NBA Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns February 19, 2012 Highlights & Recap

SB Nation

Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors – game chat
AZ Central.com
22, 2012 07:00 PM The Suns have not been so good coming out of halftime this season (outscoring teams in 10 of 33 third quarters) but as they enter the third quarter of the season today, their need to have a better second half is essential.
Phoenix Suns Vs. Golden State Warriors Game PreviewBright Side of the Sun
Preview: Golden State Warriors (12-17) at Phoenix Suns (14-19)Valley of the Suns
Phoenix Suns seek momentum at midpointArizona Republic
MiamiHerald.com -SB Nation
all 359 news articles »

phoenix suns – Google News

La Lakers Vs Phoenix Suns Full Highlights Feb 17, 2012 Kobe Bryant scored 18 of his 36 points in the third quarter, Andrew Bynum had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers handed the Phoenix Suns their fourth straight loss, 111-99 on Friday night. It was only the fourth time in 30 games this season that the Lakers reached the 100-point mark. Pau Gasol had 13 rebounds and 10 points, and Matt Barnes added 17 points off the bench along with seven boards in 25 minutes. Bryant had nine rebounds and six assists. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping attended the game, capping a four-day visit to the US He entered the arena on a red carpet during the second quarter and observed the proceedings from the second tier of luxury suites above the official scorer’s table and the players’ benches. Bryant scored at least 40 in each of his previous two games against Phoenix, including a 48-point effort in the Lakers’ 99-83 win Jan. 10 at Staples Center — his highest-scoring game in the NBA when not making a 3-point shot. Center Marcin Gortat, the only player to start all 31 games for the Suns, led them with 21 points and 16 rebounds on his 28th birthday. Steve Nash had 17 assists along with 11 points. The Lakers took an 83-63 lead with an 18-2 run capped by Bryant’s 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the third. Phoenix guard Shannon Brown, who won two championship rings with the Lakers, cut the margin to 87-73 with back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 35 seconds of the quarter — one …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Some interesting responses including the following:

• The acknowlegement that the Suns are basically a 4 player squad:

“…Marcin (Gortat) is playing great. He’s really playing well. Steve is playing great, Grant (Hill) is doing a good job for us defensively, we’ve had some other guys like Jared Dudley step up…”

• Discusses the Suns’ achilles heel(s) (which, BTW is a much less problematic metaphor than talking about chinks in armor):

“I think we have to be consistent and have some consistency off our bench. If we do that we’ve been able to compete with most of the teams… We have not been able to finish games. We have to find a way to do that for 48 minutes. Not 32 minutes, 38 minutes, or 42 minutes, we’ve got to be able to do it for 48 and that’s where we’ve struggled a little bit…”

• Of course the idea of trading Steve Nash (I believe was Bickley asking), which was promptly shut down by Gentry in the easiest manner possible, basically “it’s not my job to make trades.” HA!

Overall, Gentry didn’t say a whole lot that we already hadn’t heard before. I did find it interesting that while talking about the Suns inability to close teams out, he calls on the fans to help: “…not only to we need to step up, but your fans have to step up as well…”

Check out the audio and full transcript:

Alvin Gentry Refuses to Waste His Energy Thinking About the Future of Steve Nash

“…I know it’s been said that Kobe (Bryant) has this passion or hate for us but you know we’re not exactly in love with them either so the feeling is pretty mutual there. We haven’t had the success that we have had in the past against them but I thought our guys did a great job of battling against them last night and competing like crazy.”

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Valley of the Suns

Phoenix Suns seek momentum at midpoint
AZ Central.com
21, 2012 08:31 PM At last season's midpoint, the Suns had put together a five-game winning streak to renew hope. The Suns, now halfway through this season, could do some of the same Wednesday night if they beat Golden State at home for a three-game win …
Phoenix Suns Whip the Washington WizardsPhoenix New Times (blog)
Phoenix Suns use 3rd quarter muscle to bulldoze Washington Wizards 104-88 …bettor.com (blog)
Phoenix Suns 104, Washington Wizards 88 — Third quarter kill shotValley of the Suns
Bright Side of the Sun -Examiner.com
all 276 news articles »

phoenix suns – Google News

This week, Marcin Gortat returned to the role of second fiddle while Frye, Redd, Hill and Dudley round out the next four. Personally, I would have put Jared a bit higher but that’s how these things go with power rankings.

Here’s a link to the list so you can check them out and then come back and provide your own list/critique/recipe for fried avocado.

Phoenix Suns Player Thermometer, Week 8: Gortat Back To Polish Hammering – Desert Dirt – SB Nation Arizona
It was a week in which the Phoenix Suns got throttled by the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Lakers got throttled by the Phoenix Suns. The team also lost a back-to-back-to-back that was painful to watch. But, Marcin Gortat got some of his groove back and Channing Frye seems to have found some consistency. Also, Steve Nash distributed the ball like only Cap’n Nash can. As is the norm for this year’s team, this week was a mixed bag.

Mahalo amigos

Bright Side Of The Sun

This week, Marcin Gortat returned to the role of second fiddle while Frye, Redd, Hill and Dudley round out the next four. Personally, I would have put Jared a bit higher but that’s how these things go with power rankings.

Here’s a link to the list so you can check them out and then come back and provide your own list/critique/recipe for fried avocado.

Phoenix Suns Player Thermometer, Week 8: Gortat Back To Polish Hammering – Desert Dirt – SB Nation Arizona
It was a week in which the Phoenix Suns got throttled by the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Lakers got throttled by the Phoenix Suns. The team also lost a back-to-back-to-back that was painful to watch. But, Marcin Gortat got some of his groove back and Channing Frye seems to have found some consistency. Also, Steve Nash distributed the ball like only Cap’n Nash can. As is the norm for this year’s team, this week was a mixed bag.

Mahalo amigos

Bright Side Of The Sun

Valley of the Suns

Phoenix Suns Whip the Washington Wizards
Phoenix New Times (blog)
21 2012 at 7:35 AM ?What's the best cure-all tonic for a troubled NBA team like the Phoenix Suns? Why, a double-digit rout of a weaker opponent, which took place on Monday night when Planet Orange crushed the Washington Wizards 104-88 at US Airways …
Phoenix Suns 104, Washington Wizards 88 — Third quarter kill shotValley of the Suns
Phoenix Suns Too Hot For Washington Wizards To Handle At Home: Win 104-88Bright Side of the Sun
Total team effort leads the Suns past the WizardsExaminer.com
AZ Central.com -SB Nation Arizona -Washington Times
all 278 news articles »

phoenix suns – Google News

When the Phoenix Suns selected Markieff Morris with the 13th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, many Suns fans groaned at the team again picking the “lesser brother” between Markieff and his brother Marcus.

Now, two months into the season, Morris has developed into the Suns most dependable bench player, averaging 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 21 minutes per game and shooting an excellent 41% from behind the arc.

Morris was selected by a pool of the league’s assistant coaches to play in the All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars game as he’s the Suns first impact rookie since Amare Stoudemire in 2002. For the Suns to rebuild into a contender, it will take a lot more draft day successes like the Morris selection. Seeing him blossom into a solid player so quickly is an encouraging start.

Lesser brother? Hardly. Markieff Morris is the Phoenix Suns game-changer.

The widely used word to describe Markieff Morris after the draft was “tough”. As Alvin Gentry said at the Suns news conference to introduce Morris: “We need a guy that can add some toughness to our team.”

Bright Side Of The Sun

Los Angeles Lakers Vs Phoenix Suns 2/17/12 NBA Highlights HD
Video Rating: 4 / 5