R.I.P., 2006/2007 Phoenix Suns (10/31 - 5/18)

61 Wins, 21 Losses, .494 Field Goal Percentage (1st), .399 Three Point Percentage (1st), .808 Free Throw Percentage (1st), 110.2 Points Per Game (1st), 0 Championships.

It's a shame that in the end, that final, pesky statistic is the only one that matters. The 06/07 Phoenix Suns assembled one of the most exciting seasons the NBA has seen in quite some time. But for 3 or 4 games when Steve Nash and Shawn Marion were plagued with injuries, the team treated its audiences night in and night out to a masterful offensive obliteration of its opponents. With their blazing speed, uncanny chemistry, and international style, I've said all season that the Suns are the sports equivalent of the Brazilian national soccer team. It's a tragedy that they got some tough breaks in the playoffs and weren't able to secure a championship. Had they gotten over that hump, they would have proven dozens of naysayers wrong, and would have earned the respect that is long overdue. But, thanks to some questionable rules and league officials who allow themselves to be controlled by their own institutions it will always remain a "what if...?".

Alas, it is not my intention to post a bitter rant, but these are the thoughts on the forefront of my mind, and I have to get it out if I want to expel my blogger's block. My intention is to pay tribute to this team of skilled athletes who provided so much joy for so many fans.

These are some of the players and performances that stood out during the regular season and into the playoffs:

• Amare Stoudemire - An amazing recovery from microfracture knee surgery. He said the right things in all of his interviews and played with passion all season long. The man is a beast on the court and was possibly the strongest, most agile finisher in the league. A real asset in playoff style basketball. 15 straight 20-point postseason games is an awesome stat. He seemed truly poised to win a championship this year but also showed great maturity and understanding when things didn't go his way.


• Leandrinho Barbosa - The Brazilian Blur had a breakout season and was the 3rd leading scorer on the Suns. Hit his first game winner against the Chicago Bulls on the road and had one of the best game-winning reactions I've ever seen, unphased as his teammates mobbed him. Well-deserved 6th Man of the Year award. His older brother, Arturo, disciplined him as a Brazilian youth to make it to the NBA.


• Shawn Marion - The underrated $15 million man. Put together another great season and was an integral part of the team's success. We appreciate you and your praying mantis shot, Marion. Hope you can stick around another year.


• Steve Nash - One of the coolest and greatest athletes of all time. Some athletes are gifted, some are skilled, and others just think they are gifted or skilled, but still play sports, so technically they are still athletes, while others concede that they are neither gifted nor skilled, but still consider themselves athletes, or in some cases not. Steve Nash has incredible skill. He made countless, jaw-dropping feeds to his teammates and was the ultimate teammate. He is enormously skilled with both hands, and has an unbelievable sense of balance which allows him to shift his weight in the air and still get off virtually the same shot he would get if he were set on the floor. He is a gritty competitor and a sports hero of mine. No matter what it takes, I hope he gets a championship before his career is over.


• Tom Leander - The Suns announcer whose cheesy lines and cheerful personality never grew tiresome. "Rises to the 10th floor", "Elevates and detonates", "a tasty dish", "straight but strong", "a thing of beauty", etc. He and color man, "EJ" Eddie Johnson were always enjoyable to listen to, especially the time when EJ (a long time NBA veteran) asked Tom to explain what a "baby hook" (a common shot) was.


• (12/7/07) Phoenix 161, New Jersey 157 (OT) - An amazing game that went to double overtime thanks to an unreal fadeaway 3-pointer from Nash at the end of regulation. This game featured an unforgettable battle between two of the premier pointguards of this era. Nash ended up with 42 points, and Jason Kidd had 38 points, 14 boards, and 14 assists.


• (3/14/07) Phoenix 129 - Dallas 127 (OT) - Another double OT battle and another Nash 3-pointer to send it into the first OT. Nash posted 32 points, 8 boards, and 16 assists and outdueled his former teammate, Dirk Nowitzki, in a battle that should have given Nash the upperhand in the battle for MVP, but ultimately did not. Amare Stoudemire was an impressive 16-19 from the field and put up 41 points.

Sorry you couldn't win it all Suns, but for what it's worth, I don't blame you. In fact, I embrace your style of play and I hope you have the guts to stick with it until you do win the title. "Joga Bonito".

"Hey I Was Wondering If You Have These:"

Some time ago, Trifecta asked Chris and me if we listened to these artists and what we thought of them:

• Notorious B.I.G., Mike Jones, Warren G, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Cube, Ghostface Kiliahz, 3 six mofia, 2 Pac

Also, my two brothers recently brought up my piqued interest in hip-hop music, so I think it's only fitting that I address this matter via the blog platform. Keep in mind that I consider myself only a casual hip-hop listener and I tend to filter a lot of what I listen to based on explicitness.

First of all, in my opinion, rap music seems to cyclically perpetuate in a given locale. For instance, it used to be that the East Coast had the stronghold on rap music and all the good original material was coming from that area. Then, with the emergence of groups like N.W.A., suddenly you had a California-based hegemon running the show (my first real exposure to the hip-hop scene--most notably when my older brother surreptitiously bought 'Doggpound', and Trifecta bought 'The Chronic'). Then guys like Ice-T, Easy E, Snoop D-O-Double G, 2Pac, and a bunch of others started to put out their own records and they all fed off of each other's creativity. The scene was at an all time high but slowly began to decline as consumers grew tired of so many songs all about scoring chicks and hatin' on other gangstas.

