Suns still playing full force

[Xylus]

But they got their ass beat two games in a row. So Suns will go into p-offs with low confidence.

In Houston game Nash was begging D'Antoni to put him back in the game to try for the win. And D'Antoni listened!!! ANd they got beat!!!

Since when are losses of 3 and 4 points, respectively, against teams fighting for position in the playoffs considered ass-beatings?

[trueD]

Nash, Bell & Amari with 32 MPT, Marion with 28.

[Budkin]

Well at least the Suns players will be worn down come playoff time.

[Xylus]

The Suns looked like they were having a lot of fun the whole game. A lot of laughter, no one taking anything too seriously...I really don't think the Suns' confidence is going to suffer as a result. I didn't expect the Suns to win both these games after they locked the #2 seed, especially since Houston was battling for home-court advantage, and the Clippers are fighting just to make it into the playoffs.

[trueD]

Tim Thomas: "Sacramento tropmed on us. It was shocking, but just one of those things. "

[ponky]

no no, even the Suns homer announcers were a bit upset at D'antoni competing.

Nash is only getting older, and the starters on the suns play a ton of minutes as it is, this pride thing is bull . If anything, the fact that the suns tried hard and still lost while having nothing to play for looks worse and probably hurts their confidence slightly.

Avery and Pop are doing the smart things right now, rest the guys, focus on the playoffs

absolutely correct. i'm glad avery's resting the guys, let the two eight seeds decide their fates by battling it out tomorrow night against teams that might show up and play because they have nothing to lose and know they could impact the seeding. i'm actually getting psyched about the possibility that the first round might finally be interesting if we play the warriors.

[Xylus]

Last season, the Suns rested Nash and a couple of starters against the Lakers in the last game of the year, lost the game, and it turned out to have a detrimental effect. The Lakers gained confidence from the victory and came out firing against us in the first round despite the fact that we had owned them throughout the rest of the regular season.

Rest is good, but I'd watch out. If you think the Warriors aren't going to be proud of routing the Mavericks, Nowitzki or no Nowitzki, you'd be fooling yourself.

[RonMexico]

Haven't even watched these last two games... I was cooking Joey Crawford dinner

Just kidding... been traveling too much and too tired to watch them - saw the end of this Suns game... meh, as long as a lull doesn't carry over into the playoffs. I don't know what a game or two would do to rest the Suns at this point in time... maybe D'Antoni is trying to change it up because he rested Bell and Nash last year and both of them broke down against Dallas?

Personally, the key for the Suns is not taking 7 games to get out of the first round... if they meet the Spurs in the 2nd, then 6-7 would probably be expected, so I can't much hope for a 5-game series (at least one in which the Suns would win).

[J.T.]

So all the Warriors have to do now is beat Portland tomorrow? Meh, easy.