(Picture from NBA.com)
The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers were simply out dueled, out done, and out played in the desert Tuesday night. After obtaining a quick 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns at home, Los Angeles has lost that lead as fast as they got it.
The Suns needed a team effort Tuesday night to even the Western Conference Finals at two games a piece. As most NBA fans know, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire (as great and electrifying as they are) cannot out play Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol by themselves. So like the old Beatles song, Nash and Stoudemire got "by with a little help from [their] friends" in route to creating a series out of what looked to be a quick blow out.
The Phoenix Suns bench was the only reason the Suns played themselves into a series tie after a 115-106 victory in game four. Even with Kobe Bryant providing his team with a 38-point, 10-assist performance in Arizona, his big game ultimately ended up as a scratch to Channing Frye, Jared Dudley, and Leandro Barbosa's game altering play.
Though the Suns bench didn't come out of the woodworks to surprise Phil Jackson and his team, they had been disregarded and shut out in the first two games. But Tuesday night, they finally got the memo that they were playing for a shot to play for the Larry O'Brien trophy and showed up.
Phoenix outscored the Lakers short, short, short bench 54-20 Tuesday night. Their eye popping performance evened out Kobe Bryant's, Lamar Odom's, Shannon Brown's, Jordan Farmar's, and Luke Walton's offense (as well as DJ Mbenga, Sasha Vujacic, and Josh Powell who did not play).
Frye was the story of the night because he finally broke out of his long shooting slump. He missed 17-consecutive shots going into game four, but said during an interview before the game that he was going to flip the switch. In the previous couple of games, he was an absolute non factor, and his lack of offensive help killed the Suns chances of stealing a game in L.A..
But tonight was a different story. Frye ended up making four 3-pointers and another bucket for a total of 14-points. Leandro Barbosa also added 14-points of his own by going 6-8 from the field. Throw in another strong performance from Jared Dudley (who added 11-points) and Goran Dragic (who ran the Suns intricate offense like a young Steve Nash; handing out eight assists and dropping eight points in only 18 minutes of play) and you have the perfect mix of talent that can beat the Lakers.
Gentry's reserves played almost the entire fourth quarter, while going on a 18-3 run that put the icing on the cake. Those bench players turned a two point deficit into a nine point lead in the fourth quarter (something the Lakers bench could never do) during a crucial time when most expected Kobe to "Do Work", Pau to dominate the post, and Lamar Odom/Ron Artest to do the dirty work and grab defensive rebounds.
None of that happened. In fact, grabbing a rebound seemed to be as hard as brain surgery for the Lakers in the fourth quarter.
Instead NBA fans saw a pity party from Kobe Bryant, who couldn't believe he, the King of all King's, was not getting any calls. We saw Andrew Bynum wilt away in the post like Patrick Ewing. We saw Pau Gasol stare into the distance like a lone Spaniard ready to ride off as the sun set. We saw my boy, Goran Dragic, run all over the Laker starting line up as if he was a varsity stud playing against a Freshmen B squad.
Look, I'm not willing to crown the Suns Western Conference Champs yet, but with another performance like that in L.A, I'll be sold. How couldn't I be? When most NBA fans were ready to place their bets on another Lakers, Celtics Championship match up, the Suns have proved that they can play as well as the defending champs. They have proved that they have a stronger will than the Lakers, which can elevate them to stand on the same grounds athletically. They have proved that if their bench comes to play and stays fresh throughout the game, the Lakers have no chance of stopping that second line.
I mean come on, the Suns bench went 20-32 for the night, which is scary if you are a Laker fan. Whatever Alvin Gentry drew up for his team the past two games, the Suns better stick with it because it has worked like magic. Laker fans should be trembling right now with the type of numbers the Suns bench put up in game four. Especially so, considering the quality of the "members of the short bus" that take up space on the Lakers bench and their inability to take over a game like that.
The Lakers could easily come out in game six and pound the living day lights out of Phoenix, but all NBA fan should be rooting for the Suns to come out in game five at the Staples center and play like they have in Arizona. People should be rooting for the same competitive play there was in game four. People should want the Suns to come out and make the Lakers earn the right to hoist up the Finals trophy. People should want to see Kobe and any given Phoenix player go back and forth on the offensive side of the ball. People should want this to go seven. I want this to go seven.
Plus, who doesn't want to see Steve Nash make a Finals trip? The guy is a mixture between a Hockey player, a Jockey, a soccer player, and a dash of a parkour legend. He epitomizes everything that is right with the NBA. He never gives up and does things the right way. He leads by example, never backs down, and plays for the love and passion of the game. His emotions and passions have rubbed off on this Phoenix team, and they could be a team of destiny and because of that I think Phoenix can do this in seven.
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