OFFICIAL Suns vs. Rockets Game Thread

[Xylus]

http://lowposts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/steve_nash.jpg

and

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vs.

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and

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GAME ON!

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

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[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

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[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

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[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

http://ymswwc.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/tracy-mcgrady.jpg

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Taking a day at the spa together:

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[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

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[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

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[Xylus]

Ye4OyRQXQ5Q

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/multimedia/photo_gallery/0905/this.day.sports.history.may20/images/mario-elie.jpg


This picture is kind of like when Eminem talks about premature ejaculating on Mariah just so she won't be able to make fun of him for it.

[Xylus]

Aaron Brooks might score 50 on us.

[sook]

the last suns rockets game I went to was the best NBA game I had ever seen in person. If i still lived in houston i would probably go

[Xylus]

the last suns rockets game I went to was the best NBA game I had ever seen in person. If i still lived in houston i would probably go

Was it the game where Rafer and Matt Barnes tried to kill each other?

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Was it the game where Rafer and Matt Barnes tried to kill each other?


Nah that one was in Phoenix, I was there. Shit got crazy. Some crazy Scottsdale cunt with more plastic surgery than Pamela Anderson was sitting in the front row and tried to get involved.

[Xylus]

Houston and Phoenix usually play each other pretty tightly. It always comes down to a contrast in styles. The winner usually controls the tempo throughout the game.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Suns have got this one.

[Indazone]

The game is good now. Sucked when Van Gundy was the coach. We could always see the Phoenix game coming up and chalk in an automatic L back then.

[The Franchise]

Houston and Phoenix usually play each other pretty tightly. It always comes down to a contrast in styles. The winner usually controls the tempo throughout the game.

Not this year. :lol

[The Franchise]

Suns have got this one.

Sig bet?

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Sig bet?

nope. I was trying to jinx the Suns.......but by admitting it, i have now broken the jinx and they really will win now :lol j/k

[flamingdts]

Steve Nash cannot contain Aaron Brooks, that's for sure.

It comes down to controlling Channing Frye and Amare Stoudamire. With Chuck Hayes around, I'm not too afraid of Stoudamire. With Battier and Ariza around, Channing Frye shouldn't do too much damage.

We just need to hope that Brooks does well on the offensive end and limit Nash on the defensive end. Nash dropping 10 assist should already count as good defense.

Both teams are up tempo teams, should be quite interesting.

[Lars]

Should be really entertaining to watch. I am going to enjoy this one greatly.

[AussieFanKurt]

suns by 10
that t-mac photo blended with 40 year old virgin is gold

[Danny.Zhu]

Go rockets.

[benefactor]

Aaron Brooks might score 50 on us.
Calvin Murphy holds the Rockets single game record with 57. This would be a good night for him to try to shoot for that.

[pauls931]

They just beat LA (Houston), I'm not looking forwards to this one. The suns need to put up some serious numbers to counter Brooks going nutz.

[wanggi]

Suns 122, Rockets 119.

[Chieflion]

Amare meets Chuck Hayes. Game on.
We got two jump shooting centers David Andersen and Channing Frye.
Steve Nash and Goran Dragic facing off against Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry. Should be interesting.
Shane Battier and Trevor Ariza meets Grant Hill and Jason Richardson.
This should be a nice game. Sad to say but Leandro Barbosa may just be the X-Factor here.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

This should be a nice game. Sad to say but Leandro Barbosa may just be the X-Factor here.


Fortunately the Rockets are mediocre enough that Barbosa will show up. He is a fuckin beast against 45-50 win teams.

[robbie380]

phx is fucked. when i saw the line was rockets -1.5 i immediately thought the smart thing to do was to bet the suns....

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

phx is fucked.


Any team that actually has a height disadvantage against Phoenix is fucked. If you don't have a legit big man like Bynum or Howard capable of punishing Phoenix with interior scoring and offensive rebounding, they're an extremely tough team to beat. Unfortunately, if you do have a guy like Bynum or Howard, Phoenix is just an average team.

