Villain, thy name is Dallas...

What a game. At the end of the 129-127 double OT thriller between the Phoenix Suns (AKA Reasons why I drink) and the Dallas Mavericks, I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t jumping up and down, I wasn’t even smiling. I was just happy the game was over. Probably not what you’re looking for from a die-hard Phoenix fan after such an exciting game, but over the last three years, its what I’ve come to expect. The Phoenix Suns have been the biggest rollercoaster in sports lately, winning and losing in bunches, thankfully doing the former more often than the latter. They’re a team that can score at will and yet couldn’t keep a Jr. High girls basketball team under a hundred points. Still I love them, even though they’ve broken my heart every one of the 17 seasons I’ve watched them. Last night wasn’t one of those times. Some notes from the game if you missed it.

The Suns go up 16 in the second quarter and then are down 15 at the end of the third only to have Steve Nash tie it with a three and 2.7 seconds left. See what I mean by rollercoaster. There are many times where I would simply leave the room or turn on the TV for a few seconds at a time because I just couldn't bare to watch.

Dallas is still the strongest team in the league, even after losing 2 straight. Last night their starters combined for over 100 points including 3 guys over 20 points and one hanging around at 19. When coupled with how strong Avery Johnson has made that defense, they’re still the best team in the league by leaps and bounds. Translation: I hate them.

Steve Nash won the MVP last night. Dirk may be the best player on the best team and he may have had a great night scoring 30, grabbing 16 rebounds, and handing out 6 assists. Doesn’t matter. Steve Nash handed out 14 assists in regulation, and then when Phoenix was down 7 points with a minute to go, he took the ball and scored 10 straight points including a that three with 2.7 seconds left to force overtime. The best part? He did the same thing in Dallas last year during the playoffs. Amazing.

Boris Diaw’s new nickname is “Married Life”. Ever since signing a five-year contract worth 45 million dollars, he’s let himself go, stopped trying to please you, put on a significant amount of weight, and can’t perform because he has a headache. (Okay, its actually back spasms, but it worked for the analogy). The worst part is, the Suns couldn’t dump him at the trading deadline because his contract doesn’t kick in until next year and we can't kill him because... no wait... let me think about that one.

Sarcastic Rant: Everybody keeps saying that Dallas and Phoenix are a lock to meet in the Western Conference Finals. Good job ESPN. That probably won’t piss off the Spurs, a team that is still in its prime and has won 13 straight. You’re right, they needed another reason to feel unappreciated. No, no, I’m glad because they’ll probably just lay down and stop trying. In fact, I WANT to face them in the second round. Screw it, we’ll kill them because you’ve crushed their spirit…. And Scene.

I know we talk about how bad the east is, but do you think any of the top three Western teams would even lose a game in the finals this year? Not only are these the best teams we’ve seen since the Jordan era, but the Suns, Mavs, and Spurs have lost a COMBINED 14 games against the east, with the Suns only losing one on the road. Can’t we finally do away with the Regional Conferences and mix it up so it’s at least interesting? Reason #397 why I incorrectly think I would make a great NBA commissioner.

18 games to go… the NBA, it’s Fantastic!