azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Associated Press
CHICAGO - Amare Stoudemire had 26 points and a season-high 15 rebounds to lead four players in double figures, and the Phoenix Suns routed the Chicago Bulls 94-74 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.
Shawn Marion also had a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Steve Nash came close with 12 assists and eight points. Joe Johnson had 20 points and Chicago native Quentin Richardson added 16.
The Suns, who lead the NBA in scoring, have won all of their games by double digits. Their 4-0 start is their best since they went 5-0 to begin the 1984-85 season.
The Bulls, meanwhile, dropped to 0-3 and could be looking at going 0-for-November. They have a game Saturday against the Clippers, then leave for their annual November road trip to the West Coast, where they haven't won a single game since the dynasty days.
They'd hoped to get a lift from the return of Eddy Curry, who missed the first two games while serving a suspension. But aside from a nice block in the first quarter, Curry was virtually nonexistent. He didn't take a shot until midway through the second quarter, and finished with six rebounds and three points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Rookie Luol Deng reached double figures for a third straight game, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds. Kirk Hinrich added 10 points and six assists.
The game was a matchup of prep-to-pro projects, but Stoudemire served notice right away that it was no contest. Stoudemire scored Phoenix's first points on a one-handed slam over Curry, and the Suns were off and running.
Though the Suns are smaller than Chicago, their speed and athleticism was way more than the Bulls could handle. The first half looked more like a pickup game, with Chicago horribly overmatched against the neighborhood ringers and no doubt about who got next.
The Suns outscored Chicago 21-9 in the first quarter, and Nash had more assists (four) than the entire Bulls' team (three). It wasn't much better early in the second quarter, with Marion's bank shot giving Phoenix a 26-13 lead.
But Othella Harrington's tip-in started an 11-3 run that pulled Chicago within 29-24 with 7:40 left in the half. The rally was short-lived, though. Nash made a pair of free throws, Johnson hit a 3 and then Nash fed a wide-open Marion for a monster dunk that echoed throughout the arena and almost drowned out the boos from Bulls fans.
Nash capped the 9-0 run with a driving layup, and the game may as well have ended there.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=31306
CHICAGO - Amare Stoudemire had 26 points and a season-high 15 rebounds to lead four players in double figures, and the Phoenix Suns routed the Chicago Bulls 94-74 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.
Shawn Marion also had a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Steve Nash came close with 12 assists and eight points. Joe Johnson had 20 points and Chicago native Quentin Richardson added 16.
The Suns, who lead the NBA in scoring, have won all of their games by double digits. Their 4-0 start is their best since they went 5-0 to begin the 1984-85 season.
The Bulls, meanwhile, dropped to 0-3 and could be looking at going 0-for-November. They have a game Saturday against the Clippers, then leave for their annual November road trip to the West Coast, where they haven't won a single game since the dynasty days.
They'd hoped to get a lift from the return of Eddy Curry, who missed the first two games while serving a suspension. But aside from a nice block in the first quarter, Curry was virtually nonexistent. He didn't take a shot until midway through the second quarter, and finished with six rebounds and three points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Rookie Luol Deng reached double figures for a third straight game, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds. Kirk Hinrich added 10 points and six assists.
The game was a matchup of prep-to-pro projects, but Stoudemire served notice right away that it was no contest. Stoudemire scored Phoenix's first points on a one-handed slam over Curry, and the Suns were off and running.
Though the Suns are smaller than Chicago, their speed and athleticism was way more than the Bulls could handle. The first half looked more like a pickup game, with Chicago horribly overmatched against the neighborhood ringers and no doubt about who got next.
The Suns outscored Chicago 21-9 in the first quarter, and Nash had more assists (four) than the entire Bulls' team (three). It wasn't much better early in the second quarter, with Marion's bank shot giving Phoenix a 26-13 lead.
But Othella Harrington's tip-in started an 11-3 run that pulled Chicago within 29-24 with 7:40 left in the half. The rally was short-lived, though. Nash made a pair of free throws, Johnson hit a 3 and then Nash fed a wide-open Marion for a monster dunk that echoed throughout the arena and almost drowned out the boos from Bulls fans.
Nash capped the 9-0 run with a driving layup, and the game may as well have ended there.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=31306