[Indazone]

Rockets are still a top 5 team defensively. It's the signature of the Rockets to play hard nosed defense. I don't see the Suns rolling the points up on us.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Rockets are still a top 5 team defensively. It's the signature of the Rockets to play hard nosed defense. I don't see the Suns rolling the points up on us.


I don't see the Rockets rolling up the points on Phoenix. Gentry has this team playing with tons of energy and intensity on defense, you match the Rockets intensity and hustle it makes them an average team.

[Indazone]

Neither team will roll up the points on each other unless Phoenix goes out and pushes the pace with their 10 seconds shoot offense. Then it'll be a track meet but the Rockets will try to run the clock and only push the ball when the opportunities are there.

[Indazone]

I think Scola/Landry will play Stoudamire even.

[Findog]

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[Findog]

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[Reeko_Htown]

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since when did Eddie Murphy play in the NBA?

Suns go down by 10. You wanna see a shooter? Prepare for Chase Budinger. 109-99!

[Findog]

since when did Eddie Murphy play in the NBA?

Suns go down by 10. You wanna see a shooter? Prepare for Chase Budinger. 109-99!

Walter Davis

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/daviswa03.html

[robbie380]

Any team that actually has a height disadvantage against Phoenix is fucked. If you don't have a legit big man like Bynum or Howard capable of punishing Phoenix with interior scoring and offensive rebounding, they're an extremely tough team to beat. Unfortunately, if you do have a guy like Bynum or Howard, Phoenix is just an average team.

true but i am horrible at gambling so refer back to original post.

[Xylus]

Any team that actually has a height disadvantage against Phoenix is fucked. If you don't have a legit big man like Bynum or Howard capable of punishing Phoenix with interior scoring and offensive rebounding, they're an extremely tough team to beat. Unfortunately, if you do have a guy like Bynum or Howard, Phoenix is just an average team.

You're definitely right, height is a big problem for the Suns. The Rockets don't have any, so I don't think Amare or the wings will have much of a problem scoring in the paint without a legit shotblocker in their way. The Suns, believe it or not, are a better rebounding team than the Rockets, as well:

Suns are ranked 10th in rebounding differential at +2.10
Rockets are ranked 27th in rebounding differential at -3.77

If the Suns outrebound and shoot a better percentage than the Rockets, they should win, assuming they protect the ball and limit too many turnovers.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

You wanna see a shooter? Prepare for Chase Budinger.


I know who Chase Budinger is buddy, and he's got one of the lowest basketball IQ's I've ever seen.

[Xylus]

I know who Chase Budinger is buddy, and he's got one of the lowest basketball IQ's I've ever seen.

How would you possibly know who Chase Budinger is :lol

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1140/620319709_227acca1b9_o.jpg


http://www.borev.net/cocaine.jpg

[Reeko_Htown]

I know who Chase Budinger is buddy, and he's got one of the lowest basketball IQ's I've ever seen.

That's quite the opposite. You'll find out tonight, no need to talk.

[Findog]

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/budinger.jpg

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

That's quite the opposite. You'll find out tonight, no need to talk.


I've watched Budinger a lot longer than you have, he'll have a good first year in Houston that inflates his ego, and then he'll start doing retarded shit.

[Findog]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/6629/what-happened-to-chase-budinger

At some point in the third or fourth hour of tonight's draft, you'll hear the name "Chase Budinger" announced -- quite possibly by Adam Silver, who usually presides over the second round. As recently as a year ago, Budinger was projected as a possible lottery pick. In his first two years Arizona, Budinger averaged 16.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. But his fortunes as a prospect slipped during his junior campaign. CelticsHub's Bryan Roy has covered the Wildcats for The Daily Wildcat over the past couple of seasons. He filed this report for TrueHoop on Budinger's strange tenure in Tucson.


If your fantasy basketball league required every team to draft a crossbreed of Larry Bird and Napoleon Dynamite, your man is Chase Budinger, soon-to-be rookie from Arizona.

Think Brendan Fraser in "Bedazzled.” The light-blond, lighter-skinned wing from Encinitas, Calif., looks like the ideal demographic for tetherball, Irish pubs and SPF 150 sunscreen.

