I remember people saying that Pacers game felt like a playoff game. Well, it kinda was. The Western conference is crazy competitive, the standings changing nightly. While on their mini vaca the Phoenix Suns dropped from 5th to 6th place. From azcentral.com;
“We’ve got a tall order” Suns playmaker Steve Nash said. “The West is incredibly tight, incredibly efficient. Teams are winning all their games. “For me, these 17 games are playoff-like games,” Nash said. “I think (Friday is) a big game for us, and hopefully we can overcome the five days off and get off to a good start.” “It’s a situation where there are 17 games left and nothing has been decided, not even first place,” Gentry said. “Now that Dallas is playing the way they are, conceivably, I think, they feel like they can catch the Lakers.”
We need all hands on deck for the remainder of the season. Leandro Barbosa is back, so is Goran Dragic. Steve Nash says he is better but I have a feeling he is not 100% just yet. You know who is healthy and playing awesome? Amare Stoudemire. STAT is playing great basketball at just the right time. And to think we were trying to trade him a few weeks ago. From valleyofthesuns.com;
“For a man who overcame the death of his father at age 12, the jail time of his mother as a teen, six different high schools in four years, and ultimately two major knee surgeries and a vision-threatening eye surgery, bouncing back from adversity is nothing new. In the six games between his benching and the Feb. 17 trade deadline, Stoudemire posted four double-doubles, while averaging 26 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. During that time the Suns went 5-1, with all five wins coming on the road. STAT has been an absolute monster, and his increase in boards is a huge reason for the Suns’ recent success. In February STAT averaged 25.3 points and 10.1 rebounds. Four games into March Amare has upped the ante, averaging 27.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. But those averages don’t even tell how ridiculous he’s been during the last month and a half.”
That is one thing I have always said about Stoudemire, he is a fighter. A fighter who fights best when he is cornered. He is at his best when coming back from or facing adversity. I hope he can focus on getting us to the playoffs, we can’t make it without him at his best.