Eventually, the East side regained some of its popularity through rappers like Puff Daddy, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Common. But an unnecessary battle broke out between the two coasts featuring countless disses from the opposing rappers. The stakes escalated too high and ended in the death of Tupak Shakur and the retaliatory assassination of Biggy Smalls. This was a dark time in Hip-Hop and the music suffered as a result.

Fortunately, some new names have busted out onto the scene and have really redefined and improved the industry. Most notably in the Chicago scene where guys like KanYe West, Lupe Fiasco, and Rhymefest are taking new approaches and with the help of some skilled producers are incorporating dope beats and some orchestral arrangements and the like to produce more musically-intensive rap tracks, without sacrificing the rappin' and rhymin'.

So in response to Trifecta's question, and with some additional commentary on some others, here is my take on the following hip-hop artists:

Trifecta's List of Artists:

• Notorious B.I.G. - Not a fan of his era of rappers. He's got a few songs that are OK but I don't really care to listen to his stuff
• Mike Jones - One awesome, narcissistic song ("Who Is Mike Jones").
• Warren G - Don't know much about him. Don't really care to either.
• Dr. Dre - Dude's a genius. Released what is probably the biggest hip-hop record of all time (The Chronic), and kickstarted dozens of rappers' careers. ("Let Me Ride" and "Forgot About Dre" are some of my favorites)
• Kanye West - The guy understands music and isn't afraid to crossover with guys like the lead singer of Maroon 5. Two great albums and his forthcoming record should be great as well.
• 50 Cent - Hasn't put out anything great in a while but he's got some classic raps on his resume ("In Da' Club", "P.I.M.P."). The quintessential street gangster who happens to have survived 5 or 6 or 7 bullet wounds.
• Bone Thugs N' Harmony - Haven't ever gotten into these guys. Should I? Is it worth my while?
• Snoop Dogg - His act is tired but his voice and style are so unique that he'll always have a place in the industry. ("Beautiful" on the new Heineken ad is pretty sweet).
• Eminem - You don't want to mess with Shady...cause Shady...will kill you. This guy scares me. Some of his beats and tunes are so unique and cool, but his lyrics are off-the-charts descriptive/violent/venomous/abrasive/etc. Years from now, someone will write an amazing biography on him and I will probably still be afraid to read it.
• Ice Cube - I would give an opinion on him but I can never keep him and Ice T straight.
• Ghostface Killahz - Don't know enough about them
• 3 Six Mafia - Never heard 'em
• 2Pac - "How Do You Want It" and "California" are both fantastic. Other than that they all sound like disses--except for "Changes" which I'm not a big fan of anyways.

Additional Artists:

• Lupe Fiasco - Peach fuzz buzz but beard on the verge. This kid rocks. Pulls out some obscure loops and is heavy on the strings. 'Food & Liquor' is one of my favorite albums of '06. Gotta love "Kick Push" and "Kick Push II".
• Rhymefest - Another Chicago rapper. He's got a huge voice and lots of charisma. (Check out "Bullet")
• MF Doom - I'm late in the game with this guy but his stuff is dope. Comes from the UK. 'Madvillainy' is an awesome record with tons of heavy-layered tracks, all of which sound very unique. Always wears the Gladiator metal-face mask and his voice is as smooth as they come. (I recommend "Accordion", "Raid", and "Supervillain Theme")
• Spank Rock - These guys put out some pretty sweet underground hip-hop. They're hit and miss with me but overall I dig 'em. They only have one album out ('YoYoYoYoYoYo').

So I hope that answers your question, Tri.

We Believe

The Golden State Warriors have pulled off the biggest upset in NBA playoff history thanks to inspired play by some pure ballers and a stadium full of believers. This was no fluke. These guys came out to play every night and there was never a moment where they were intimidated or even nervous. It was truly a joy for sports fans everywhere to witness the beautiful play by the Warriors as they outdueled the 67-win Mavericks team in 6 games. Just read some of the reactions I got from personal friends of mine (first names only to protect their identity):

• "I'm naming my son Baron" - Chris
• "All I know is that the score is 71 to 57 for GS and that it's exciting" - Sarah
• "I feel like that game strengthened my testimony" - Trevor

Steve Kerr, the TNT announcer, repeatedly mentioned how shocked he was to see an NBA game with the fans standing the entire 2nd half and how that demonstrated how special this game was. There were some interesting post-game interviews--and in case you weren't aware there's a scintillating love-hate triangle between Coach Avery Johnson, Coach Don Nelson, and Owner Mark Cuban (with some especially bad blood between the latter two)--but I was impressed with Stephen Jackson's (who is notorious for his nightclub & gun incident and his role in the Artest brawl - [video]) comment regarding the concern when Baron Davis left in the 1st with a hamstring pull. He talked about how important Baron is to the team and said "I'd die for him right there on the court". That statement shows the love between this team and the reason for their phenomenal chemistry.

And in case you're wondering what Trifecta has to say on the matter: "I think that the Warriors did Annihilation".