Arizona's hot, dry desert sun did all it could to burn Budinger. From all the off-court uncertainties of Lute Olson's retirement, to the promising Wildcats that transferred or ripped up signed Letters of Intent - the appearance of these past three years weren't exactly Arizona's prettiest era for Budinger to showcase his upside.

In terms of athletic ability, the 6-foot-7 departing Wildcat was once described as the LeBron James of volleyball after a high school career that, had he kept playing, could have put him on USA Olympic team in 2008.

Instead, Budinger opted to pursue basketball for Lute Olson, who called Budinger the most talented athlete he ever coached. Coming from the Founder, Director and CEO of Point Guard U, the bar was sky-high. But these were his realistic and most basic goals to complete before the NBA came calling:

1) Beat his home state powerhouse UCLA.
2) Make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
3) Hone his raw athletic ability into NBA-ready talent.

Budinger arrived at Arizona surrounded by the modern-day Five Star Freshman Hype Hoopla. Fans anticipated that Budinger would restore the pre-2005 brand of Arizona basketball and eliminate the funk of underachieving, low-character players. (Related story: Marcus Williams and Mustafa Shakur both left for the NBA and graduated, respectively, after the 2006-2007 season.)

After individually satisfying freshman and sophomore seasons - he averaged 16.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as an underclassman - Budinger's team goals still left an empty pit in a hungry Wildcat Faithful's collective stomach. From 2006-2008, the Wildcats had:

1) Been embarrassed by UCLA (0-4 vs. the Bruins).
2) Lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (both times).
3) Not seen Budinger lead them when it mattered most.

Fans wondered when Big-Game Budinger would arrive on campus. By 2009, the No. 34 Budinger jerseys were destined to hit the UA Bookstore's clearance rack regardless of his decision to turn pro this summer. The shot clock of expectations expired.

A senior season for Budinger would've meant the McDonald's All-American (he earned co-MVP honors with Kevin Durant) lost ground during his junior campaign. In the star-studded 2008 NBA Draft, projections listed Budinger as a late first-round to early second-round selection. A significantly weaker 2009 Draft meant Budinger could've just tread water and still moved up in the rankings.

There wasn't much water in the desert to tread. By his junior year, Arizona needed (and expected) Budinger to step up both as a leader and dominant force in the Pac-10 if it wanted any hope at continuing the school's most coveted statistic of 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Our first glimpse of it came after Arizona's embarrassing loss to UAB. After Jamelle Horne Superman-dove to commit a foul at halfcourt in a tie game with seconds left in regulation, the mood in the locker room was uncomfortably somber. Reporters pretended to scribble down notes and avoid eye contact while players showered and shot blank stares into the trophies along wall.

After Horne came out of the shower, a few of us headed over to ask: What the hell were you thinking? (He later said it was a miscommunication). Budinger, who watched the entire scene unfold, quickly told us to back off. It wasn't anything rude or out of line, Budinger just took a big brother role to Horne, a sophomore visually upset with unthinkable foul.

It showed a lot of guts and spoke volumes on Budinger's unspoken leadership part, I wrote the next day. Just like that, he became the guy that glued together a wounded and abandoned 2008-09 team that was "rocked to the core” after Olson suddenly retired days before the season.

Midway through the season, however, once Budinger suffered through his Second Annual "Where's Chase?” Midseason Shooting Slump when he averaged 10.5 points in a four-game span, fans couldn't help but wake up in a cold sweat, recalling recent Wildcats that derailed into the same trend. Those five-star high school recruits that never blossomed became weeds after four very, very dry years in the scorching desert.

Can't say I've seen anybody on campus wearing a Shakur jersey, or be willing to spend $75 on one.

Had the Budinger III failed, maybe you could give the kid a free pass from an obvious scapegoat: Arizona's brilliant back-to-back interim head coaches strategy. It's a sure-fire way to stun the growth and development of 18-year-old AAU phenoms that, in turn, develop everything but team leadership.

Then, all those what-ifs evaporated when Aubrey Coleman came to town and earned himself a future Christmas Card from the Budinger family.

The infamous Coleman Face Stomp 2009 broke Budinger out of his soft-spoken shell. After Houston's go-to guy slammed his foot into Budinger's courtside face after the whistle, Budinger sprung up with Mike Tyson-esque fury and fire.

