Gutless

Today while I'm banging out the week's list work for 205th (yes, those will now be coming on an every weekday basis; check back for the links as they go live), I had the Suns-Mavericks game on. Phoenix is three games behind for the 8th spot, which Dallas holds, with six games left to play. So you're expecting a desperate Suns team, ready to give their best effort and get the win that will prolong their season.

Instead, um, they did this on "defense": 81 points on 30 of 47 shooting, with Jason Kidd having a season high in assists (16) *in the first half*.

Keep this in mind, please, when you hear anything about how good Shaquille O'Neal is, or how wonderful Steve Nash is as a player. Dallas didn't do anything terribly special in the first half, other than just run an ordinary offense and make their wide-open shots. Nash was never very good defensively, but now that he's in his dotage, he might be the worst on the ball defender in the league. Jason Richardson used to give an effort on defense; not anymore. Grant Hill might be their best defender, in that I actually saw him take a charge in this game. He's also, of course, ancient and frail. I think the Suns miss Amare Stoudemire on defense, and he's terrible at that as well.

Dallas will be a kitten-soft out for the Lakers in round 1, despite their recent competence at home. Phoenix would be as well, but if you were to tell me that any team in the Association, with their playoff hopes on the line, would be giving up uncontested layups and getting beaten down the floor by people like Erick Dampier...

Well, it does remind one how often Shaq's teams have gone out in meek sweeps. When the big man quits, he quits with a vengeance. Enjoy the links, gentlemen.