ESPN Power Rankings: Suns #1

[Mike Olbinski]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2007&week=6

Nice to see, now win tonight!

Go Suns!

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I think the Suns lose by 6 with a 4th Q meltdown.

 

[az1965]

Good thing is starters did not play much last night so they should have relatively fresh legs, but it is 4th game in 5 nights on the road...

 

[JCSunsfan]

Well, were on top of the RealGM rankings, the CBSSportsline rankings, and CNNSI as well. No more sneaking up on anyone, and no complaining about lack of respect.

 

[CaptainInsano]

Well, were on top of the RealGM rankings, the CBSSportsline rankings, and CNNSI as well. No more sneaking up on anyone, and no complaining about lack of respect.

The thing is it hasn't been like that this year, even during our starting slump every sports analyst and article talked in an "as if" manner that the suns were going to start on a roll soon. Every one said the same thing
1. Amare integration
2. Suns working on kinks
3. Get ready for them to takeoff soon

Sadly that didn't leave us suns fans with much to counterpoint them with as we are used to usually doing, since most of us figured the same.

If anything we were counterpointing ourselves for the first time as some hastily argued during the slump that our team wasn't ready to compete this year.

Sadly, we won't see the sports writers saying "Their game won't work in the playoffs" and next picking the lakers over us in an upset in the playoffs this time.

We will have to silently agree for the first time with the same people that constantly counted us down when they pick us as favorites come playoffs time.

How odd.

 

[jibikao]

We need to beat Lakers and then I'll feel better about our ranking.

 

[Bufalay]

suns don't play the lakers again until march...terrible scheduling.

 

[Covert Rain]

We need to beat Lakers and then I'll feel better about our ranking.

I think by then the Lakers will come down to earth and settle in the middle of the pack. The only teams I am worried about are the Spurs, Mavs and Jazz (well at least the Jazz until they prove otherwise).

 

[Chaplin]

Not according to Steve Kerr. He says the Lakers are the best team in the NBA right now.

 

[jbeecham]

Steve Kerr is an ass, I'm amazed he doesn't think the Spurs are the best team in the NBA. The Lakers have had one of the easiest schedules in the NBA so far with 15 homes games out of 20 total. They've got 3 tough games against Houston, Dallas & then Houston again before another stretch of easier teams (8 out of 9 are sub 500 or close to it). So don't expect the Lakers to drop off right away, but there eventually going to hit a tough stretch of road games against tough teams.

 

[HooverDam]

The Lakers did just beat San Antonio, which scares me a bit. However, it is the NBA and any team can beat any other team on any given night.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

We need to beat Lakers and then I'll feel better about our ranking.

That's insane. I had no idea.

 

[jibikao]

Well, I mentioned Laker only because Laker is in our division. If we are not even #1 in our division, we are not that good yet. We will though!

Glad we beat Magic last night. Can't believe they are #1 on the East. @_@

Jazz actually looks like the hottest in the West to me but Suns have been so good lately.

 

[Chaz]

Well, I mentioned Laker only because Laker is in our division. If we are not even #1 in our division, we are not that good yet. We will though!

Glad we beat Magic last night. Can't believe they are #1 on the East. @_@

Jazz actually looks like the hottest in the West to me but Suns have been so good lately.

We are tied with the Lakers today.

They are @Houston tonight.


Jazz are 6-4 in their last 10 games while the Suns have won 11 straight. What measurement are you using to determine the hottest team?

Suns are not only the hottest team in the west but in the league.

 

[se7en]

We are tied with the Lakers today.

Technically, that's not true. Lakers have the tiebreaker, so unfortunately the Suns are still in 2nd place in the Pacific. I know this because Lakers fans at work like to remind me of this fact quite regulary.

 

[Chaz]

Technically, that's not true. Lakers have the tiebreaker, so unfortunately the Suns are still in 2nd place in the Pacific. I know this because Lakers fans at work like to remind me of this fact quite regulary.

In that case tell him to enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Technically, that's not true. Lakers have the tiebreaker, so unfortunately the Suns are still in 2nd place in the Pacific. I know this because Lakers fans at work like to remind me of this fact quite regulary.

.....And because they beat us in the first game.

 

[Chaz]

.....And because they beat us in the first game.

I think that is why they have the tie breaker.

 

[elindholm]

Not only that, but they lead the head-to-head series.

On a more serious note, the Suns have risen to #3 in the Sagarin ratings, which (unlike "power rankings") are objective and rigorous. (That isn't to say they're "right," of course.) Even after the Suns' terrible start, they were in the top ten because of their strength of schedule, so the win streak hasn't improved their lot all that much. On the other hand, 14-6 sure does look better than 3-6.

 

[zett]

Not only that, but they lead the head-to-head series.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Steve Kerr is an ass, I'm amazed he doesn't think the Spurs are the best team in the NBA. The Lakers have had one of the easiest schedules in the NBA so far with 15 homes games out of 20 total. They've got 3 tough games against Houston, Dallas & then Houston again before another stretch of easier teams (8 out of 9 are sub 500 or close to it). So don't expect the Lakers to drop off right away, but there eventually going to hit a tough stretch of road games against tough teams.

I don't know if Steve Kerr's an ass. How many other teams have beaten the Spurs, Jazz and Suns? Regardless of whether it's home or away, the Lakers have been pretty damn impressive this year so far, especially considering that Kobe missed 4 games as well. Sure they could drop off in the future and I hope and think that they will to an extent, but his poll isn't a crystal ball - it's a poll about what's happened up to this point. Meanwhile, with as unbelievable as we're playing, we still haven't beaten any of the top three teams in the league, with our only really impressive wins coming against Houston and Orlando (who I know no one here really believes that either one is a legitmate threat).

The really crazy thing is that we still don't play any of the top three in the west until something like the beginning of February.

 

[az1965]

We will win the Pacific. I don't think in the long run Lakers can keep up with us.

I also believe we can beat the top teams now that we have found our game. Even during the 1-5 skid, we took Spurs and Jazz to overtimes on their home court due to silly stuff on our part like missing key free throws or easy layups at the end of regulations.

 

[jbeecham]

I just don't like Kerr because he's a partial owner in the Suns and never has anything positive to say about the Suns. The Lakers comment really irks me because I'd put them 5th or 6th on my top teams list with Utah, SA, Dallas & Phx all ahead of them (maybe the Pistons or Magic as well). He's a professional analyst so maybe he's just always trying to go out of his was to seem unbiased by never saying anything positive about the Suns or maybe he thinks by slighting them he's actually motivating them.

 

[phxrising]

The New ranking for race for the MVP are up on NBA site

http://www.nba.com/features/player_rankings_061212.html

We ALL know who is #1

Heres a hint-
He scores when needed, drains clutch treys, hands out assists by the dozens and his team is riding an 11-game win streak. What more can the two-time MVP do?

 

[TucsonDevil]

Well, I hope to see the hype around Nash continue for another 5 months. Seriously, the NBA/ESPN were so eager to give Lebron the MVP this year. There is no doubt about his skill and desire, but I'm not ready to annoint him the MVP of the league just yet.

And yes, it is me who annoints the MVP of the league... at least unofficially... here in Tucson... at my house... in my dreams.