Later that game, with under one minute to play, Arizona overcame a 10-point deficit to win in overtime. The pivotal (literally, Coleman planted his pivot foot into Budinger's left temple) moment saved the Wildcats' season, started an seven-game winning streak and put Arizona on the national radar for good reasons.

Budinger's decision to return for his junior season paid dividends. Sure we saw him put up lines like 20, 10, and five against teams like Oregon State, but it was his 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals against No. 5-seeded Utah in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament solidified his legacy at Arizona -- or at least, avoided a negative one. The Sweet 16 banner that gets raised into the McKale Center rafters will have Budinger's finger prints all over it.

After an exhausting three-year span of Olson, Kevin O'Neill and Russ Pennell, Budinger enters his second go-around of the summer pre-Draft workouts with his trifecta:

1) Killing UCLA at home. (84-72 win)
2) Reaching the Sweet 16 after barely earning an at-larg
e bid (No. 10 seed).
3) Developing the crucial mental game in pressure situations.

Beyond his final junior year line -- 18.0 points, 6.2 rebounds in 37.6 minutes per game -- Budinger picked up a missing intangible that would've set his professional ceiling at "D-League All-Star” if he hadn't returned to Arizona and met those goals after his sophomore season.

I'm no professional scout or basketball talent expert, but it's obvious that the mental part of Budinger's game was his missing component after watching two full seasons of his style. He needs confidence to knock down his jump shots.

His ballhandling skills are much improved. Budinger can use his length and ups as an oversized 2 or 3 in the NBA. Most importantly, he can use Arizona's adversities when the don't-take-it-personal business deals go through at the professional level.

It's been a crazy three years, symbolically parallel to a signature Arizona pool party, where students (yes of course, that includes athletes) have always showed off bronze bodies in the No. 34 jersey. Soon, a new Budinger jersey will once again be on "new items” rack. And that's something fans can be excited about.

[robbie380]

I've watched Budinger a lot longer than you have, he'll have a good first year in Houston that inflates his ego, and then he'll start doing retarded shit.

so you admit he is good.


oh and also the under will hit in this game. Its at like 220 and I thought it was easy money as well as 3/4ths of clutchfans.

so going against the stupid money (aka me) we arrive at rox -1.5 and under 220.

[benefactor]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1305/738893466_8cc58dd4d1_o.jpg
Chambers was pretty beastly in the late 80's. When one starts name dropping he kinda gets lost in the shuffle of great players during that time, but the man could flat ball.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

so you admit he is good.


He's got a very good skillset and is very talented (never said otherwise), his ego and decision making get in his way.

[Findog]

Chambers was pretty beastly in the late 80's. When one starts name dropping he kinda gets lost in the shuffle of great players during that time, but the man could flat ball.

I loved those late eighties Sonics teams with him, Ellis and the X-Man. First team to have three 20 ppg scorers.

[robbie380]

He's got a very good skillset and is very talented (never said otherwise), his ego and decision making get in his way.

decision making as in stupid passes or stupid shots or both?

right now the only major flaw I see in his game is his quick trigger and terribly inconsitent shooting but he is a rookie. I do like the fact that he isn't afraid to shoot but he has had some ugly 3pt misses lately. Other than that his d has improved and his movement without the ball is awesome especially in adelmans system.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

decision making as in stupid passes or stupid shots or both?

right now the only major flaw I see in his game is his quick trigger and terribly inconsitent shooting but he is a rookie. I do like the fact that he isn't afraid to shoot but he has had some ugly 3pt misses lately. Other than that his d has improved and his movement without the ball is awesome especially in adelmans system.


Stupid shots mainly. As you said he's got a quick trigger. There's never been a shot Chase Budinger didn't like.

[noob cake]

Stupid shots mainly. As you said he's got a quick trigger. There's never been a shot Chase Budinger didn't like.

Chase Birdinger doesn't care where he shoots from. He doesn't need to care.

[sook]

Houston and Phoenix usually play each other pretty tightly. It always comes down to a contrast in styles. The winner usually controls the tempo throughout the game.

Rockets up double digits.

