in Indiana in a game that featured 236 points, the Suns getting beaten on the glass (54 to 44) and Phoenix choking up a 24-point lead in a 122-114 loss to the less-than-mediocre Indiana Pacers, a team featuring a starting lineup that included Luther Head, Earl Watson and Tyler Hansbrough, who was making his first NBA start.

Amare Stoudemire sank a free throw to complete a three-point play that put the Suns up 56-32 midway through the 2nd quarter. for the remaining 30:09, the Suns were outscored 90-58 by the Pacers, a team who entered the game with a 12-25 record which had them in 10th place in the putrid Eastern Conference.

Yes, blowing a 24-point lead and losing to the Pacers is never a good thing, but the fact that this is a recurring “plot line” is even more disturbing. Look at the Suns last four games…eight days ago, Phoenix built a 21-5 lead over Houston in the first five minutes of the game. Just 11:47 later, not only had that 16-point lead disappeared, but the Rockets led the Suns 56-40–an amazing swing of 32 points, all before halftime! The Suns did manage to pull out a difficult 118-110 win.

Last Friday, Phoenix led the Miami Heat by 13 points a little more than four minutes into the 2nd quarter. They lost 109-105. Monday night, Phoenix squandered a 24-point lead to the Milwaukee Bucks- a team whose best player (Michael Redd) didn’t play and whose coach (Scott Skiles) was rushed to the hospital before the game. The Bucks fought all the way back and had a 1-point lead with 6:48 to go before Steve Nash bailed out the Suns with 10 points the rest of the way in their 105-101 win.

And last night was the icing on the cake–another blown 24-point lead in Indiana’s 8-point win.

The Phoenix Suns certainly don’t have the reputation as a team that will put the clamps on an opponent defensively, and you could certainly see that hindering their chances in close games. But for a team that is as fluid as Phoenix offensively, blowing double digit leads is just not acceptable–although it does make for exciting basketball.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, Chrissy and I have to hang a shower curtain up in our bathroom while Janet and Mr. Roper eavesdrop, and think we’re about to have sex. Hilarious!