2 min to go.

Suns come back miraculouslywith barbosa and Nash...ESPECIALLY Nash i mean holy shit he could not miss.

It was tied and AB his an up and under layup past Shaq. Nash goes for the win and in an out. Man i wish i recorded it, such awesome seats too

[sook]

A win wold be AWESOME..and i would be very happy but I want to see a FAST paced fun game to watch. In the past we have had some of JVG's stagnant offense whenever we played phoenix. It will be nice to see what this rockets team can do, the "Suns" of the new era because of there up tempo style of play

[Reeko_Htown]

yeah, we can shoot 3's too.

[noob cake]

Its alright, Suns don't play much defense. Nash will lead a 20-0 run or some bullshit, just watch.

[The Franchise]

Chuck!!

[Reeko_Htown]

as long as we play D and hustle we'll be ok..

[Xylus]

Suns are down by double digits in the 1st quarter. Gotta cut this deficit before the game gets blown wide open.

[Xylus]

What is with the Suns' inability to play defense in the 1st half? They always turn it up in the 2nd half, but it's infuriating to see teams score at will in the first 24 minutes.

[Indazone]

Told ya Landry and Scola would play Stoudamire even, after that it's the offensive power from the perimeter players. Rockets play tough gritty offense and defense.

[Xylus]

Told ya Landry and Scola would play Stoudamire even, after that it's the offensive power from the perimeter players. Rockets play tough gritty offense and defense.

It's the first quarter. Stoudemire will respond with a greater sense of urgency in the later stages of the game, guaranteed.

[Indazone]

He won't, Scolandry will bottle up Amare.

[The Franchise]

Anderson is finally starting to adjust to the NBA game.

[Indazone]

I knew this would happen. Scola/Landry can't score and neither can Amare. Ariza and Brooks taking the wood to the Suns.

[Xylus]

Amare is 2-4 and has 6 points in 12 minutes. What are you talking about, Amare can't score? At least wait until the 2nd half to make a call like that.

[mogrovejo]

Watch the Cavs game instead. Up 3 with 2 minutes to go to a 7 men Warriors team.

[Indazone]

Amare's production is terrible for the minutes he's playing.

[Indazone]

Budinger DUNK!! WOW did he just do that???

[Indazone]

Budinger 3 ptr off. Shot the ball too quick.

[The Franchise]

Phoenix making their run.

[Austin_Toros]

Channing Frye a.k.a Reggie Miller

[The Franchise]

That should have been a charge on Amare.

[Indazone]

SOB! Freaking what happened to Rockets shooting

[angrydude]

reminding me of the Dallas game when scola got anally raped by Dirk.

[Indazone]

It's going to be ugly from here on out.

[Reeko_Htown]

It's going to be ugly from here on out.

doesn't have to be. We can adjust and deny Amare the ball in the second half. give them a different look.

Just need to make another run, no biggy.

[Danny.Zhu]

0 pt for Nash? Cool.

[Hemotivo]

Only things to find on this list: idiot, idiot and another idiot...

http://i26.tinypic.com/ayvn8m.gif

[Banzai]

http://i26.tinypic.com/ayvn8m.gif

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/20/hahaha_didnt_read.gif (http://www.threadbombing.com/details.php?image_id=4306)

[lefty]

LMAO Landry

[sribb43]

Owned by Jarron Collins

[The Franchise]

Congrats Suns fans. The better team won tonight. :toast

[Chieflion]

Who is watching no defense Toronto Raptors and Denver killing Nuggets? Worst defense I have seen for the Raptors.

[Indazone]

doesn't have to be. We can adjust and deny Amare the ball in the second half. give them a different look.

Just need to make another run, no biggy.

It was just ugly

[pauls931]

Let me get this right. Pho gets throttled by LA, then houston beats LA, then Pho beats Hou? (head explodes)

[da_suns_fan]

It seems the Suns formula for winning is to fall behind, get close by the fourth quarter and then just out-execute down the stretch.

Its not as impressive as the "winning machine" they were in 04-05 (when they started out 31-4 before Nash went down) or 06-07 (where they had back to back 17 and 15 game winning streaks) but it makes each game great to watch.